2012-13 Signatures Basketball Shines in this Panini Unwrapped Double Feature

In this special episode of Panini Unwrapped, filmed on location at the Panini America production facility, Tracy Hackler and Keith Hower bust two boxes of the releasing-tomorrow 2012-13 Signatures Basketball. But before they get to that, the duo also plays catch up by ripping through two boxes of 2012-13 Gold Standard Basketball, too. Oh, and if that wasn't enough ammunition to make this video true must-see stuff, Hackler and Hower also offer some details on the upcoming 2012-13 National Treasures Basketball.

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In this special episode of Panini Unwrapped, filmed on location at the Panini America production facility, Tracy Hackler and Keith Hower bust two boxes of the releasing-tomorrow 2012-13 Signatures Basketball. But before they get to that, the duo also plays catch up by ripping through two boxes of 2012-13 Gold Standard Basketball, too. Oh, and if that wasn’t enough ammunition to make this video true must-see stuff, Hackler and Hower also offer some details on the upcoming 2012-13 National Treasures Basketball.

Sure, it’s a lot to digest in one episode, but we think you’ll find that the payoff is most certainly there. After you’ve watched the video, we want you to leave your candid, but respectfully delivered, feedback on both Gold Standard and Signatures by telling us the thing you like most about each product, and the thing you’d most like to see us improve. We’ll give you a few days to respond and on Friday, we’ll select five winning commenters to award some boxes to. Thanks in advance for your participation. Enjoy the video.

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0 Replies to “2012-13 Signatures Basketball Shines in this Panini Unwrapped Double Feature”

  1. Really like the metal cards in the Gold Standard. Very nice added addition to the product this year. Signatures I like that it seems you get 1 vet/legend auto per box (at least from the boxes you guys busted) as well as at least 1 card to 25 or less. Film slide auto’s are amazing too. Brings added value. Keep up the great work and can’t wait for Nationals!

  2. Wow Incredible Video!
    Double the fun, double the mojo!
    The video probably doesnt even do these cards justice!
    Thanks Tracy!

  3. What I ilke about Gold Standard is the Team Uni parallels. Makes it more worth while to track those babies down. Was hoping JLin would get in there (Mav Summer League, GSW, NYK, HOU). Where are the JLin mem cards btw?

    Prime sigs looks great, Would be better if everything was on card, because the signatures really pop on the white. Sick pull on the NBA Summer League MVP, Jonas Valanciunas. I like the acetate/film card. Reminds me of chasing the NHL – McDonald’s version as a kid.

    Can’t wait for NT, hoping you got Jonas to on-card sign his RPA.

  4. Why i love this collection ?????? I’m a woman and that’s a fact the womens loves gold…… so much ( maybe a little more than the mens (lol ) ).

    The golds are one of your best products.

    Forever GOLDY Collector.

  5. I love the Cold Standard packaging. I love the whole Cold standard product. There’s nothing you can do to make it better. The Panini Signatures i love the Film slides those are sweet. I also like all the autographs also. But in my opinion its need more color. To much white.

  6. I opened up a couple boxes of Gold Standard myself already, and the Rookies are on-card with newly added jersey swatches/patches are delight. And the metal cards are amazing, love them. The new White Gold jerseys was a nice new addition as well, but it was a little disappointing there were no patch variation for those, that would have been a nice treat for everyone.

    Signatures looks very promising with those film cards, and the base set looks very clean and appealing. I think a name like Signatures should be all on-card autographs. The ones that do have on-card autographs look great, and the ones with a stickers kind of throw it off a little, but still came out pretty good.

  7. I like the inclusion of the metal cards in Gold Standard ………things to improve on maybe having all the auto’s on card other than that I can’t see any other improvements..
    Like the clean design of Signatures and being “low numbered”…….again maybe on card auto only other thing for improvement…..in all both great products!

  8. The multiple autographs in The Signature helps for me as a collector,and the Short Print Cards are a great addition as well..Gold Standard chase for the different teams a player is something to go after,.Autograph versions anyway.

  9. I love the straight-forward-punch-you-in-the-face awesomeness of both products! There is an allure and a chase factor in both Gold Standard and Signatures, despite the simple fact that all boxes will bring valuable hits by nature of their exclusivity.
    Gold Standard provides the gold glow and the enormous jersey swatches that can make anyone excited, especially with the Maravich chase cards! I didnt notice any in either of your boxes, but bringing in more multi-colored swatches or patches would really peg this as an ultimate must-have product. (That said, I understand National Treasures cannot/should not be dethroned)
    Signatures is awesome because of the open canvas of the cards. The on-card autos are great because there are athletes who fill the entire card in ink! I think the film cel idea could be stepped up in future releases by using different scenes of epic proportions, ie game-winning shots, milestones, etc!
    Its hard to provide constructive criticism when you guys are clearly on top of your game! Thank you for listening to consumer feedback, that’s why you clearly are number 1!!

  10. I do really like the Variation of GS base cards, especially my player Vince Carter. It will be a nice addition to my PC. Also like the metal cards, something new to Panini Products.
    When it goes to the Signatures, Film/auto are amazing. Base card design is also decent. I hate sticker autos, stickers destroy the nice design of the cards.

  11. Whoa, Whoa, whoa,! National Treasures even got better with the inclusion of Printing plate.
    Now its a juggernaut Product that is surely made a Big Splash because of its Buzz resorating through out forums and Youtube Community.
    With the addition of the printing plates it will surely make more even a bigger wave of
    Suspence and thrill among collectors.
    Kudos to team Panini for always making a product even better.
    Wow!
    Tracy, Keith, And Wes, thanks and also to all Panini staff.

    Gold Standard is a product that has been one of Panini’s
    Trademark persay, as we all know that the card it self
    Sets high standard among cards.
    The Black Gold, Especially the patches are gourgeous !
    One of the best sets out there.
    But I like most are the Heavy Metal Golds!
    Very cool to have those in our collections!
    Id rather have a On card auto than a sticker auto.
    The feel of knowing that the player actually hold the card
    And signed it is special.
    I know for a fact that its hard to release a product where all players could sign on time for its release. That is why sticker is one way to move the product into its target release.
    And of course to lessen the redemption because its actually
    A lost in Panini part, negative investment and return as Panini will even pay more
    To send the card back. So I know redemption is a priority to be lessen
    By team Panini.

    Panini signitures.
    Wow. Game film auto. That is a very cool idea and look for the card it self.
    Its fresh and with low numbered cards. Im sure it will make its own way yo our beloved card portfolio per say!
    Magnificent job overall!

    Yeah Keith Sean Elliot is the first Kidney Transplant that have succesfully
    Returned to the game at a high level
    He became one of my true inspiration as I watched that thunderous dunk
    Sean Elliot did.
    So as Alonzo Mourning!
    As a kidney transplant my self I know and they are very inspiring!
    The game that I love the most!
    The cards that I could share with my Son is priceless
    Father And Son Bonding Moment that is always captured on youtube forever.
    Keep the fire of improving and giving us something exciting to look forward
    On getting!
    Panini you always rock!
    🙂

  12. I like the parallels for players in Gold Standard as it gives more value to base cards and rewards those who actually look at them. Signatures seems okay but the stickers and white space don’t appeal to me.

  13. Wow those Signature cards are very nice, the Jonas Valančiūnas film slide is absolutely stunning and hands down my most liked of either product. The black gold jersey swatches remain my favorite from Gold Standard.

    I suppose to answer the question about what I would like to see improved about Gold Standard is the layout of each jersey in relation to the auto. I think the cards could flow better where your eyes follow down from player to auto to jersey.
    The only criticism I have of Signatures basketball is that there are no Ed Davis in the product for me to chase, but the Mike Conley’s will be nice. Aside from the that the product is stunning and some very nice breaks are going to be had for sure. Thanks for sharing 🙂

  14. Gold standard was a nice product this year. The addition of the metal cards was great. Signatures on the other hand looks to weird with the sticker autos and the placement of the autos

  15. Really appreciate seeing both of these products, here are my thoughts on each:

    Gold Standard-I really like how this product is evolving and features new content every year, but is still easily recognizable as Gold Standard. The addition of one metal card to each pack is really nice. Not sure if it’s possible with the desire to have the film cover to preserve the card, but seeing metal cards with autographs in the future would be interesting. It is nice to see the high volume of on-card autos in this product, especially among the rookie class. The black gold patches, while not featured in this video, continue to be some of the most stunning cards to look at every year. For improvement I think that the content was very double rookie class heavy on the autographs. This will probably change when there aren’t so many rookies to work with, but past editions of Gold Standard have seemed to have a higher ratio of veteran/star autographs.

    Signatures-I was pleasantly surprised by this product. Having seen the football version I was not expecting quite the quantity of short prints and autographs per box. I really like the clean base design, although base cards generally have more importance when collecting a base set feels a little more attainable (It would seemingly take a ton of boxes/secondary market scouring to attain a base set when they fall so few to a box). The film cell cards also look really nice and could be a signature for Signatures in the same way the Silhouettes are for Preferred. Tracy, you touched on both of the areas for improvement. There will always be products from year to year that are more sticker heavy than others, but if you are going to call a product Signatures the stickers feel a little counterproductive. They stick out pretty badly on the nice clean design of the cards. Also, the release is kind of in a no man’s land in between two more established products like Gold Standard and National Treasures. For the future, it would be nice to see a more exclusive release date if there are designs to have Signatures become a yearly product.

