Looking back on a decade of Panini basketball products
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Panini, the Italian company best known for its World Cup stickers, arrived in the United States in 2009 with a big splash.
It surprised the card industry with an exclusive deal to produce NBA trading cards, supporting the venture by purchasing Donruss and creating Panini America.
The exclusive deal left former licenseholders Topps and Upper Deck in the dust.
One decade later, Panini has left a deep mark on basketball cards and brought new energy to the hobby.
Soon after signing the exclusive license, the company — locked out of autograph deals with Michael Jordan and LeBron James, both exclusive to Upper Deck — reached a deal with Kobe Bryant, a partnership that helped to elevate the brand through standalone releases and rare inserts.
But even with "Black Mamba" as a global ambassador, it took Panini America some time to hit its stride with basketball. Some of the growing pains were outside of the company's control, such as the NBA lockout in 2011 that led to rookies being kept out of 2011-12 products.
Those early years had successes too, including the energy surrounding Jeremy Lin's "Linsanity" on the Knicks in early 2012. His rookie cards in 2010-11 products shot up exponentially in price, and his Knicks debut on cardboard came in 2011-12 NBA Hoops, a retread of the popular 1990s card product.
The next year on the cardboard calendar brought the debut of Panini's most popular basketball product, Prizm, filling a void left by Topps Chrome. The first season of Prizm featured rookie cards of Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Kawhi Leonard, Anthony Davis and Damian Lillard. Since then, rookie cards of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Luka Doncic and Zion Williamson have taken over the market.
When speaking to collectors about Panini, they point to Prizm — and as an extension, other chromium sets such as Mosaic and Select — as being Panini’s strongest delivery. Low-numbered parallels have added to the allure. Pulling one of the top rookie cards is like hitting a winning lottery ticket.
Panini has made a plethora of products ranging from low-end like NBA Hoops and higher end products like National Treasures with the First Off The Line versions costing the price of a lower-end new car.
The biggest issue collectors have seen is the proliferation of parallels in Prizm — plenty of other companies are guilty of this too — watering down the product. 2019-20 Prizm has 40 different parallels. However, that doesn’t seem to be much of an issue right now as many collectors are currently chasing Zion cards.
And despite Panini's successes, there have also been some bricks, such as the Panini Points system, which was an interesting program to kick off, but the execution hasn’t been great. Panini Points generally replace what would be a redemption. Collectors accumulate points to exchange them for a live card off of Panini’s website. While it is sometimes better to get points than a redemption, the points rarely feel they equate to what the hit may have been. Collectors also have to pay shipping on the cards procured from the program.
But more than 10 seasons into its exclusive run, Panini has found its footing, and its license with the NBA has been renewed two times.
Here's what collectors think about the past and future of basketball cards, Panini's decade with the NBA exclusive, and their favorite NBA cards of the last decade.
@NickRevell317
How long have you been collecting basketball cards?
I've been collecting basketball since ‘91.
What are some of the high points from Panini’s exclusive license?
Collectors know what to expect year to year. For Panini, they know people will buy their product regardless if they want NBA.
What have been some of the drawbacks?
The drawback for me is that we no longer have Topps Chrome, which is my favorite basketball card series of all-time.
What have been your favorite Panini basketball products?
My favorite Panini product is the easily Prizm.
What Panini Basketball duds have there been?
My least favorite is Crown. I hate the shape of the cards.
@dmakilakersfan
How long have you been collecting basketball cards?
Since 2007-08. I did a little in the early ‘90s.
What are some of the high points from Panini’s exclusive license?
I think their product designs are real sharp for the most part. A brand like Court Kings is real nice.
What have been some of the drawbacks?
No competition I think hurts (not Panini so much). Way too many variations, too many colors (maybe limit these and rotate them yearly).
What have been your favorite Panini basketball products?
Prizm (I have a set of the original), Court Kings, Optic, Spectra are really nice looking cards.
What Panini Basketball duds have there been?
Not a huge fan of Status, I didn’t like Mosaic until this year
Taylor Gapsch, @bthawks
How long have you been collecting basketball cards?
I’ve been collecting basketball cards since the early ‘90s!
What are some of the high points from Panini’s exclusive license?
