Breakin Wax:2023-24 Prizm Basketball Value Pack

 Hello! Glad to have you back to read today's post.

Today is the second of the two packs that I bought and overpaid for on eBay using a gift card that I earned from Fetch. Details on the Fetch app is at the end of the post and hopefully you will sign up yourself and earn gift cards!

Anyways, this past basketball card season was all about WEMBY WEMBY WEMBY. It was being shoved down our throats and no product screams you need a Wemby from it more than Prizm. Prizm is still the heavy hitter when it comes to base rookie cards. The Wemby I believe for a base rookie still goes for $30-$35. It was up to $100 upon release.

But still, for a base rookie with nothing special about it, it's a good one.

I snagged this Value pack of Prizm hoping to beat the odds and pull one.

The value packs come with 15-cards which isn't much for the $17 I put into it. However, I was impressed that it wasn't just all base cards with a couple parallels.

I pulled a couple of base rookies, not Wemby so have no idea if they are any good.

Also three rookie inserts, not Wemby, but one is a silver.

 

And three Red, White and Blue parallels, not Wemby, but there was a Curry so there's that. Curry was probably the highlight of the pack.

I felt better about this break than I did the Bowman one. But still, rough for the price.

Before I end today's post, if you download the Fetch app to start earning points by simply SCANNING RECIEPTS you throw away, please use my referral code so I can earn points for doing so. Use code 8TB9M when you download the app and it asks if you were referred. Thank you so much in advance!!

CARDBOARD REVIEW:2018-2019 Optic Basketball

Panini Optic is taking awhile to grow on me, but slowly it has started to. Still not my favorite Panini product but not my least favorite either. If I go "chrome" I usually go Prizm over Optic. But, Optic still has it's place in the hobby.

But today's break isn't also any kind of Optic either, it's the grand debut of Optic Contenders for basketball! Normally just a football release, it has made its way to the hard court.

Mixing Contenders a famous product with Optic is a dangerously fun adventure. Let's check it out.

Each box of 2018-2019 Contenders Optic has 1 pack. Each pack has 6 cards so it's quite the gamble for $105 roughly a box. You are hoping each card is worth $15-20 each. Each box comes with 1 autograph and 2 parallels and 2 inserts.

BASE:

The base card design is simply Optic-ing the base set for Contenders. They are very thick as well.

There are 100 cards in the base set to collect.

PARALLELS:
Overall look at the parallels are these, Silver, Red, Blue /99, Orange /49, Gold /10, Gold Vinyl 1/1, and Printing Plates 1/1.

Silver of Bradley Beal

Red of Ben Simmons

INSERTS: 
They have the following parallels

PARALLEL CARDS: Gold /10 and Gold Vinyl 1/1.

CRACKED ICE PARALLELS: Blue and Red.

Hall Of Fame Contenders has 20 cards to collect. There is a rainbow shine to this one to.

Superstar has 10 cards to collect in the set and has a really unique die cut design. You can't see it through my pics but it also has a refractor look to it as well.

HITS:

 

My one autograph was a pretty solid find! He also has a nice signature to go along with it. He was the second overall pick in the draft and played for my favorite college basketball team Duke.

Other hits not found in my box include,

• Rookie Ticket Variation Autograph
• Veteran Season Ticket Autographs
• Contenders Tribute Autograph
• Legendary Contenders Autographs
• NBA Ink Set
• Sophomore Contenders Autographs
• Up and Coming Contenders Autographs

There are other inserts I didn't pull either, but I won't include those in this review as I know most readers are just focused on the main parts of the product.

OVERALL: Box cost is steep for such little cards, but there is a lot of potentially big time hits to find.I was fortunate in my break to find a top rookie autograph but I am sure there are a lot of other lower end rookies to find as well.

What I do like is the fact there is also a lot of veteran autograph content so you are not just banking on a rookie to do something. The checklist is loaded with the stars.

And what else can I say, the cards look nice and there is a ton of shine. Right up this bloggers alley.

If you can't afford a full box or don't like to gamble, try or get into a box break. That will probably be the most affordable way to enjoy it.

I strongly recommend using Midwest Box Breaks for your breaking needs. They are always hitting the big pulls so if they are breaking this, you could put yourself in a good spot. They also SHIP ALL CARDS! Get what you pay for!

Please thank Panini America and Tracy Hackler for providing this box for me to review to giveaway some of the hits ON TWITTER!! Please follow them on all social media sites and visit their website for all your card needs, HERE.