    Thanks, as always, for the product previews and giveaways. Keep up the good work.

  16. I totally love both products, gold standard has an amazing look. The way it shines in the light is awesome. I think it would be awesome for the metal cards to have a autographed version numbered to 10 or less with silver & gold ink autos. Gold auto would make a nice 1/1 ;).

    Signatures is a amazing brand that seems to get better each year. I like the fact there are a lot of short prints and low numbered autos. I think it would be cool to see some dual autos with the design. Auto’d versions of the chase cards maybe? That would be pretty nice.

  17. What I like most about the Gold Standard is the metal cards you include in every pack. I haven’t got to bust any GS, but I have purchased two metal cards for my PC. Love the way they shine and they look very nice.

    As far as signatures goes, I like that it is a nice bang for your buck. Great job as always guys.

    The things I think you could improve on is (like others have said), is getting more on-card autos. It adds to the experience of pulling an auto that the player actually touched the card. I know its not always feasible, but on-card is better than a sticker. But a sticker is better than nothing.

  18. Gold Standard love the metal cards would like to see autographed metal cards.
    Signature as a autograph collector love the amount of auto’s and the new auto’s to be able to add to collection would like to see them be all on card.

  19. I love both products. The Gold Standard how could anyone not love the White and Black Gold cards. It is just a beautiful product. With the Signatures you are guaranteed a card numbered 25 of less. You cant beat the value you get out of these products.

  20. The metal cards look amazing! And I love the rookie autograph jersey cards. The white gold and black gold cards also look very good. In signatures I love the fact that in the two boxes you busted you got an extra card in each of them and that just shows how loaded the product is. I love the film cards too. I can’t wait to bust some boxes of both of the products!

  21. Awesome products! GS is always a hit, cards pop and design team did a great job with the basketball hall of fame in the forground on some! The metal cards would be a fun set to build! Signatures product blew me away! Tons of value in it as it seems. Lots of low numbered cards and cards look really crisp. All on card autos would be the only thing I think would put this product in a class of it’s own! Also, IMO, players pics on the aides of cards should maybe be a lil bigger, players kinda looked trapped in a small space. Overall a great unwrapped vid!! Thanks guys! Hope to be a lucky winner and pass on the winnings to my faithful breaking group! A double win dot panini! Thanks guys have fun at nats!!

  22. I’ve been beating the drum for Signatures for the last few weeks, so you already know that I love everything about the design, minus the sticker autos. Those film slide cards look great on camera and the low-numbered stuff is always welcome in my collection.

    Gold Standard is beautiful as well, and I’m really impressed with the Black Gold Prime Patches. The metal cards were a nice touch this year and really seem to have found a home in the market. I’d love to see some gold ink autos in next year’s release (I apologize if there were some in this year’s but I didn’t see any). Also, I think Goldmember (Austin Powers) should have an autograph in next year’s release…or maybe Mike Myers would be better suited for Gold Standard Hockey!

  23. Gold standard -i really like the metal cards that are included in each box. i personally have never seen one or held one but they look really cool online. i also like the rookie patch autos. those are really nice because they have some really sick looking patches, plus its an on card auto which makes the product so much better.

    Signatures- the film cards stands out the most to me. its really cool. something thats different from other products and it looks like they can be a big hit. i also really like the base card parallels. the white card plus the green foil on the joakim noah really stands out. in fact the white backgrounds and color palette make the cards look really serene, like a museum quality and its great that the blue signatures really stand out on the card.

  24. Thanks as always for the great videos and contests. Here are my comments on both products:

    Gold Standard- I really love the Metal cards from this product and that you get one per box. As a Penny Hardaway collector I think the team variations for certain players is a nice addition. The RC auto/jerseys look great as well and the packaging is phenomenal. My only suggestion is that at the Gold Standard price point, I would like to see more Prime/patches included.

    Signatures- there is no denying how great and clean the design looks and it is a great design to make an auto pop. That being said, and I know it is impossible to avoid in many instances, these cards look so much better with on card sigs. I do like that many boxes have an extra card and that certainly adds value.

  25. Gold Standard is still my favorite. Evan the base cards look beautiful, that shiny foil with the gold background is just amazing. The metal cards seams nice idea too, even thou it is not seams to be shipping price friendly. (i haven’t seen one in real life, only in videos, but most case when the people opened it for the first time was a little surprised by the weight of it).
    My main concern is the same what i had for previous products, according the box breaks what i saw, there are way too much noname rookies in this products too, i think it would be better for a late season products to only contain the better rookies, for example the best 15 or 20 rookie players for that actual season. It was a nice change that the /10 parallel card has different color than the regular base cards.

    Signatures box looks nice too, i would still prefer Gold Standard thou. One thing i really like is the nice big space for the signatures. I don’t mind the sticker autos too much, but (and here come my suggestion) when you have a nice big space on the card, and you can’t get the on card auto, than give the players a little bit bigger sticker to sign, and ask them to fill it up, but stay inside of it. It is so bad to see stickers autos when you can see some part of the signature was cut off. The design of the cards are nice, and also it is a good think that you have a big chance to get low numbered cars. I am not a big fan of the diecuts but it is alright i guess.

    [Sorry if i mentioned a couple of thing what i am not a big fan of, but i guess here is where the cultural differences come into play, since we have the tendency to see the negative side of things and we love to complain about everything over here 🙂 ]

  26. Gold standard:
    Like how the box looks like! Also really like that you putted KD and KB on cover of that box!
    Love those base set variations by team’s its way better because collector can get they’re favorite team in they favorite team uniform’s!
    Really like those metal cards and best thing you guys did with them was that that you cant scratch the card when that sticker is on! Love those beautiful on card rookie signature/jersey only wish they were numbered… You never go wrong with on card autographs! I really like motherlode autograph design! Also really cool are those hall of fame cards with cool pictures on the background! Really cool are those black gold jersey’s because you can feel the jersey for real! Also black gold patches looks simply AMAZING! Bullion brand cards /2 is also great way to produce them without! Gold cards as always looks really cool! Havent yet opened any box of GS because you cant buy GS boxes in Europe!
    Panini signatures:
    Really like that BLACK MAMBA is on cover of the box in two different pictures!
    Really like how safely you package the packs in the box!
    Base cards looks nice! Love how looks players second name on them, looks like hand written!
    That Valanciunas film card looks simply gorgeous! He is my friend. In summer’s we played basketball together in basketball training camp’s! Its just amazing to see how great he is becomed!
    Back to the product review. Really like how those signature cards looks like! Its great that you have spended more time on making them and putted two different pictures on card! That white design shows the look on autograph! Really like how low numbered cards are!
    Yeah those stickers autoes dont look as great as REALLY GREAT LOOKING HUGE AUTOGRAPHS but for quanty you guys are producing and for some many different, great, products you guys have been producing in this months is really is to forget! Also its holiday time for lot of players and its hard to chase them were they are and give them to sign cards!
    Never thinked that Panini can improve even more themselves and learn from mistakes and keep cards look as great as possible! I dont know were are you getting all those different ideas!!!

    I wont be able to buy a box of anything because i live in Baltic States, but I Really looking forward to buy a lot of these cards.

    Collector from Europe
    Maritns

  27. Can’t wait to meet a few of you guys I’ve seen in these videos over the years next week at the Nationals!!! It’s going to be awesome since I don’t have a LCS anywhere near me…

    I like the dual color look of Signatures. The black and white with the color helps the card pop out. Sticker/auto placement needs a little work though but you guys have prob heard that enough already.

    GS is always nice with gold in cards…

    Way to keep pushing towards the future with new stuff.

  28. The Gold Standard is always a hit, I mean who wouldn’t want to buy a box of cards shaped like a gold bar?
    Good to see you guys have kept that box every single year.
    The Signatures is a great product, I didn’t realize all the extra hits that you can get.
    As far as the stickers in the product, they are nice they keep the autographs in line and not just put in a random spot on the card.

  29. I like the design of Signatures Basketball cards, especially those “film” cards. With that being said, it would be great if all autograph cards from this product are hard-signed, similar to Preferred.

    As for Gold Standard (and actually most Panini products in general), it might be just me, but I would love to see thinner cardboard for non-game used cards more often.

  30. I’m a big fan of nice big patches, so I really love the Black Gold Patch Variations. It’s a pity that you did not insert a patch variation for the White Gold.
    I also like the idea of the base variation in different team jerseys. It’s a lot of fun to chase the different cards for each player.

    The film cards impressed me the most out of Panini Signatures. I’m definetely going to add a few to my collection.

    With the white background on the Signature cards, the auto really stands out. I like that.
    Too bad, that you have sticker autos in this set. some even with cutted autos. looks not so good.

  31. I happed to like the gold rush cards in gold standard. Nothing like getting a piece of gold in a card. A very original idea. I like the mix of retired and current players. I am a Big O fan and I love seeing him pictured in his Bucks uniform. Signatures looks interesting. I am eager to pick up some cards for my pc. Good job on trying some new ideas and designs.