High points would be Panini does offer a pretty wide selection of products from low- to high-end!
What have been some of the drawbacks?
Drawbacks would be the constant rising of cost! It’s gonna price us “regular” collectors out!
What have been your favorite Panini basketball products?
Love Optic, Prizm, Donruss, Revolution
What Panini Basketball duds have there been?
Some duds have been Chinese New Year Revolution, Aficionado, Prestige
@ripkenfan
How long have you been collecting basketball cards?
Since the late 1970s.
What are some of the high points from Panini’s exclusive license?
They have no competition, so I guess they do not have to worry about sharing anything.
What have been some of the drawbacks?
IMHO, I miss Topps and (Upper Deck). I think one player in the game is not the best thing. That said, they do produce high- and low-end products. I guess this part could go with answer #2 as well.
What have been your favorite Panini basketball products?
I like National Treasures and Optic. Also, I will try just about anything with Julius Erving
What Panini Basketball duds have there been?
I was never a big fan of the Panini multi-sport college stuff. That does not mean it was a dud. Any product that is so shiny one has to tilt/turn the card from any light source just to read the players’ names.
@DubMentality
How long have you been collecting basketball cards?
I started collecting in 1989. I was 12 years old and loved playing the sport. The timing of the superstars in the league, new rookies coming in, and overall production in the hobby was the perfect combination for me to jump in.
What are some of the high points from Panini’s exclusive license?
I am more on the side of a “free market” economy when it comes to sports cards. But the fact that Panini is the producer of Prizm makes one of the best products in the card market a “must have” for basketball. I prefer licensed products over non-licensed and Prizm and Optic are two of my favorites. This is great for basketball.
What have been some of the drawbacks?
I used to love Fleer Basketball products. I know that the first thing most collectors think of when it comes to basketball, is the ‘86-‘87 Fleer set. But Fleer, as a whole, was the best in the sport for many years. Metal Universe, Skybox, Ultra, Flair, and EX are some of my favorite card sets of all time. Topps Stadium Club was huge for a while too.
One of the drawbacks for Panini having an exclusive license is that during a time when companies are paying homage to their classic sets, we aren’t going to get a Metal PMG, Beam Team, or Z-Force retro design. Panini (or Donruss) wasn’t a big player in basketball during the ‘80s-’90s so the retro designs they have to pull from are from their baseball sets.
What have been your favorite Panini basketball products?
Prizm has been a favorite for several years. It has gotten tougher to find the last couple of years but it is popular for good reason. I love Optic and Mosaic this year, though they are both “Prizm-esque.” I also enjoy Revolution each year, as it is usually a lower price point with no guarantees, but great looking cards. I would say one of my favorite Panini releases was 2012-13 Momentum Basketball. It had the perfect mix of veteran players and stars in the checklist. I ripped a ton of boxes for that product. I pulled autographs of Larry Bird, Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, Cazzie Russell, and Jerry West during those rips. That checklist encompassed several generations!
What Panini Basketball duds have there been?
Dud? Panini Threads has always been a bit of a dud for me. I’m not a big fan of the jersey designed cards. There are a lot of releases to choose from every year and you have to leave some products behind while you go after the products you like. For me, I typically leave Threads, Prestige, and Essentials on the shelf. They are releases that just don’t stir up much excitement for me.
Kevin, @Porterman20, thesportscardguy.com.
How long have you been collecting basketball cards?
I’ve been collecting basketball cards since ‘89-90.
What are some of the high points from Panini’s exclusive license?
Personally, I do not agree with exclusive licenses in the sports card industry. That being said, Panini does have some strong products that perform well and have been able to maintain continuity from a collecting standpoint (i.e. Prizm).
What have been some of the drawbacks?
Panini falls flat with its exclusive license in regards to the number of releases each year. The price of the license requires a large number of product releases and sub-par products. In addition, some of their business practices (i.e. redemptions, sticker autos, etc) may not be so widely accepted in the industry if there was natural competition.
What have been your favorite Panini basketball products?
I know people have gone crazy over Prizm lately, but that has been my favorite product since they first released it. Another product that I enjoyed was Past & Present from the double rookie class year. The card stock was classic, they had some on-card autos as part of the release and some unique insert sets.