Random Card On My Desk:2010-2011 Donruss Production Line Jersey Card Stephen Curry

 

Year:2010-2011

Brand:Donruss

Team: Golden State Warriors

Card Type:Jersey Card

Card Numbered:N/A

Sorting: Will be placed in a Snap Down plastic case    

REVIEW:2015-2016 Panini Revolution (BIG BOOM)

The 90's are back! Well, at least some of it.

When Panini first announced the return of Revolution, a Pacific brand back in the day, I didn't know what to think. But, after opening this box, I felt a trip back to memory lane and it made me feel all warm inside. Even though Panini never really made a reference between the two sets, those of us who collected in that era and know the product will simply remember the similarities.

Read on to see the rest of my thoughts.

In every box of 2015-2016 Revolution basketball, you will find 8 Packs Per Box with 5 Cards Per Pack. Each box also comes with 7 Parallels, 4 Rookies, and 3 Inserts. No guaranteed hits. It's also been said that 98% of the autographs will be included in the product and that ALL of the autographs in the product are ON-CARD AUTOS! Boxes will run you depending on where you by from $50-$60

Find at least one autograph per inner case.

The base set is simply as I remember it in the 90's, a sparkly masterpiece. There are 150 cards in the base set featuring 100 veterans and 50 rookies. All cards feature vivid foil patterns that parallel out to different levels of rarity. Stay tuned for the parallel version talk after the jump.

Here are the rookies I pulled. Nobody big...right now anyways.

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You can look for one Cosmic, Sunburst or Futura parallel  per box, all of which are sequentially numbered to 100 or less. Stay tuned for the big boom on that.

I will do my best to explain the parallels, but you are better off going HERE on Panini's blog to see them all. They all have just one tiny difference that is easiest to see on their scans on the link.

Here is a Nova and Infinite parallel both falling at 1:6 packs. Nova is on the left.

More infinite parallels...

More Nova....

Cosmic numbered to 100 pull.

And the huge boom, Futura numbered to 25 of MVP Steph Curry. Man it's a beauty of a card.

My other insert pulls. All of which fit the theme of the overall product.

This one if pretty cool. It's a die cut.

And my box wasn't lucky enough to pull an autograph from. But, you know what? That doesn't bother me. I think the price is reasonable, the cards look nice, and it's built like a 90's product. It's built from the base cards up. The autographs are tougher pulls, but it also adds value to them.

So I guess it depends on what you are looking for in a product. If you are looking for a big pull or per hit box product, well, you may want to look elsewhere. Even though some nice pulls are waiting here. If you are looking for a fun product that will take you down memory lane, well, this if for you.

Small risk, possible good return here. The parallels once figured out, are worth more than you think and even base cards of good players have book value of $1 or more which hasn't happened since the 90's.

Thoughts on this product are appreciated!

Will They Get 73?

 

Tonight, the defending NBA Champions Golden State Warriors are chasing a record that was never thought could be broken, the 1995-1996 Chicago Bulls 72 win season.  

This Warriors team has been dominant all season and look even better than last years version that won it all. Could they be the next dynasty? Could be. Lot's of young talent led by the new face of the NBA, Stephen Curry, whose card prices are off the charts. Glad that I held onto this autograph above and a couple of base rookie cards before the prices went up.

So what I want to know is, will the Warriors take down the Grizzlies tonight and win game 73? Or will they fall? Let's hear your thoughts before tip-off!

The Beckett Files:The Hot List

It may sound crazy, but one of my favorite features in Beckett other than the price guide is The Hot List.

When my new issue arrives, I always find myself flipping it open to those pages first. I think it's fun to see which cards I have make the list and which spot they fall under. For the most part, baseball and football are always last for me meaning either one or none make the list even though I collect those sports most. It's odd.

If you are unfamiliar with these pages or haven't seen The Hot Lists in Beckett, they look like this....

They list the Top 20 hottest cards on the market from each sport along with a position they fall in and Beckett book value.

I thought for fun, I would have you guys first tell me if you have a card off from the Hot List for these three pages, then take a guess on which one or ones I have off from it. I do have at least one off of each.

Baseball:

 

Basketball:

 

Other Sports:

There are still more The Beckett Files to come. The next parts of the series will focus on things I miss that are no longer apart of Beckett. Stay tuned!

2 Champions Crowned This Week, 2 Favorite Cards (NHL/NBA)

This week the NHL and NBA seasons came to a finish both after six game series. I thought it would be fun to show off  my two favorite cards, one from each of the winning teams as a way to congratulate them both.

The first team to claim their title was the Chicago Blackhawks who took home their 3rd title in 6 years. That's an amazing feat. Pulling this 15/15 Patrick Kane Private Signings autograph from 2014 Panini Father's Day was also an amazing feat.