  32. I opened three boxes of Gold Standard and joined several case breaks. Been a fan of this product since 2010-11, the metal cards was a nice addition to this years product. Also I love how the platinum parallel looks like and was very lucky to hit a Kyrie (nothing surfaced in ebay as of the moment). One suggestion for this set is to add black gold prime 1/1 (logoman), I understand that you are saving this for NT but you can considered this to also reduce the chase logomans in National Treasures. Another suggestion, you did a diamond card 1/1 in your finals promo pack, why not include this in Gold Standard?

    Signature base cards and film cards looks great, looking forward to join some group break on this. Suggestion on this product, since this is “Signatures”. Why not add “letterman auto patches” all 1 of 1 to form the complete last name of the player (e.g. IRVING, BRYANT, DURANT a.k.a. Panini signers) and 1-1 letterman patches for those who cannot sign for Panini (e.g. JAMES, LILLARD etc).

  33. The Gold Standard and Signatures packaging is amazing! I really love how every card in the Gold Standard looks. The numbering on Gold Standard really bring excitement to the collector. The new additions such as the metal cards, Jersey rookie autograph’s, the new white gold, and the large amounts of beautiful on card autographs. As far as the Signatures box goes I cannot wait to get my hands on that product. Ive never seen autographs with a piece footage on film before. The design of the cards are really spectacular and its obvious Panini put a lot of time and effort into the new designs. Even the packaging is enticing! I also appreciate the Kobe Anthology packs that are found in each box! Panini i am literally watching your company increasingly get better and better. I also love how you involve your ideas and new products with the collectors!

  34. I reall like the Black Gold and Metal cards. With the metal cards it’s just a whole new design. I don’t think any company has done that before. With the Black Gold it’s amazing how the colors mix with the black.

  35. Things I like is the metal autos good looking base cards have some flair to them. Love the veterans with a mix of rookies. The mythical Pete Maravich jersey cards are awesome. Same with signatures. Nice chase cards Bonus cards are make you feel like you’ve won the lottery. Only issue is sticker autos on some. I know they are a part of the process. Same with redemptions. Great products can’t wait to rip some. Vast signature list is great.

  36. I really like 12 13 Panini Gold Standard. I like the Black Gold the most. The way the black mixes with the other colors are amazing.

    I also like how clean the 12 13 Panini Signatures are. I like the clean white background. Panini should have more cards as clean as those.

  37. Gold standard looks amazing as always!! I love the gold hue that is in every card, it gives them some what of an elegant look. As far as a negative, even thought they seem to be very popular with other collectors, I’m not a fan of the metal cards. I can’t put my finger on what it is about them that I don’t like, but I guess it’s just not my thing.

    Signatures looks awesome as well. I haven’t had a chance to read up on this product yet so my review is based entirely on the video. Love the design and my favorite thing would have to be the film card. That thing is sweet. I also love the fact of 3 autos per box and guaranteed a card #’d 25 or less. I wish Prime Signatures Football had those kind of hits and odds (wink wink). I honestly liked everything I saw from the 2 boxes you guys opened so I have to nit pick to find a negative to give you. I think the die cuts are a little conservative. I’m a big fan of crazy die cuts like when you do them in the shape of a trophy or something like that. Like I said though I’m just nitpicking because you asked for a negative, I really don’t think they are that bad.

    As always keep up the good work and thanks for the contest!!!!

    P.S. Tracy, I think it’s time for a hair cut….. 😛

  38. Hello panini! Once again you guys have shown why you are the dominant basketball card producer! The exemplary product you distribute cannot be matched! I think I can speak for young collectors when I say that panini is the best when it comes to awesome cards! Now on to the video!!

    First of all great video guys, I like the double feature it makes it that much more interesting!
    Gold Standard: My favorite part… Hmmm, my obvious answer would be the GOLD! The gold is what makes it unique! It makes it seem very luxurious and royal! But when I dig deeper I really like the idea behind the hall of gold, historic players always intrigue me so the insert set appeals greatly to me!
    Something that could make this product even better? Wow, that’s tough, I liked the rookie jersey autographs but, I was a little disappointed they weren’t numbered, it just seems like such an amazing card and I think it deserved more of a rarity, that definetly still won’t stop me from getting my hands on a few of my favorite rookies!! Great job guys!

    Prime Signatures: I saw the gallery earlier in the week and was excited to see some actual ripping in the video, these cards just blow me away! (Away to the local card shop to buy some!) If I had the money to buy a box I’d be torn in half! The decision between Gold Standard or Prime Signatures! My favorite part about the product was the cleaness, as you said in the video the designers were told to make it all about the autograph. Kudos to the designers, because the autograph stands out but the card still has enough design to make it interesting! My favorite card was the movie reel one, I like the film patch, it is very unique considering I’ve never seen it done before! Once again I really had some trouble finding any improvements but I guess I would want more base, even in the day and age where memorabilia and autographs rule the card world, I still like to see some base cards. Just to make the packs seem more full. I like how in gold standard they added a few base cards with the mem and autos! I just feel sticker shocked buying five cards for $140. I was still tremendously pleased with this product.

    Whatever you guys are doing, don’t stop because everything about your products makes me wanna be a millionaire so that I can buy cases and cases of your cards! Sadly for now I’m a little kid on a little budget with packs of cards filling my birthday and Christmas lists. My parents think I’m obsessed, I guess I am but when I’m seeing these boxes of cards rich with gold and signatures I can’t help myself.

    Keep up the extraordinary job! Thank you so much for the amazing products and videos to introduce them. Special thanks to the contest! Always a great opportunity to expand my ever growing collection!

  39. Gold Standard is my first favorite product tied with signatures. Two of my favorite products combined is the best. I love the rookie autograph jersey card rookies in gold standard. I also love the gold and foil on the gold standard. The box of the gold standard is really cool. The insert I mostly love about Gold Standard is the gold rush insert. In signatures you can get great cards. I made a blog post entirely dedicated to 12/13 Basketball Gold Standard. Check it out (fourth post down): http://ministickgraphics.blogspot.com/p/basketball.html

    Here is a complete copy of my post:

    TUESDAY, JUNE 25, 2013

    Basketball Card Trailers: 11/12 Panini Gold Standard and a look at 12/13 Panini Gold Standard
    Manufacturer: Panini America Inc.
    Release Date: July 3rd, 2013
    Price: $185.00

    This set has golden star players like Kevin Love. There is only 1 pack per box, but you could get amazing hits such as Autograph Memorabilia rookie cards like the Anthony Davis down below. There are also very foilly, Superscribe autographed cards. Gold Strike autographs have key players such as Kyrie Irving. There are also solid gold inserts which are numbered 1/1, like you see down below (The Blake Griffin). Next, there is Black Gold Memorabilia cards that’s features stars like Julius “Dr. J” Erving. Mother Lode autograph cards can have a signature of Kobe Bryant on it. Then comes my favorite hit of all, Bullion Brand Memorabilia cards which has the size of the jersey on it (like down below). Let’s take a look at these Golden Cards.

    (Picture)
    Base

    (picture)
    The Box

    (picture)
    Autograph Memorabilia Rookie Cards

    (picture)
    Superscribe Autograph Cards

    (picture)
    Gold Strike Autographs

    (picture)
    Black Gold Memorabilia Cards

    (picture)
    Mother Lodes Autograph Cards

    (picture)
    Solid Gold Cards

    (picture)
    Bullion Brand Memorabilia Cards

  40. Having never collected basketball cards and just watching people open boxes, I look forward to collecting some cards from these two sets.

    First the Gold Standard, from a purely aesthetics point of view, I love how they look. The shimmer off each card gives the cards a unique and perceived value. Introduction of new variations such as the White Gold is always welcomed to prevent staleness in a product.

    Second the Signatures, probably the best looking cards I have seen all year, nice and clean. The commentator was correct in that Panini succeeded in having the signatures stand out in the card as it truly is the most sought after aspect of each and every card. The film cell is a neat concept although it may limit the abilities of the player to sign with such a large spread across the card.

    I’m a big fan of players from the 80s and early 90s so the inclusion of players such as Dr. J is a big plus in my books. All in all, good job Panini and I look forward to seeing more boxes opened in the coming weeks.

    As a final statement, I’m a hard-signed kinda collector and love how Panini is spending more time and effort in obtaining players autos on card. Of course, I would never turn away a Kobe Bryant sticker if they even exist.

  41. First off, I would like to say, both are amazing products. From Gold Standard, the idea of a metal is great from the look and the feel. The numbered base cards stick true to the “Gold Standard” theme. Another insert that I love is the Hall of Gold card, the shimmer and the luster of it is awe-inspiring. Being a Raptors fan, seeing the Alan Anderson auto and the former Raptor/Future Hall of Famer, Peja Stojakovic got me exited. You can also never go wrong with the Isaiah Thomas and Derrick Williams rookie cards. The Danny Manning White Gold I love in relation to the theme. From Tracy’s box, I love the Black Gold card. Me also being from Canada, the Steve Nash and Tristan Thompson cards, they make me proud!

