REVIEW:2017-2018 Panini Crown Royale Basketball

Returning to the hard court in 2018, is the return of Crown Royale basketball as a standalone product.

It's the first of this product since the 2009-2010 release. Rest of the time it has been hidden in the Preferred product.

Being a 90's fan like I am, I am happy to see the product lines return and hoping it will meet it's return in football as well.

Let's take a gander at what the return looks like.

In every box of 2017-2018 Panini Crown Royale basketball is one pack. That one pack has twelve cards and each box comes with one autograph and one relic per. Boxes run roughly $110. So an expensive return of the product.

The base card design for Crown Royale takes a dip in time. The iconic die cut layout is back and is very reminiscent of the late 90's designs.

There are 200 cards in the base set with veterans, legends and rookies included. To be honest, I would have loved to seen more of the rookie cards look like this as well.

But, I am also old fashioned in my collecting ways. Most collectors will like the layout as the autograph silhouette rookies make up rest of the base set and card numbers 201-240. Most of those include the top guys.

Parallels make a mark in Crown Royale as well. We didn't have the cracked iced looking ones as most of the parallels in the 90's were based on foil color, but they look impressive in this product. Of course they are called Crystal Parallels in here. This is a base one,

Other parallels include,

• Purple /25
• Gold /10
• Black 1/1

Inserts are only one-per-box finds with only twelve cards in each box. But, I will say I have seen some impressive ones including the cool die cut one I got of Paul Pierce.

Some inserts are numbered, while others have parallels to of, Red /75, Blue /25, Green /5, and Black 1/1.

Roundball Royalty. This is a great looking card and something I could have seen pulling from the original product.

There are other inserts to chase as well including the iconic Cramers Choice awards which is now Panini Choice. But, those won't be anything like the ones in the 90's where they are extremely rare finds.

Other inserts to find are,

• Mamba's Choice Die-Cut
• Pacific Marquee (interesting....)
• Panini's Choice Die-Cut
• Power In the Paint
• Regents of Roundball

Now onto the hits!

Back in the 90's, we didn't worry about needing hits in the product to make it exciting. We all spent time chasing the inserts.

My first hit was this Rookie Jerseys of well, if I can't say it, I won't spell it.

My second hit was this /199 autograph of DeAaron Fox. Not a bad pull.

Other big time hits to find not in my box include,

• Silhouettes Rookies Autograph Relics
• Silhouettes Autograph Relics
• Rookie Jersey Auto
• Crown Autographs
• Jerseys

OVERALL, Love the design of the product. However, 12 cards for what over $100 is a big risk and looking at my break today I wouldn't have been left feeling that great. I feel like a lot of companies are doing the less cards and higher price thing recently. It worries me some. I prefer to get as many cards as I can per box to insure a possible feel-good return.

There are lots of fun finds in this product especially headlined by the autograph silhouettes and some decent signers on the autograph checklist if you are fortunate enough to land one.

The biggest thing for me about Crown Royale is the nostalgia. That sometimes alone is a big seller for me.

Please thank Tracy Hackler and Panini America for this box to review. Some of the cards today will be used in an upcoming NFL Promo that I will be running. Check out Panini America and follow them on all social media sites and check out their website, HERE. Oh, and don't forget to follow the man, the legend Tracy Hackler on Twitter too.

REVIEW:2017-2018 Donruss Optic Basketball+GIVEAWAY!!

Since the beginning of my collecting time, I have always enjoyed shiny things and cards. One of those lines is usually Topps Chrome but another I have come to appreciate the last few years is Donruss Optic.

It takes the Donruss design and chromes it. Simple concept, but looks good.

So let's take a look at this years basketball version and let's giveaway a card while we are at it.

In every hobby box of 2017-2018 Donruss Optic there are 20 packs of 4 cards per pack. Boxes have one autograph per and run around $90.

The base cards as I mentioned above are the base Donruss design chromified. The base set is 200 cards. The first 150 are veterans and the last 50

are Rated Rookies. Which to me is the highlight of the set. I just love my rookies and with the classic Rated Rookie logo it just makes it a tad more fun. Fultz was the best of my box.

Let's take a look at the parallels I found in the box.

I originally thought that the Court Kings, Rookie Kings and Hall Kings were apart of the base set but come to find out they are all separate insert sets. I prefer that they had stayed in the base set instead of being dragged out. So my pictures of the parallels include a couple of these now known insert card parallels.

Up first holo,

Next purple,

 

Checkerboard. Which is actually labeled that on the back.

And what I assume is Purple. I honestly can't tell. I wished these were a bit easier to define.

  

Other parallels to find in the base set include, 

• Flash 
• Blue Velocity
• Checkerboard
• Purple
• White Sparkle
• Orange /199
• Lime Green /175,
• Red /99
• Pink Velocity /79
• Blue /49
• Black Velocity /39
• Aqua /25, 
• Pink /25,
• Purple Stars /13
• Gold /10
• Green /5
• Gold Vinyl 1/1
• Black 1/1.

