A Pictorial Salute to the Men, Women, Kids and Pets of #PaniniWildCard (Gallery)

June 29, 2013

2013 NBA NHL Panini Wild Card Main

Thanks to one of the greatest NBA Finals ever played and one of the most frenetic, improbable finishes to a Stanley Cup Finals we’ve ever seen, Panini America’s Twitter sensation known as #PaniniWildCard enjoyed a passion-fueled two-week run that featured seemingly as many thrills, emotions and memories as the respective Finals themselves.

The collector-centric #PaniniWildCard initiative that began during the 2012 NFL Playoffs took on a life of its own during the last two weeks as collectors from across the globe answered every last one of our Twitter challenges with the unmatched creativity and fun that make Panini America collectors the greatest on the planet.

Over the course of 13 riveting playoff games, we asked collectors to Tweet us pics of them with their favorite Panini America cards. We asked them to Tweet us pics incorporating the most creative use of Panini America cards. We even asked collectors to Tweet us their wildest pics using Panini America cards. As a result of supreme collector participation, we gave out more than 80 boxes of Panini America NBA and NHL trading cards during the most recent #PaniniWildCard run.

But perhaps more importantly, we got a front-row seat to witness the pure greatness of Panini America fans and collectors. And if you don’t believe that to be true, the following 170 or so images — our pictorial tribute to the men, women, children and pets of #PaniniWildCard — and one absolutely tremendous video entry from a tireless Panini America fan in Hungary should provide irrefutable evidence.

Thanks to EVERYONE who participated. We’re already looking forward to our next #PaniniWildCard opportunity.