    -9/10! Awesome

    From Signatures, right off the bat, the box design is sleek and nice. Prepares you for what lies inside. My jaw literally hit the floor when I saw that Jonas Valanciunas “Flim” card. What a great card design, concept, autograph and most of all, card! One drawback to Signatures, and keep in mind in just nitpicking, is the sticker autos. I know the level of difficulty is extremely high to get live autos from every single one of the players but when the product is solely based on autos and base cards, one must expect some thing more. This isnt a big concern, but you what they say, “The devil is in the details”. I like the fact that both Keith and Tracy both pulled die-cut cards as they are lower numbered and ultimately, fun to get!

    Both boxes are definitely LOADED!

    -8.75/10! Classic design and feel!

    In my honest and very humble opinion, the best card pulled from all four of the boxes is the: Jonas Valanciunas #’d/5 “Film Card”

  42. Thanks again for the previews and the contest! Love Gold Standard this year. The gold cards are awesome and I love both the “Black” and White” Gold jersey card set. On-card autos for the rookies puts the set over the top. Keep up the great work.

    I love nearly everything that Panini does, and I truly think that you are the most innovative company in the industry. Having said that, I really like the film cards in Signatures, as it’s definitely something different (and the on-card auto looks great). For me personally, the look of the set is “ok”. I like that the signature really stands out on the card, but I’m not a huge fan of the design of the auto cards. As for the chase cards, I do like the design and the fact they are all low numbered. The even lower-numbered parallels don’t do as much for me personally, but for most I’m sure it’s a nice touch that will add a lot of value. Overall a solid effort.

    Thanks again and keep up the great work!

  43. Thanks for the video and contest.

    Gold Standard has never been one of my favorite sets, I just don’t get the appeal of the shimmering Gold. However, the jersey/team variations for players is a really fun idea. As a Hawks fan, I’d love to see Rasheed Wallace wearing the ATL. Probably only one or two of those in the run, eh? I would also think that the rookie autos would have been numbered. I almost feel like this should manditory for the higher-end sets.

    I love the design of the Signatures, maybe the best looking set of the year. The on-card autos are truly stunning cards. Which brings me to the other side of the coin, the sticker autos ruin the clean design of this set.

    Can’t wait to see a National Treasures Checklist, see who you have in the ABA set this year.

  44. Awesome video, both are really neat products. Both are almost complete opposites too, Gold Standard being all shiny and flashy with Signatures being very mellow and fancy.

    The Gold Standard is a beautiful product. Loved it right when it was released, unfortunately, its a little out of my price range, but I have been able to join a few box breaks and see what the product offers. The metal cards are very cool, and actually very hefty! The amount of hits per box is really good. Almost 50% is either an auto/jersey, thats pretty good odds to me. And also, just the design and look of the cards in general. I like the design and the gold look to all of them. Just very neat, and very different that makes this product stand out versus others.

    The Signatures remind me of Prime Signatures FB, but a much better value and box make-up. Theres no other place that you can get 3 of 4 autos, thats just insane! And to get a nice low-numbered card as your 4th or possibly 5th card, is just an added bonus. Like Keith said, really trying to put emphasis on the signature and not the actual card is really nice to look at and looks like you accomplished it. Gives it a very pristine look. Well done, Panini!

    Thanks for the look at two great products and an opportunity to win some! Thanks so much for what you do and keeping us collectors in the loop!

  45. First off, the presentation of how the cards are displayed in is great. The box looks like it is made of gold. The design is also nice by the way “GS” is written. 12-13 Gold Standard basketball provides a unique assortment of hits. I personally love the fact that this product only has 12 cards.  Making each and very card very precious to the collector. Though, what makes these cards even more cherished, is the gold and foil produced on these cards. The gold adds a touch that takes basketball cards to a new era. The collection of foil and gold on the base cards makes it look like an insert card. The unprecedented metal cards in Gold Standard are fantastic. The rounded corners on the cards provide a real 3-D look at metal. The gold makes this card even more prestigious. My favorite insert of 12-13 Gold Standard Basketball is the Hall of Gold. I really like the hall of fame in the background as well as the gold that surrounds the card. The white gold cards are also cool. The technology of game used cards has been marvelous throughout it’s past years. The best looking hit in my opinion are the Black Gold cards. The jersey on the card is nicely placed vertically on the side of the card. The black background emphasizes the name of the card, “Black Gold.” The gold on the bottom and around the jersey really sticks out and I like that. I, and many other collectors, are going to love 2013 Gold Standard Basketball

    Like 12-13 Gold Standard basketball, the design of the presentation on 12-13 Signatures Basketball is amazing. The pack itself is one cool feature to Signatures Basketball. I really like the script they use on these packs because that is what signatures are all about. Signatures are a form of script. Once again, Panini has impressed me before I even started talking about the cards. The signatures on the regular cards are outstanding. The white background with the player faded in really brings out the brightness of the blue autograph. The on-card signatures are real sweet and the sticker autographs just blend right in with the card. In addition to all of that, the die-cut cards make these autographed cards even more incredible. The base cards are also unique. The Film Slide card is one heck of a card. I love the film strip going diagonally across the card. As well as most of these cards are low numbered. Though, what really impressed me, was the transparent film with the player on it. That is just unbelievable that a card can be made made like that. That new and innovative card is my favorite card from 12-13 Signatures Basketball.

    * I would also like to thank the entire Panini America board for these two extraordinary products. Panini has been the best at their business and continue to be with these new products. Thanks again Panini!

  46. The thing I love about Gold Standard this year is the Metal cards added this yr. Those are a great addition to the product. Hopefully for future Gold Standard, the rookie jersey autos would be nice if they were serial numbered. The designs on the Signatures are super clean. I love the film slide auto set, super clean on card autos. Would love to get my hands on a Dominique Wilkins in that set! Only thing about the Base Set Autos would be to have more on card autos especially the rookies! Nonetheless it’s still a great product. Thanks again guys!

  47. Gold Standard:

    +s: I like the peel-off clear coating on the metal cards (will cut down on scratches), Variation cards based on length of time player has played with the team (if I understand that right), nice mix of vets and RC/younger players, printing plate inclusions

    -s: none really

    Signatures:

    +s: /25 or less, I like the foil script name on the base cards, the auto/film cards, lots of room on the base autos for a larger signature on a larger white background, base card design is sweet, diecuts.

    -s: some sticker autos (but at least not all of them). The larger on card sigs make up for the stickers, in my opinion.

    Thanks for another fun contest!!!!

  48. Both of these products look really cool. And the printing plate inclusion in National Treasures take the value up a few notches for me as well.

    Signatures is a product that at first glance I didn’t think too much of. As a football collector taking steps into basketball, I knew that I didn’t like the football versions. The basketball version does a much better job. The variety of autographs are really nice, especially the film ones [something I have liked in products in the past.] I also really like the parallels on the base cards. Having different levels always adds to increased level of collectability. All things listed above are what ADD to this product. What delivers this product is the design. While simple, the sleek design really pops out at you, especially in the parallel versions. Very nice set.

    Again, as a football fan, I loved Gold Standard. 2011 Gold Standard might be my favorite set of all time to break [quick note: can we get this back in the Panini football lineup in 2013?]. I am a huge patch nut. I love seeing the multi color jersey pieces come to together. It is the basis of my personal collection. Gold Standard gives you the opportunity to collect some of the all time greats patches in the Black Gold set. This is a major selling point for me. Additionally, the rookie patch autographs are extremely nice. Another awesome thing I’ve seen pulled are the Laundry Tags. I saw videos of both Gasol’s being pulled and they are so nice. So many great things to add to collections!

    Overall, I am partial to Gold Standard, but both sets are really nice.

  49. I like the new white gold cards in gold standard.It’s nice to see you guys swiching things up from year to year.Prime sigs;I love the die cut cards with the players on the bottom half of the card.Cool and different.I would like to see jersey cards ”Abolished” one day.Other than that Panini is and always will be my source for sport cards.thanks for all these contests you fine folks provide us with.

  50. I love the gold standard collection. The cards look great and the product has great cards. After seeing the unboxing video I can tell this product won’t disappoint.

  51. The film cards in Signatures are really nice inclusion. Those metal cards in the Gold standard look amazing and I cant wait to get one. And finally the exclusivity of the Signatures chase sets make it worth every penny, well done guys.

  52. I’m impressed with both of these releases. The Gold Standard cards really pop with color,and I love the White and Black Gold cards. The Hall of Gold has some great names in the line-up and the on-card autos are always a plus. The Metal cards are beautiful,and they remind me of the old Action Packed cards I collected back in the 90’s. The only improvement I would make is eliminating redemptions,but I know that this comes with the collecting territory.
    As for the Signatures,they are very nice cards with a good mix of names and lots of low #’d parallels. They are definitely unique-looking cards with a nice design and it looks like the players really put some effort into making the autos look great…in other words,not a lazy auto like lots of NFL players put out there. The only thing I would like to see improved in this set is the die cut. I think it needs to have more “cut” to it,or a more pronounced shape. I’m thinking more along the lines of the Prism or Elite die cuts. Other than that,I think that the overall design and color of both sets is outstanding. It’s definitely something I would enjoy collecting…thanks for a shot at winning!

  53. In Gold Standard, I enjoy the live metal cards in each box. But it would be nice if the base rookie jersey auto’s were numbered, not just the prime ones. Also, it seems as though there are less patches in general, although perhaps more gold cards, than last year. In Signatures I enjoy that the base cards are all low numbered, with parallels seemingly pretty easy to pull, as well as the film card design.