What Panini Basketball duds have there been?
Lots of Panini duds. Currently, the only products that really catch my attention are Prizm, Optic and Select. I like the chrome of the cards and some of the parallels are fun to chase. Most of the other products just fall flat for me.
@90s_bball_Cards
How long have you been collecting basketball cards?
I have been collecting since 1995 (25 years).
What are some of the high points from Panini’s exclusive license?
Panini appears to have more freedom to test selling in different formats (FOTL, Retail blasters, retail hangers, Hobby boxes, etc..) and through various platforms (Online Store, Dutch Auction, Big Box retailers, Distributers & Card Shops) to try to get the products to the end consumers and collectors
What have been some of the drawbacks?
There doesn’t appear to be much innovation in terms of design. Competition in the ‘90s seemed to push producers to think outside the box as to the next big thing card collectors would love. We are seeing Panini repeat a lot of design elements without offering much of any new features outside of manufactured scarcity
What have been your favorite Panini basketball products?
In no particular order, I enjoy:
Optic was one of my favorites because it was a great value in retail. That’s not the case anymore. Or at least not for this year.
I really liked Obsidian but it’s hard to obtain product.
I enjoyed the first few years of Prizm Mosaic.
Revolution is a cool looking product.
Noir is nice looking.
I miss Excalibur especially the Crusade cards and love the Kaboom Insert set.
Essentials was a cool looking set too.
What Panini Basketball duds have there been?
In my opinion:
Panini Complete was terrible.
Adrenalyn XL is not great.
I’m not a big fan of Chronicles. I don’t enjoy the relatively random designs just tossed into one product.
I think the countless parallels are a dud.
I think there are too many Chromium products. Last year they release 6 chromium products I believe .
The suspected skyrocketing print runs of products like Prizm is also a big dud.
@zoe_pants
How long have you been collecting basketball cards?
I have been collecting basketball cards since 1996, so 24 years. I am 33 years old, so my collecting has changed quite a bit over time and I definitely scaled back a bit at points in high school and college, but I have also stepped up involvement at other times.
What are some of the high points from Panini’s exclusive license?
High points from Panini's exclusive license have been - Prizm, adding some new autograph folks (some that come to mind off the top - Kenny Anderson, Kelly Tripuka, Gerald Henderson), doing more with direct-to-consumer and retail sales. They also had incredible draft classes the last couple of years (nothing really to do with Panini, but certainly impacting the collecting world and they got super lucky).
What have been some of the drawbacks?
I very much miss the other companies. I believe competition was good for the hobby. I also miss cool inserts - Panini tends to focus all its resources on parallels. The proliferation of jerseys and autos has devalued them (though the other companies were going in this direction as well).
My biggest complaint about Panini though is that they seem to take the few things they've done well and destroy them through overuse. For example, Prizm has been super successful and people like chasing the parallels, but now Panini has so loaded the product up with parallels you literally need a guide to know what is what and which is rarer. They did the same thing with numbered cards - so many cards are numbered that low numbering how has almost no meaning or value.
Also, following up on my point from above - they have brought some new signers in, which is fun as a buyer of singles but most of the people have low value autographs, hurting the value of box breaking. I used to buy boxes pretty regularly, but once Panini took over, I stopped aside from an occasional blaster and instead focus on singles. It’s fun to get a $3 Gerald Henderson auto as a singles buyer. Not so much fun to pull it as one of your "hits" from an expensive box.
What have been your favorite Panini basketball products?
Favorite Panini products have been Prizm, Optic, and Select. This year I think they did a nice job on some inserts such as the Marvels, High Voltage, and My House sets. The Mosaic redesign this year has also been fun as well as all the hype surrounding the product, though already that seems to be wearing off and values are deflating.
What Panini Basketball duds have there been?
Duds - I think the duds have more been in their policies/operations than in the actual sets - they sell direct to consumers but jack up the prices, they release products that people like and buy in Prizm and Optic and then make too many parallels. They set up a system with points that seems like it could be a fun way for collectors to pick cards they want, but instead I only see complained about.