Now time to take a look at the inserts. 

Up first, the aforementioned Rookie Kings, Hall Kings and Court Kings. Like I said, I think these would have looked better in the base set. Court Kings has 40 cards to chase while Rookie and Hall have 30 each. Most of the inserts you find in this box will be made up of these.

 

As I also mentioned already, these have parallels. Other than the two I pulled above, I also found this blue /85.

 

Other parallels in the Kings series include,

• Holo
• Purple
• Lime Green /149
• Aqua /25
• Pink /25
• Gold /10
• Orange /9
• Green /5
• Black 1/1.

Other inserts not found in my box include,

• All Clear for Takeoff
• All-Stars
• Retro Series
• Swishful Thinking
• The Champ is Here
• The Rookies

Now onto my one hit. It's a sharp looking card, but not particularly the best player I could have found.

 

Most autographs have the following parallels,

• Holo
• Purple
• Blue /49
• Pink /25
• Gold /10
• Green /5
• Black 1/1
• Checkerboard 1/1
• Gold Vinyl 1/1.

Other hits not found in my box but could be in yours include,

• Dominator Signatures
• Hall Dominator Signatures
• Rookie Dominator Signatures
• Rated Rookie Signatures

OVERALL: I like the product but there is some tweaking that can be done. Like adding the Kings inserts as apart of the base set like old Donruss days. I am worried about box value vs what you pay for it. Maybe add an extra autograph or memorabilia card to help there as well or find a more reasonable box price for something like this around $60.

This years edition should be pretty popular with collectors however. It was a solid rookie class this year with many future studs among the group. Recommendation is to buy now whether it's retail, hobby or in a box break. Whatever fits your budget.

YOU CAN VIEW THE WHOLE CHECKLIST HERE.

Now time to win this card along with some bonuses!

 

To win this card above with some bonus cards, please read and follow the instructions

1. MUST BE A U.S. RESIDENT OR HAVE SHIPPING IN THE U.S. Sorry, I do appreciate all of my readers but shipping costs are a little haywire and my spending cash is way down to ship. I need to be reasonable where I ship.
2. Tell me how many views this post will get. The person closest wins!!
3. If someone is tied, I will random them on Random.org.
4. Be aware that this prize WILL BE SHIPPED PWE
5. Sport Card Collectors blog, it's blogger Matt, and Panini ARE NOT responsible for lost, stolen, or damaged mail once it's left my hands. I will ship it safely, it's up to USPS to deliver it that way.
6. Time on shipping prizes varies as we all have busy lives and can only get to things when we can. But you will get your prize. 
7. Contest winner will have 72 hours after the winner announcement to claim or it goes back into the prize pot.
8. Make sure to thank Panini and Tracy Hackler for their generosity!
9. Contest starts today and will end on June 28th 2018. Winner will be announced shortly after.
10. Once you enter this contest below, you agree to all terms above.

Good luck to everyone!

REVIEW:2017-2018 Essentials Basketball+Contest!!

Panini has some interesting product names when a new one releases. Some are funny, some are weird and some are obvious. I put essentials as an obvious. Because what collector wouldn't want a product they may find to be essential to collect.

This product to me after ripping a couple of packs reminds me of 2017 Panini Illusions football with it's design and themes. It also reminds me of a couple strong late 90's products. Let's take a look at why.

Every box of 2017-2018 Essentials Basketball has 10 packs of 6 cards each. You will find two autographs per box along with inserts and parallels. Boxes run around $120.

Okay. Let's take a look at the base cards. They both are very reminiscent of both Panini Illusions football late 90's Flair. Same kind of card stock, layout and design. I really like it.

There are 200 cards in the base set including veterans,

And rookies. Here are some of the key rookie cards I found in my break.

As with any new product, there are parallels to be found. The difference between the base and parallels are the backgrounds and name color.

Red are the most common find and are not numbered.

I cannot figure out this one. It's not numbered so it can't be silver. If you know what this one is just comment below so I can update the post.

Here are the silvers however. They are numbered to 99.

 

Other parallels to find in the product include

• Retail
• Green
• Orange
• Red
• Spiral
• Platinum SSP
• Silver /99
• Purple 1/1.

As we move onto the inserts we find out there are 11 of them to find. Some of the designs remind of me of inserts in UD HoloGrfx product. They do all have the Flair look however.

Surprisingly, no inserts have parallels.

Kings Of The Court of course celebrate the guys who rock it and know how to put up the rock.

Indispensable Rookie are the top rookies in the game.

Swish Kings. Well, that's obvious

Future Legends are the key rookies in the game that have the most potential to be future stars.

Indispensable Stars. Those guys on the teams they couldn't live without.

Franchise Foundation. Those guys you can build your team around.

Dynamic Duos. The best teammates in the game.

There are other inserts to find as well. Many are SSP.

Now onto my hits.

First find was this Destined For Greatness Signature of Brandon Ingram redemption card. Ugh. Redemptions.