  54. Tracy, I would definitely consider myself a Panini supporter, however, why over exaggerate and gasp mockingly at those of us not happy with sticker autographs?

    Seems like a bit of a slap in the face to fans and consumers of your product who would really love to see all on-card autos in that type of set.

    You’re basically saying “We know you guys want on-card autos, but we’re going to still do sticker autos, sucks to be you!”

    1. I completely and respectfully disagree with that. In a perfect world, we’d do nothing but on-card for everything. Unfortunately, that’s not our reality. I’d never mock our customers regarding anything they hold dear. If I came off that way, I apologize.

      1. I re-watched the video, I remember seeing it the first time and kind of dismissing it and then getting totally distracted by the Valančiūnas film slide and never got back to it (wow that doesn’t say much about me does it?). It does kind of come across as though you are mocking the customer at first but it also feels like you are mocking yourselves to a degree as one would in a perfect world as you say have all on card autos and particularly in a product called “Signatures”. I guess only you really know how you meant it on the day Tracy.

        Andy, do you really believe that Panini simply choose to use stickers over on card autos? I’ve been waiting 15 months for a player to sign one card in an ‘on card’ set. The guy probably lost them or threw them away. The fact is there are forces beyond Panini’s control, such as players, who cause sticker grief. I’m not here to kiss anyone’s backside but I honestly believe that to suggest Panini has a choice about the matter that doesn’t include halting the production of autographed sets period until they all come back from players is ignorant and unfair.

  55. Great episode, and some really nice cards!

    Gold Standard – The thing I love about GS is that it really takes the gold theme seriously. Every single card pulled from this product shines like gold! To me it is one of the nicest looking sets year after year. The one thing that I’m not crazy about with this year’s GS is the metal cards. These just don’t do it for me, and in the boxes I opened I kept thinking how I would have loved to either get another hit in the box or pay $10 less for the box.

    Signatures – This stuff looks hot! The one thing I love is the guaranteed low-numbered hit in every pack. The card design on that film card you pulled was really slick. Can’t argue about this product being loaded with a preview like that! From what I’ve seen, there isn’t much you could improve upon with this product…short of having an angel playing a harp and little tiny fireworks going off when you open a pack 🙂

    One last thing that I liked about both products was the good mix of rookies and vets. I like balanced products like these.

  56. 1) Gold Standard – I really enjoy the metal cards. They were cool when they came out with last years rookies, but including them with gold standard was great. I would like to see larger jersey pieces in the mem cards, seems like you are not getting much as far as size goes.

    2) Signatures – I love how the cards make the signatures POP. Having the light background really makes for an exciting card. The thing I would change on signatures is the card designs. Too many of the cards look the same, there seems to be very little variation and I think that is a place to improve.

  57. Gold Standard: Love the metal cards. Nothing major i’d improve upon, maybe the jersey size on the rookie auto cards could be a little bigger, but I like that they had more room to sign, so its not the big of a deal.

    Signatures: I really enjoy the unique die-cuts. Only thing that I did’t like is that most of the cards are numbered so low, it will be hard to get my some of my PC players, but that is to be expected in higher end products.

  58. Gold Standard is one of the most greatest products ever launched in the whole entire world!!
    Just ripping one pack open is like standing on top of the Grand Canyon.
    I love the cards in Gold Standard because of it’s touch to it. Sure everybody wants a box, but I want it more then anybody else. The box of Gold Standard is also high-end. I love when you open the box because when you take off the cover and get the packs out.

    The Kobe Anthology packs go very well with 12/13 Signatures collection. I love the white part of the box with just a little picture on it. The pack of the signatures is also very shiny and good looking.

  59. I’m going to be as honest and fairly critical as I can.

    Gold Standard was decent this year; the metal cards were designed well and look really good on hand. If they were a little bit more SP, maybe 1 per 2-3 boxes then they’d really be something. The base cards looked decent, but there was still the lack of any extra detailing that would’ve made them really pop; I wasn’t a fan of the glossed-over finish.

    Huge kudos to GS in obtaining the Maravich jersey, that was a huge plus to collectors. The Black Gold set was by far the best this year in terms of design, rarity, and variety.
    The rest of the contents could have used more veteran presence in terms of autographs; it was too rookie heavy again this year, which should imo be saved for products like Rookies and Stars, Hoops, Select, etc. Otherwise, GS was solid this year.

    Signatures was a letdown mostly because of its price point. There was simply not enough value and variety in a mid-high end hobby release. Design wise, Signatures was on par with any other product you have ever released. Really neat base designs, and the film autos were nice. Otherwise, didn’t see too much apart from that.

  60. First off, I just Thanks for the post! Starting with signatures the box has a very clean and sweet look. Not only does the box has a sweet look but the pack does. The inscription in the packs just gives the pack a little bit more touch which looks fantastic.

    Gold Standard just took my eyeballs out this year once I saw it. The gold in the cards looks like a miracle. The autograph memorabilia rookie cards looks like your in heaven. The one and only thing I’m not a big fan of in Gold Standard is the pack. I don’t really how the pack is clear because you can see inside, but I suppose it doesn’t matter since there is only one pack per box. Keep up the great work!

  61. It seems like you’ve raised the bar every year with Gold Standard, and this year is no different. One of the best things about this year’s design are the mem/autos. I think they are well designed. There is a good balance between the photo and mem, but still allows for the auto to be showcased. However, nothing is ever perfect. Something I would like to see improved upon is you choice in ink for the autos. Maybe the area where the auto is written can be lightened. While I can understand having a box for the auto may not be appealing to the eye, it may be better than losing the signature all together.

    Signatures caught me by surprise. I have to admit that the football version is a little boring. However, the basketball edition is a great improvement. The overall design does a great job of making the signature the center of attention. Even the Oscar Robinson base card looks really good, and I am a stickler for those kind of things. If I were to improve upon something though, it would have to be the color photo of the player located on the bottom of the autographed cards. It looks a little awkward, and because 80% of the card is designed to make the auto stand out, it actually steals the spot light a little bit. If I were you, I would consider using the base card as the auto, placing the signature along the side of the card. While I would not have an issue with it, the only problem now is that the auto goes from the bottom to the top.

    What do you think?

  62. I really like how the parallels are so low numbered in panini signatures. Only wish there were more on card autos in it. As for Gold Standard I really like the Rookie auto patch cards and solid gold cards are amazing. No complaints with gold standard, keep up the good work!

  63. First off GS is one of the most underappreciated products out today. The gold metal cards are really something to see in person to enjoy. Beautiful! The Signatures base has a real clean and simplistic look that I like. Not real sure about the die-cut in this product, trying to figure out where it fits in. But as always Panini fills their boxes with great stuff that keeps me coming back for more. Love it guys!

  64. Gold Standard
    I love that it comes in a box shaped like a gold bar very clever. I love the design and all the gold obviously. I really like the Hall of Gold cards as they are a very appropriate nod the greats of the sport and showing HOF portraits on the card is a great touch.
    I also love the White Gold and Black Gold cards as the contrast really makes the cards sizzle.

    If I had to pick anything that I would improve it would be the 1 big clear pack. As someone of limited means if I saved up enough to buy a box I would want to enjoy it….maybe divide the cards into 2 packs and put them in silver packs so they cant be seen without opening them.

    Signatures-
    I love the base design…great contrast with the b/w photo and the color photos. The Film Strip is a great way to show a snippet in time as thats really what cards capture!

    If I could improve anything it would be that there is too much white space in my opinion so I would put the team logos to add a bit more color

    Both products are very cool and I thank you for valuing our thoughts and feedback

  65. both are absolutely gorgeous designs – always been a big fan of Gold standard when it first broke 2 years back, but i really love the Hall of Gold parallel. Such a great card design.

    Was a bit skeptical of Signatures due to the fact that it is so close to National Treasures release, but the design is beautifully executed. Nice parallels and the Film Strips look fantastic. Cant wait to grab a few boxes!!

    Thank you for the opportunity

  66. Gold standard
    Like:
    – Design of the first card of the pack
    – Number of base cards and inserts
    – To add jersey to the rookie auto
    – Steve Nash auto!

    Dislike:
    – Too much redemption cards

    Signature
    Like:
    – Design of the cards (base, signature and inserts)
    – Low numbered cards in each pack
    – On-card auto

    Dislike:
    – Too much rookie autos compared to veteran autos

    Great products.
    Thanks for asking feedbacks.

  67. Loving the GS. Mostly on card autos and some very nice patches. Already have one of vucevic incoming no. /10 – 4 colours, 9 breaks. Wow!!!
    And signatures look the goods. There should be some heavy prices commanded for a lot of the short printed cards.
    More great work and particularly looking forward to NT. Thanks.

  68. Excellent video guys. I like the film slide design from Prime Sigs and the Black Gold design from Gold Standard. I think the base cards need a re-boot on Gold Standard and more of the Prime Sigs autos need to be on card, if I had to improve anything on either. Thanks Tracy!

  69. I really like the addition of the autograph jersey rookie cards in gold standard this year. Adds a good piece to the card especially the patch versions. The clean design on signatures looks really nice and the larger autographs that take up a lot of space on the card really make them “pop”. The only dislike of the two products are the sticker autographs instead of all being on card.