They seem to have a handful of good ideas, but then when collectors say they like them, the response seems to be that they will drive that thing into the ground. I know there are also a lot of complaints about quality control. A great example there is this year's Prizm where so many cards were miscut. Because I no longer buy boxes, I've protected myself from a lot of these issues - I get my pick on the secondary market of the cards I want in the condition I want them. I may pay a premium, but it seems worth it to me to avoid the hassle of getting damaged cards in boxes, getting points or autos I don’t want or that don’t return value, etc.
I think the last two years have been crazy for cards and Panini definitely played a role there, but I think the bigger element has been the draft classes - Luka, Trae, Zion are potentially generational players and have played a huge role in blowing up the card market (as have others - see e.g. Gary Vee and infiltration of "sneakerheads"). I am very curious to see what happens going forward, especially with a weaker basketball draft (as 2020 is predicted to be). I would love for others to get back in the basketball game and hope that will happen.
@Mrmint23
How long have you been collecting basketball cards?
Collecting actively since 1985 all sports although major focus was baseball/football.
What are some of the high points from Panini’s exclusive license?
High point would be Prizm, which basically continued Topps Chrome.
What have been some of the drawbacks?
Drawback is no LeBron James or Michael Jordan autographs, and lack of competition which normally causes better products.
What have been your favorite Panini basketball products?
Favorite would be Prizm for low end and National Treasures for high end.
What Panini Basketball duds have there been?
Duds - 2013 seemed to be a turning point or downfall due to many lines were introduced only to fail. Also, a lot of the current cards look similar to 1990s Pinnacle cards.
Poll of the Week
Shiny surprises
One product stands above Panini’s other basketball card offerings in terms of popularity and industry impact: Prizm.
The set, which debuted in 2012-13, reminded collectors of Topps Chrome, another transcendent product that took the hobby by storm when it debuted in 1996 but stopped production in 2008-09. Over the course of eight releases, Prizm has become the new standard — base cards of top rookies are valuable but attainable, and rare parallels can bring tens of thousands of dollars.
Here’s a look at the leading cards produced during Prizm’s run.
2012-13 Lebron James #1, Kawhi Leonard #209, Anthony Davis #236
Panini made a smart choice to lead off its initial Prizm release with Lebron James, then a member of the Heat. Due to the NBA lockout in 2011, which delayed the season’s start until December, 2011-12 rookies were held back from products and a double rookie class was featured in 2012-13.
The double rookie class was stacked: Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson and Kyrie Irving were all included. The double rookie class gave 2012-13 products a similar feel to 1956-57 Topps or 1961-62 Fleer, hobby pioneers that introduced collectors to multiple years of emerging basketball icons.
The first Panini Prizm set is simplistic. Each chromium base card only has three parallels. But sometimes simple works. As Panini Prizm found its footing, key cards have continued to draw attention and interest.
You always remember your first, and leading the pack for the first Prizm release are James, along with Leonard and Davis representing a double dose of rookies.
2013-14 Giannis Antetokounmpo #290
The “Greek Freak” is one of the NBA’s most exciting players, and Antetokounmpo’s Prizm Rookie Card is one of the most coveted cards in the product’s run. The sophomore release from Prizm features 11 different parallels, and Giannis’ silver Prizm parallel (think Topps Chrome’s refractors) has been known to sell in the $20,000 range in gem mint condition.
2018-19 Luka Doncic #280
After a few years of weaker rookie classes led by Joel Embiid, Devin Booker, Ben Simmons and Jayson Tatum, Prizm found its next standout rookie card in 2018-19 with Luka Doncic. The Mavericks guard was electric his rookie season, with a points per game average (21.2) higher than his age (he turned 20 during the season). He was even better in 2019-20, and with a bright future ahead, Doncic’s Prizm cards have been strong sellers — in all of their parallel versions (there are 36 of them) with such names as Fast Break, Black Gold, Ruby Wave, and Choice Nebula.
The most recent rookie class has been dominated by one name: Zion. The Pelicans power forward and Duke product averaged 23.6 points per game during his rookie season, more than matching the tremendous hype surrounding him. Card prices have followed suit, with his Prizm parallels consistently selling for more than $1,000 and a Mojo Prizm parallel /25 going for nearly $18,000. If you missed out on that one, don’t fret — there are 40 parallels to chase in total.
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