My second was this Glorified Signatures Artis Gilmore /35. Pretty sweet looking card I must say.

 

Other hits not found in my box include,

• Rookie Autos
• Called to Excellence Autographs
• Claim to Fame Signatures
• Glorified Signatures
• True Potential Signatures

OVERALL: I loved the design and themes throughout the product. Honestly the price point isn't even that terrible. It was my pulls. They were not the best. I do like the design of the Gilmore pull but it isn't going to pull back what was paid for the box.

However, from a collector standpoint, which I consider myself in that part all the time, the product is a lot of fun and looks great. It's something I would like to see being brought over to the football land.

Here is the complete checklist for Essentials basketball. Check it out HERE.

Now a chance to throw your name in the hat to win the REDEMPTION CODE off from the Brandon Ingram autograph card.

 

To win this card above with some bonus cards, please read and follow the instructions

1. CONTEST IS OPEN TO U.S. AND NON U.S. READERS!!!!
2. REMEMBER, you are winning the code. Not the card. The card will not be shipped.
3. TO ENTER, simply just leave me your thoughts on this product.
4. Contest winner will have 72 hours after the winner announcement to claim or it goes back into the prize pot.
5. Make sure to thank Panini and Tracy Hackler for their generosity!
6. Contest starts today and will end on June 21st 2018. Winner will be announced shortly after.
7. Once you enter this contest, you agree to all terms above. 

A big thanks goes out to Panini America for the box to review. Without their support with these reviews giveaways wouldn't be possible. Check them out at Panini America website and follow them on all social media sites. Please let Tracy Hackler and Panini know your thanks so we can continue to host giveaways like this or bigger ones!

REVIEW:2017-2018 Panini Prestige Basketball (NICE HIT!)

Other than Hoops, Prestige is another one of those all-time favorite lower end products for basketball card collecting.

There is just something about the allure of Prestige for me. Is it the one rookie card per pack? Is it the base card photography? The shiny inserts? Well, hard to tell. All I know is that I have always been a fan of the line since the 90s where it started with football.

Let's take a dive in and see what a box of 2017-2018 Prestige Basketball provides.

 

Each box of 2017-2018 Prestige basketball has 24 packs per box with 6 cards per pack. You will find two autographs per box and boxes are running roughly $95.

The base set is 200 cards. The first 150 cards are veterans with some solid photography. The base set design is the same one used for football.

I am showing off a few of my favorite shots, see what I did there, in the base set. There are others that are great as well.

Rookie cards that fall 1 per pack, make up the last 50 cards in the set. With so many rookies, it's hard to find the top names. This was the best of my box. At least the rookie shots are mostly done in game play.

Except a couple of them. I would guess these were guys who haven't hit the court yet.

If you liked Cracked Ice parallels, you will be in total love of this product as Panini upped the anti putting the parallel all throughout. In Prestige however they call it Crystal parallel. These base card parallel  is exclusive to just hobby and can be found as, Crystal /199 (all below), Crystal Gold /10, and Crystal Blue 1/1.

There are a good amount of insert programs in Prestige that have stars of today, tomorrow and yesterday. In hobby, these to have Cracked Ice/Crystal parallels of Crystal, Crystal Gold /10, and Crystal Blue 1/1.

Stat Stars focuses on players with Star stats. Hence the name.

Hardcourt Heroes has some of the underdog names in the checklist that you may not always recognize but are heroes of the game for their respective teams.

Highlight Reel covers big nights in the NBA. This is only my second Ball card.

All Time Greats features those big time names in the past of the NBA

Rookie Class covers this years rookie class

And even has the parallels like this,

Stars Of The NBA takes a stars and features them.

Micro Etch rookies. This may be a set I chase because who doesn't love some micro etching technology? These are pretty cool. They also have parallels but I think I would just chase the red.

Now onto my two autographs from the box. Both were base ones but pretty decent.

First was Chris McCullough from the Wizards. He could use some work on his auto lol.

Not as much as Giannis does, but nice pull of Giannis none-the-less.

 

Other hits not found in my box are,
Prestigious Picks, Playmakers,Old School Signatures Set and Prestigious Signatures.

OVERALL: If you liked Prestige before in the past, you won't be disappointed with this years either. Panini kept everything the way it has always been besides the new tweaking of cracked ice. To be honest, I think it was a tad overdone on that part. I think another parallel or two would have offset so much of it. That's my only complaint of the product.

I do think the product could be a bit of a gamble for the price point and only two autographs, but, there are some big names to be found and with the 17-18 rookie class being as hot as it is, it's probably in the long run going to be more of an investment especially if you pull the key rookies.

You can find the checklist for 2017-2018 Panini Prestige basketball, HERE.

Most of the hits, if not all, from this break will be given away for #SCC6YR celebration. Please, please tell Panini America and Tracy Hackler thanks for the shot at these cards. Without their support with these reviews giveaways wouldn't be possible. Check them out at Panini America website and all social media sites.