  70. First of all I want to thank you for another great episode of Panini Unwrapped! Those videos along with all the other stuff here on the blog makes Panini so special. Now on to my opinions on those featured products:

    GOLD STANDARD
    Like: When you look at Gold Standard, you are sure that your’e watching a classy Product. The gold and shimmering foil is just..outstanding! My eyes are melting… Oh well..I should probably try to continue this even with melted eyes.. Another thing that I really like with Gold Standard are the rookie jersey autographs. The jersey piece, autograph and foily design together gives a card which really get the attention. The jersey colour is a nice break to the ambient foil colours, and feel very classy. Maybe a design similar to this is something to try in a product like Certified Hockey, where the rookie jersey autos need something new to them. I think that would have worked out really well!

    Improve: Well, overall I think Gold Standard is a pretty complete product. All the cards have a very sweet foil and gold feeling to them and you can really see that they all come from Gold Standard. I like that. But, I have seen a few breaks of this now and one thing that is a Little bit disturbing are all those redemptions. Even if I know it’s hard for you to get all cards signed, I would rather see a lower box price with one hit less, and maybe a product later on the year with the name “Redemption Basketball”, with the completed signed cards only.. Oh well, maybe that wasn’t the best idea, but getting a code for a card which you don’t even know when you will recieve doesn’t give you that thrilling feeling as if you see it’s beautiness live.

    SIGNATURES
    Like: Four cards in a box may be a bit too few many times. In Signatures Basketball I don’t think it is, because it deliver so much! The on-card autos look great with that basic innovative design for example! And the fact that the no-auto cards are shortprinted to just 25 copys or less is great, that give the product an extra premium feel. Maybe it doesn’t make it to the funniest product for the set/PC collector, but Signatures isn’t maybe that much a product to complete a set from. It’s a product where you get excited of every single card, and I really like that!

    Improve: As I said earlier the on-card “base”-autographs look great. But the sticker ones? Not so good.. Even if it’s easier to include sticker autos to the cards which you can’t manage to get signed, I would have preffered a different design to those cards with sticker autos. When you get a sticker auto you want in to melt into the design, so it’s hard to decide if it’s really a sticker. With those “base” sticker autos I don’t really think it’s melting in, and that doesn’t make the card that sweet looking. If the autos can’t be on card, I would at least like to see a design optimized for sticker autos.

    And btw; next Unwrapped episode is of Score Hockey, both retail and jumbo, right? This episode was a great one, hope to see a just as good one very soon.. 🙂

  71. Gold Standard looks nice but holofoil isn’t my fav. The rookie mem/autos are really nicely done. Signatures is a amazing set but the sticker autos kill it. The on card auto are clearly the best basketball autos ive seen in a LONG time. Also the film cell auto cards looks awesome. As always awesome job guys!!

  72. I really like Gold Standard Basketball, it’s usually one of my favorite Panini offerings. Was really excited to pull a Larry Bird auto in it this year, been chasing one of those. I thought the inclusion of real gold made looking for the “Gold” cards the most exciting of any set. I just once again was disappointed with the number of redemptions. That’s probably something you hear a ton of but can’t do much about. Signatures had some cool designs in their subsets and I like the low number parallels but I don’t like as many sticker autos, it’s improving but keep pushing for on card. I liked the video too, my favorite part was when Keith said “Rock Chalk” when he pulled the Danny Manning- if you’re looking for a home for that card, look no further ;). The part of the video that needs improvement is the way you froze the screen for the blog post image that makes Keith look like some horror movie poltergeist.

  73. The look of the cards is very nice, but maybe a little busy… the gold is pretty but all the bacjground “Jazz” almost takes away from it. Let the gold show sometimes less is better, the white gold and black gold are really nice. Maybe make it a hit exclusive product, you go to the trouble of numbering all the base and its a high end product that people dont really even want the base. I like the signatures product, veyr clean and sleak the die cut and film card were nice and not over the top. both seem like nice lead ins to national treasure

  74. Love the Hall of Gold cards, I wish there are signature versions of those. The Signatures Film card and Die Cuts are nice. Not sure if you have done this for your basketball products, it would be cool to see other memorbilia like piece of Kobe’s shoe in a card. Or have redemptions of autograph-ed warm up suit and/or game worn shoes, that would be pretty sweet.

  75. Wow, love the printing plates. That is very cool that you can pull one in a box, always one of the items I shoot for when opening boxes but only ever managed to pull one.

  76. Awesomest of awesome videos!!! These products are amazing and the chance to win some boxes or the sweet hits you pulled is so generous of you guys at Panini! The Gold Standard is so chock full of nuggets of goodness like the printing plates-WOW-, the metal cards-would love to get some of those autographed in person, and the white/black gold jersey cards–perfect for getting signed!
    Signatures is equally incredible especially the film slide cards–very moving in its design with the low #’s and autos–and the base cards even get me excited with the beautiful layout and the use of an all white background that would really make my staedtler blue sharpie really POP! Al in all two incredible products and my fingers are crossed–at least until Friday then I will have to use them again! Thanks Panini!

  77. Cool Video.

    My favorite cards of Gold Standard were the Metal plate cards. My suggestion for improvement would be for the jersey cards to have multi color patches and autographed versions of the metal cards. Also personal preference, not a fan of rainbow foil or sticker autos. Redemptions are always going to be an issue but limiting them is important.

    My favorite cards of Signatures were the on card auto film slides. Also love the fact there were bonus cards. My suggestion for improvement would be to have more on card autos and make the color photo portion of the card larger.

    Overall good job with both products and keep the preview videos coming.

    Thanks for the promo also.

  78. Pros: I really like the metal cards in Gold Standard as well as the elimination of some of the cheaper looking insert cards that you have included in it in years past. I also really like the selection of legends jerseys you have acquired and enjoyed watching how the Maravich cards were made. From Signatures, I really like the different colored parallels and how low numbered they are. The colors make them “pop” and the low numbering adds some value to each box.

    Cons: In both products, I dislike the amount of sticker autographs in these products. I’d rather take more redemptions if it meant getting all on-card autos. On that note, the autograph checklist in Signatures looks fairly week for its price point. I understand that you can’t pull a Lebron, Kobe, or Durant in every box, but where’s the value when they boast the likes of Carlos Delfino and Kent Bazemore.

  79. Gold Standard:
    (+) Very stylized product (cards and packaging), beautiful designs
    (+) Addition of the metal “pack topper” / More cards over previous yrs. editions
    (+) More care / emphasis on on-card autos over previous yrs.
    (+) One of the most complete products Panini has made to date.

    (-) Lack of #ing on RCs
    (-) Jersey / Mem. windows could’ve been a tad larger
    (-) Redemptions. With less of them there’d be less wait and Panini would save the $ it pays on shipping.
    *There’s potential for this product, could’ve implemented some gold brick / golden code contest. Chance to visit Panini HQ / meet & greet with athlete like previous yrs.*

    Signatures:
    (+) Inclusion of on-card autos, base cards look really appealing
    (+) Inclusion of Film reels, I like the risks/new designs Panini has been trying.
    (+) Guarantee of atleast 1 card #ed to 25 or less

    (-) Low # of cards / pack. 8-10 would’ve been nice, even if they were base.
    (-) Di-cuts look unnecessary, the design is random and doesn’t offer any flair.
    *Could have been unique / variation cuts. Maybe have the rookie / veteran cuts be able to piece together as a puzzle or design when completed as a set*
    (-) Sticker auto cards look dull/closed off. Doesn’t use wide canvas to it’s potential.
    *Products is “Signatures”, should have +emphasis on the auto itself. Try and have most or atleast half autos of product on-card.*
    *Autos could’ve had variations to them (i.e red/green markers)*

    Those are my thoughts, hopefully they’ll be an asset to you guys, thanks for the contest! 🙂

  80. Both products are very eye popping! The Signatures product is much better for one reason – lower print numbers.

    The Gold Standard boxes have a good balance of hits and the autos are very clear on the refracting background, however, some of the hits are kind of redundant. It is a little too predictable what is going to come through. Gotta mix it up a little so as to offer that one thing that keeps us all coming back – the thrill of the chase.

    The Signatures product was very nice, of course, only seeing two boxes doesn’t really do it justice. Need to see more but it looks really nice and different. The autos are clear on the white backgrounds and only one sticker is nice. The product needs not to forget the memorabilia aspect but of course don’t know if there is any game used card in this product. Still the low numbering is a real bonus. The autos appear to be better than Gold Standards but again there is that MIke Scott auto which seems to be in every box of Panini. Otherwise the cards are all good to the eye and do seem to jump off its cards. I pretty much prefer the Signature to the Gold Standard, but I would certainly buy both of them. Just need to see more Signature.

  81. Gold Standard:

    I love the metal cards and shiny design. Would like to see less “who’s that?” player autos.

    Signatures:

    I love the low numbered guarantee and possible extra card/hit. Would like to see all on-card autos and no stickers.

    Thanks for a great double-feature break, and for the chance to win awesome products!