 

Then last night, the Golden State Warriors took home their first title in over 35 years led by NBA MVP Stephen Curry. They also took down the mighty LeBron James. However, speaking of Stephen Curry, I pulled this a few years ago from Panini's Past and Present product. I actually really enjoyed the product and it's throwback appeal. Too bad it's not made anymore.

Congrats to both the Chicago Blackhawks and to the Golden State Warriors on their championships!

(I must also note that these cards are in my PC and are not available FT or FS)

Review: Panini Past And Present Basketball 2012-2013

First off, I would like to say thanks to the WONDERFUL people at Panini America for providing us with this box to review. Here are many places you can find Panini America: official site, blog, Twitter, and Facebook. If you don't follow them at all..you should! They talk to you on Twitter, have contests on their blog and Facebook and the site is also fun to visit!

Box Break Down:

• 20 Packs Per Box, 6 Cards Per Pack
• Each box contains 3 Autographs!
• Vintage base card designs! Cutting edge inserts!
• Collect the 250-card base set!
• Find RC's of Irving, A. Davis, and Lillard!
• around $75 a box 

  

BASE CARDS: Just like last years design, the classic appeal, feel and even smell to the cards was brought back. Yup, its true, you actually can smell a classic scent. Once again, my eyes are drawn to the cards. I like the four subsets that make up this set.  I think they are fun, eye catchy and groovy as they bring you back to the 60's and 70's era. Once in awhile its nice to take a trip back to the past with the present ...yes pun intended. 

This is the breakdown of the base card set:

250-CARD BASE SET

50-CARD BASE VARIATIONS SET

The only disappointment here was in our box the lack of big name rookies with about one falling per pack you expect at least a couple in a box. Most rookies were ones we hadn't heard of with a few mixed in smaller names.

This kind of base card set is fun for people of all ages.And it would be a very fun one to put together.

 

INSERTS: For me, this product is all about the inserts baby! There are variations of the base cards  Its like the base card in terms but has a diagonal line and different color scheme. These are tough pulls that seem to fall one per box. Here is the one we got:

What I love about the inserts other than the newly added Cracked Ice with the insert Shattered (I really enjoy these) cards is the feel. Thats right...you can truly feel them. The Headbands and NBA Championship ones have a felt feel to them. Raining 3's is part gloss and part not gloss. They not only reminds me of 90's inserts with the creativity, they also remind me of a children's book. You know the ones where you can feel the pigs or the hay bails and so on. I really dig that and it brings more to the cards than just a piece of cardboard. The Rise and Shine insert is bold and retro.

Kudos to Panini for taking time on the inserts in this set. When you bust a box, I know you wanna, you will have the same enjoyment with them as I did.I actually looked forward to pulling the inserts.

AUTOGRAPHS: Three autographs in every box. Ours had an Elusive player in Terry Porter (redemption), a rookie in Reggie Jackson and a current star in Stephen Curry who had an incredible playoff run. His auto was very welcoming to see. I like the fact that Panini added the autographs to the classic base card design. And I like the fact at least in this box they gave you a try of each autograph available in the product. You know, its Past and Present.

The autograph checklist is also made up of legends, rookies, elusive players and current stars. The Elusive Inks are of Elusive athletes that you may not find in everyday basketball card products. Some you may not have even heard of in years or maybe if you are a young one, not at all.

JERSEY/PATCH CARDS: N/A These are only found in retail packs.

OVERALL THOUGHTS:Try it plain and simple.Its a fun product. Great design on the base cards. If you are a fan of retro appeal, inserts that you want to collect and autographs, then this is a product for you. The inserts are definitely worth the chase in here alone as you might be scrambling to put a set together. And its not too often you find a memorabilia-less hobby product that only has autographs in it. So you know the hits are worth it. I personally enjoy the Elusive Ink cards of players you might not see signing in every NBA product. Some of these players I grew up watching and haven't seen on cardboard in awhile so those are fun finds. And it brings back memories of the PAST when I watched a ton of basketball.

Another key thing to look at here is the price per box isn't bad with 3 autographs and there are some big hits in this product waiting to happen. You gotta go find em!
 

RATINGS:  Bloggers Note: Our ratings are based specifically on the blaster, box or packs we opened and do not express what the overall product could bring. Ratings based on a 1-5. 1 Being the lowest and 5 being the highest.
                Packaging: 5
                Base Design: 5
                Insert Design: 5
                Memorablila/Autographs: 4
                Blaster, Hobby Box, or Pack Value: 4