搶先看:2013-14 Panini Basketball

Ysponder

With the frenetic grandeur of 2014 NBA All-Star Week in New Orleans serving as the ideal backdrop, Panini America officials today released preliminary information on 2013-14 Panini Basketball, an every-collector type of release that marks the third-ever standalone Panini-branded basketball product (following the 2009-10 debut and last year’s popular follow-up).

The product will feature both hobby and retail versions — with enough exclusive content in each to keep fans and collectors on the chase. Releasing in early April, 2013-14 Panini Basketball will deliver two autographs per box at hobby (10 cards per pack, 24 packs per box) and one autograph or Rookie Jerseys card per box in regular retail (eight cards per pack, 24 packs per box).

Other retail configurations include Blasters and Rak Paks.

Some of the most captivating inserts from last year’s Panini Basketball release return for the new season, headlined by Knights of the Round die-cut chase cards and Black Knights 1/1s. The product also will be bolstered by the return of the always-popular Rated Rookie Signatures numbered to 100 or less.

Other product highlights include . . .

• Superstar Signatures: The lights shine brightest on the best, and Superstar Signatures features only the best. Ten NBA stars numbered to 199 or less.
• Favorites: Search for the ultra-rare Favorites insert featuring players who have charmed their fans for years.
• Rising Tide Autographs: The future looks bright for the budding stars in this uniquely designed insert.
• An autograph lineup that includes rookies, stars, Hall of Famers and coaches.
• Look for retail-exclusive content such as Rookie Jerseys, Panini Game Jerseys and Red Knight parallels.
  

We’ll have many more details on all versions of 2013-14 Panini Basketball in the coming weeks here on The Knight’s Lance. But for now, enjoy this extended sneak peek.

                    

Ysponder

The Panini America Quality Control Gallery: 2013-14 Panini Basketball (81 Sweet Pics)



No single product dotting the vast and varied roster of Panini America sports trading card releases has come to embrace the majestic Panini knight quite like base-brand Panini Basketball. And if you’ve learned anything at all in the almost four years of reading this blog, it’s this: Embracing the Panini knight is a good, good thing.

Obviously, we love the Panini knight. He’s colorful. He’s distinguished. He carries a lance. And a shield. He wears a suit of armor, proudly hoists the Panini crest, and is easily the most unique and instantly recognizable “mascot” in the industry. Yep, for all those reasons and so many more, we dig the dude. Which happens to be one of the many reasons we dig 2013-14 Panini Basketball.

2013-14 Panini Basketball, like its predecessor from last season, is completely in on all things knightly and noble, from the catchy named — and nicely designed — Knight School insert to the deftly die-cut Knights of the Round insert to the many foiled colors of Knight base-set parallels. But 2013-14 Panini Basketball, due out everywhere next Wednesday, is about more than just the knight.

It’s also about a bold, colorful base set and some wicked-cool — and rarely featured — photography in the Bird’s Eye View and Preparation inserts. It’s about autographs of rookies, veterans and legends, and the thrill of chasing SSP base inserts like Favorites and the aforementioned Knights of the Round. It’s about a fun, cost-effective set that’s geared toward set-builders and insert-chasers.

Check it all out in the Quality Control Gallery that follows and stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for additional coverage of 2013-14 Panini Basketball.