    Chris

  82. Gold Standard
    Love the metal cards, the photographs and imagery, the inclusion of legends like the Big O along with the current players, and the variety of autos (although it’s great to have the superstars I also appreciate the lesser stars as well). And, the addition of at least one printing plate in every box is a nice draw.

    Signatures
    Again, I’m a fan of the photography/images. For me that is what is the first draw in what I buy. The film cards are a cool design idea.

    I understand the need for sticker autos and redemptions to a degree and that you are at the mercy of the signers but these would be only negatives with either of these products.

    Appreciate the continued communication on the site.

  83. Tracy Hackler,

    I think the Gold Standard looks like a sweet product. The players pop out of the background on the base set and it’s nice to see a set that sends your eyes right to the player. So many sets don’t have good “entry points” when you first look at them. Your eyes are all over the place on so many sets before you realize what player you have. A lot of times, the players name is the first thing you look at, and you want people to marvel at the player on the card, not the frills or name plate.
    If there is an improvement you could make to the set it’s taking the photo of the players on the patch card and have them moving into the card instead of out of the card. For example: on the Meta World Peace Black Gold card he is dribbling out of the card. The picture should be on the left side and the patch on the right so it looks like he’s moving to the center of the card. It’s more aesthetically appealing for the action to move inward, not outward.
    The Signatures set is the better of the two sets, and with a guarantee of a /25 card in each box it makes it hard not to pick up. I love the combination of action and studio-style photos on the cards. There’s enough white space on the cards to have a lot of different photos and still not be too cramped. These cards are absolutely beautiful in the way they convey the intensity of the game while still capturing moments of pause by juxtaposing different photos on the card. It’s even reasonably priced.
    The only thing I suggest to improve is once again trying to keep the action photos flowing to the middle of the card. I can’t stress how important this simple adjustment could improve the quality of your cards. It’s all entry points and centering the action.

    Sincerely,
    Carl Burke

  84. I have to start off by saying this was another great episode of unwrapped! I watched this one with my mother while sitting with her in the ICU after breaking her hip 2 days before her bday. She was just as impressed with how far the card technology has come.
    The metal cards in gold standard were one of her fav’s and mine too. She liked how the shined. LOL was great to see her smile despite her situation. The film cell cards are amazing!! the signature product is so simple but perfect to showcase the autographs! I don’t know how to improve on the products. Making my mom smile was the best part of this episode!! Keep it up! Panini loyal collector here!

  85. Gold Standard- Very nice product. Base design is very good and the base variations of Steve Nash and Jason Kidd give a throwback feel to the product. My favorite part of the product is the black gold threads, a wide range of current and past stars gives a bit of variety to a nice sub-set. Of course you can’t have gold standard without Gold rush cards with 100 to collect these cards give the product the gold we need. Gold Standard, Gold Strike, Hall of Gold and Marks of Gold gives us loads of sub-sets to work for meaning we will never get bored of this product. The metal cards look awesome and people will want to collect all of them, they are a very nice addition to the product. Overall a excellent product great design and loads of really nice sub-sets. One improvement give the white gold checklist the extra bit of boom next year putting it on terms with the black gold cards.

    Signatures- What can i say!- I watched this video and thought it was just another Panini basketball product with some nice cards, but later that night i watched a case break of the stuff, and my jaw was hitting the floor. This case had 4 1 of 1’s. 4!. This product has everything. Parallels left, right and center. The die-cuts look awesome and signatures have a non-ending list of stars and variations. What really puts the icing on the cake is the film signatures cards.The design is class and the mini films are so cool. And with the checklist of this set, absolute awesome. So much BOOM in these product. Overall a product of the year candidate. It would be a privilege for anyone to open this product. Well done to Panini and the NBA team they have created a great, great product.

  86. Love the metal love the cards, more on card autos are always better Thank you for your hard work on this . Can’t wait for the 3 case break from Mid West breaks at the Nationals..

  87. GOLD STANDARD

    Let the gold rush begin! The gold standard basketball are truly unbelievable totally awesome looking cards with great background especially the inserts. I like that you included plates in every box plus the kobe anthology even makes it even sweeter. I also love the inclusion of jersey/patch on rookie on-card autos. I wish I could buy box of these but with my budget, I cant really afford one.

    SIGNATURES BASKETBALL

    This product is quite a surprise but men the addition of Signatures Basketball is a superb product to be included in the Panini Basketball Collection. I love the plain white background it makes the card looks elegant yet simple at the same time. gives the base set clean, sharp, and appealing look. It also looks like many of the rookie autos are on-card instead of sticker which is just the way I like my autos.

    OVERALL

    I love how Panini keeps improving and improving. Not many companies go out of the way to see what the viewers actually want and go above & beyond! The quality, art, and slickness of the cards keep improving and improving with each product. The evolution of Gold Standard Basketball is really awesome. The addition of Signatures series is a brilliant idea. With these heavyweights, I can’t wait for National Treasures!

    Thanks again for a real innovative way to get involved with card collecting. Panini is exactly what we need to bring more collectors into the ‘game’. Thanks for singlehandedly keeping this hobby alive. Anyways, thanks for the contest and thanks for the great product that you guys consistently put out.

  88. The gold standard metal and gold cards look and are amazing! The inserts are all pretty good. The mem cards need to be all low numbered and have more color. You should leave the single swatches in the lower end products. There is also the classic chipping problem with these cards.

    The signatures cards are a autograph chasers dream. Everyone will be talking about the film cards and they are going to do well on the secondary market. As you only get so few cards there shouldnt be soooo many filler autos and with it being signatures it would have been better to use a different font and another idea would to have the players sign a huge size autograph especially with the white background. Overall Panini as a company is killing it and collectors appreciate the small things like the contests even though they are harder to win then the mega millions. Thank you Tracy and Panini for giving the collectors that are less fortunate but love the products a chance to win otherwise unattainable products.

  89. All the cards look awesome, they just glimmer off the table. Love the Danny Manning card… Rock Chalk KU forever.

  90. Excellent job on gold standard. Love the metal cards. They look awesome. The base have a clean design and the inserts look cool. I love the black gold and amazing patch version.

    The signature basketball base design look great but I don’t like picture on the bottom and awesome to put 2 low number cards. The autograph look splendid but I do not the stickers in this product. Keep on the amazing work Panini.

  91. I think the metal cards and the film cards are very creative I would never picture a film strip on a card or cards made of medal. I also like the autographs with jersey patches but you should try swatches that would be cool.

  92. Great looking products. I like the jersey/team short print idea a lot. Wish that the die cuts in signatures had more of a design to the cut. I’m a big fan of the base card design in signatures. Thanks for the contest

  93. Your products continue to amaze me . I am a huge fan of the Film Cut signature cards in Signature basketball as I have never seen anything as unique as that. The base auto cards are a little boring as I am not a fan of mostly a white card or background but others seem to think there incredible. As for Gold Standard Basketball, that product is superior to all your products. I can never get enough of any Gold Standard products and am drooling as we speak. Thanks again !

  94. Really like the look of the Gold Standard. The designs just ‘pop’ for some reason, especially the metal cards. And a Peja auto! Sweet!

  95. The Gold Standard cards look amazing. The inclusion of metal cards is a nice touch, especially considering the varied numbering. They remind me of some of the cards from the late 90’s. And as for the Signatures, the film card made my jaw drop. They look RIDICULOUS. As always, I would love to win, but congrats to all winners and thanks for the contest.

  96. I really liked the Thomas on the Gold Standard. They are very nice, sharp looking cards. I really like the photography. The Sigs are absolutely gorgeous. The 3/5 was a beauty. Would love to break either box.

  97. Both products looked amazing, couldn’t pick a favorite from the two.
    Gold standard as the cool metal cards and the Signatures with those film cards (Jonassss, lets go Toronto)

    Job well done again

    P.S::: 2 PAC Shakur

  98. Gold Standard cards look sick….. Really want to put together the Black gold set. Signatures surprised me. The film slides cards are awesome, especially with the added Kobe packs. Awesome job.

  99. GOLD STANDARD
    Gold Standard has really great classy design, from packaging up to the cards, really great design. It makes me want to make a set of the base cards. The variation of the uniform is really a great idea. And yeah the metal cards, wonderful. This is one of the cards to chase for, especially for the rookies. The card also looks robust; it is the right card quality for a high end product like the Gold Standard. The only downside for this card I think is having some of them still in stickers. High end products should be on card, it’s more personal if it is on card. I would suggest that they should add some variation for the metal cards, Like a parallel, put a silver/platinum/titanium. All in all, great great design.

    Panini Signatures
    Classic Design, I really love the on card autos. The auto on top of the white/gray background is really bold and clear. Wow! Another thing, these cards were low numbered, right this packs a punch, its loaded. But one of the quality that I really love about this pack is the die cuts. That was really an extravagant design. Clean card with a clear auto and a Die cut. Absolutely a winner! the colored area(Players action picture and the grayscale area is really a great combination. Plus Auto + die cut + FIlm) Woohoo!

  100. Really great job on both products love the way they look.
    Gold Standard: I really like how you guys made the number of teams a player has played for factor into the number of cards it just makes everything very unique. I also thought you could’ve maybe made the player action poses of the front of the metal card in color that would’ve been pretty cool.
    Signatures: I like that the card numbers are all around pretty low and the different varieties the cards come in. I also thought maybe there should’ve been a little more color on the cards just a little too much white for me.
    Overall they look great keep up the good work.

  101. Hey Tracy, thanks for the video! I enjoy watching box breaks as usual. I don’t think my comment went through but I wanted to make sure you guys got my feedback too! I believe if us the collectors can give input on our thoughts in products, its a double win for the collector and the company as we can both end up with something we like.

    What I like about Gold Standard: Truthfully my favorite product ever since it was introduced (but Prizm/Select is a competitor now lol), I like the Gold colored theme and feel to it. This year adding the metal cards are nice. I’m glad that consideration was taken by adding the plastic covers on it to make sure it doesn’t scratch. I also selectively like how Nash has a Mavericks variation in the base! I’m having a hard time locating them though, must be short print lol, trying to get my hands on one. Aside from that, the video with the Pistol Pete making card was really cool. The best part about this year’s GS has to be the On-card auto of the majority of the cards it seems, and the metal cards.

    For Signatures, I’m not a huge fan of the design (seems too little color compared to other releases) but I like the film cards, mostly because it reminds of the Film cell cards you can get for other cards (like movie/entertainment cards). It’s a nice touch, and I’m glad that a good bit of the Signatures autos were on card, but the placement of some of the sticker autos is questionable. But it’s definitely great how some of the boxes are promising 5 cards too instead of 4. (That 1/1 King James pull is still crazy! lol)

    That being said, GS rates above Signatures for me. If Signatures could bring a little more color in a different way than the rectangle of the player at the bottom, I think it would be better (similar to a Contenders auto release but on-card instead of sticker). Two pictures of the player on one card seems really crowded.

  102. Gold Standard is one of the iconic Panini products, and it is a perfect product for the iconic Pistol Pete Prime Patchs. I also like the increased Bullion Brand tags in this product giving us more opportunities to hit some nice tags, and the variation player cards are a cool addition to the hobby. The metal cards are awesome and one metal card per box is great but numbering the cards to more than 1/1 or putting some autos or even patches on the metal cards would make them even more collectible next year! Overall, little bit of last year mixed with some new designs makes this a solid product. (Ideas: Make collecting this product like a Gold Rush with parts of a card to complete a larger image, Team Features: Golden State Warriors, Purple and Gold – Lakers, Golden Nuggets)

    The Signatures product is a cool, and upgrade of Momentum. The reel cards are definitely the highlight of this product and I can’t wait to get one. I also enjoy the concept of chase cards. As for improvement, the low numbered cards are cool but more variety would be nice like different die cuts or maybe special inscriptions like signature dishes or signature moves.

    Also, I’d like to see some pulls that have opportunities for meet and greet with players or experiences.

  103. Gold Standard cards are beautiful. I really like the jumbo memorabilia swatches. I don’t like the variations on certain base cards. This is a high-end set. You don’t need to split the print run of some of the cards like this.
    Signatures appears to offer great value, and I’m impressed with what I see of the possible autographs. However, the base card design for non-rookie current players is downright ugly. The skinny color picture to the side of a large white background with a black and white picture looks ridiculous – and not in a good way.

  104. Gold Standard
    The good
    – love the look of the base cards
    – base card variations are a fun chase
    – the black gold patches are just stunning
    – solid gold cards really help drive people to bust boxes
    – metal cards are cool
    – bullion tags are nice
    – just love the look of all the inserts and cards.. love the gold glossy look
    – overall, just a lot of sets to chase and its by far my most favourite product to date (NT may change that)

    The bad
    – sticker autos
    – not bad, but the actual cards with gold in them aren’t that appealing to me.. maybe do something where the nba logoman or team logo is in gold.. make them rare, but not 1/1 unless its the logoman
    – undecided if i think the metal cards should be one per box or not, i would have probably liked them more if they were more rare (and auto versions would be super cool)

    Signatures
    The good
    – love the different colour of the writing for each variation.. like really really love that
    – love die cuts, wish there was a base parallel instead of just auto parallels
    – great to see penny in an orlando jersey
    – great design
    – awesome cards when the auto is on card
    – film set is cool

    The bad
    – I dont think the box offers great value
    – not a lot of variation in the sets, not much to chase
    – sticker autos hurt such a beautiful design
    – dont like the number of variations for each player.. not fun for a player collector
    – green /5 parallel should be reserved for some products
    – didnt like the film set parallels.. seemed like a set that didnt need parallels
    – overall, I think this is one of the weaker products in the line up…. didnt like the configuration.. the experience of opening this product just isnt fun enough with limited variety

    thanks for the contest though!

  105. Never busted any Gold Standard in my life. The images are always incredible. The product straight up glistens. I would do anything just to be able to tough the outside of a box of it lol.

    I like the memorabilia actually in the product. The way the cards are designed and shine they take even a single color swatch and have it jump out at you. Just simply amazing.

    And the chance to pull actually GOOOOLLLD in a card..just sick

  106. Gold Standard:

    + Metal cards
    + 1 Printing plate per box
    + Nice gold design
    + Team variations of the players
    + Nice design of the box

    – Use a different design for the parallels, it looks a lot like the base cards now.

    Signatures:

    + Film cards!!
    + Low numbered cards
    + Nice design

    To be honest I don’t have a real negative point about this set. If I have to come up with one I would say the sticker autographs…

    Overall, I really like both of the boxes and especially the Gold standard cards!

    Thanks for the contest!

    Greetings from the Netherlands!

  107. Really like the gold cards in Gold Standard, Classy, simple and like Auric Goldfinger said…”Heavy”
    The signatures looks awesome. The base cards seem very stylish and there are a lot of nice sigs, too.
    But national treasures… WOW.

  108. This years Gold Standard is probably the best yet, I opened a box couple days ago at my Local Hobby Shop, and let me tell you the Metal Cards are definitely the standout of the box, there amazing in person absolutely beautiful cards and the way they feel, No matter what sport you collect I definitely recommend having one of these cards in your collection. As Usual I also really like the relic autographs, I like autograph cards and I like relic cards but I love autograph relic cards whether its a patch autograph or even a jersey card I think it makes the card a lot cooler. Honestly, I don’t think you have to improve anything, but if you could I would add more veterans and current stars autographs. In todays collecting some people ONLY collect one person whether that being Kobe Bryant or Kyrie Erving they all want some big cards in there on average per case. Or possibly even to a higher level ide say add Gold Standard Baseball. I collect 90% baseball and I would love to see a Gold Standard baseball. I think that would be an instant hit.

    This years Prime Signatures is a new product and personally I havnt opened a box, however I have seen a box get opened at my card shop, and lots get opened on youtube by Chris, the Hobby Box Owner. I really like two different things about prime signatures this year. One being that every box is guaranteed a veteran/current star/etc autograph really makes it a better product I think because some boxes those are the cards that stand out. Another thing I like is as seen in the video, is all the different variations of autographs, example 3 autographs 1 numbered to 25, 1 numbered to 50, and another numbered to 5 or 10. To me as a collector that makes the card better and a lot cooler, knowing that only you and 9 or 4 other people have this card. If you could improve anything I would definitely say add some chase cards or even on average case hits. Such as dual, triple, or even quad autograph cards. Possibly even add redemptions for 8 way autograph booklets with different variations such as “Rookies” “Current Stars” and ofcourse “Hall of Famers”. If case hits like those were in this product it would give people more of a reason to open the product, like when they are opening the product they say “Im really looking for one of the triple autographs” just something like that.

    As usual, Thank You VERY VERY much, Tracy and Panini.

  109. Gold Standard-
    The Gold Standard seems like a very solid product and, like its name infers, it is sure to be as sought after as gold, but on the other hand, the product is also just standard and seems to run of the mill.

    Signatures-
    WOW! This product seems incredible. The autos look amazing and the film cards are easily one of the most interesting inserts in any product ever. Although it is out of my price range this is easily the coolest product I have seen for at least a year.

  110. its impossible to find basketball of any sort in my town. would love just one basketball auto to add to my collection. those signatues and gold standard are the best looking basketball I ever seen. the cell card is one of the coolest things I ever seen

  111. I know you guys are busy with the National Convention, but when can we expect to find out about the winners?

      1. It’s no big deal a lot of other products and panini events seemed to follow this! We are happy following all the other things that are keeping you busy! Thanks for the update Tracy!

  112. These two products are incredible this year!! For gold standard. I loved the metal cards. Such a great design. For signatures…. Wow what can I say. Simply an unreal product with the film cards. Amazing job guys keep it up!!

  113. I love these two products!!! I love how in gold standard you are guaranteed one printing plate and metal card per box. For signatures, wow just wow!!!!! It is amazing with all of the sick cards you can get like film cards! Good job panini

  114. First, I’ll start by saying a huge “I’M SORRY FOR BEING SO LATE WITH THE WINNERS.” Being on the road with so much going on caught up with me. So again, my apologies. Having said that, thanks a ton for the great feedback. Congrats to our winners this time around: Richard Sandanam, Nate Goleman, Martins and Ross. We’ll be in touch to get your addresses. Thanks again.

    1. Congratulations for the winners!

      By the way, isn’t it only 4 winners? You wrote at the end of the entry: “we’ll select five winning commenters to award some boxes to” 🙂

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