From Black Friday to Father’s Day: Enjoying Joe Alaimo’s Panini America Collection
When Rhode Island collector Joe Alaimo first contacted us about his collection of Panini America promotional sets (such as the 2011 and 2012 Black Friday, 2012 Father's Day and 2012 National Sports Collectors Convention sets), his approach was a rather humble one. "Since I read your blog all the time, I figured that you might want to take a look at…
Rare Inserts in ’12-13 Contenders Basketball Gaining Secondary-Market Steam
There are no autographs on them, no massive swatches of multicolored memorabilia in them and no tell-tale sequential numbering behind them. Simply, they're nicely designed base inserts with cool photography and subtle foil touches. But after a few weeks of 2012-13 Contenders Basketball being on the market, it would appear that hoops collectors across the country are finally starting to realize…
Panini America Sheds Light on Short Prints within 2012 Golden Age Baseball Release
Panini America officials on Monday provided some key insight into the many short prints and variations randomly seeded into 2012 Golden Age Baseball, including information on the set's mysterious "white-border" inclusions. The product, live now for roughly two weeks, has resonated with several types of collectors thanks to an eclectic checklist and a unique makeup that includes baseball legends, pop-culture…
PPI Playoff Edition: Panini America Checks Soaring Card Values of Top NFL Rookies
There's no question the 2012 NFL Season has been one of the more memorable seasons from a rookie perspective. Many in the media have coined 2012 as "The Year of the Rookie Quarterback." At Panini America, we think a little differently. On the heels of kickoff to the NFL Playoffs this weekend, we present to you a very special edition…
Midas Touch: Collector Doug Felber Strikes Vintage Gold in 2012 Golden Age Baseball
Nebraska collector Doug Felber turned 62 yesterday. But his birthday card -- hand-picked by Felber himself -- actually arrived days before, on Christmas eve inside Sports Center Cards & Collectibles in Omaha. That's when Felber experienced nothing less than the pull of a lifetime from a box of Panini America's 2012 Golden Age Baseball. Admittedly, Felber nearly fell off his…
On Fire: Damian Lillard’s Officially Licensed NBA Rookie Cards from Panini America
In its purest form, a player's Rookie Card marks a special moment in his professional career. In most cases, it represents a transition from amateur to professional sports, and highlights the first available trading cards of draft picks and rookie free agents in their team uniforms. There's a host of reasons why a player's official Rookie Cards are important. Most…
Pop-Up Home Run: Throwback Insert Adds Power to 2012 Golden Age Baseball
There are days inside Panini America HQ when I tend to forget that I have a job to do and I spend way too much time wandering around the office in amazement, a still-awestruck collector basking in the brilliance of the day-to-day business that engulfs me. Yesterday was one of those days. I was back in the Product Development area…
Panini America Highlights Two Super-Rare Legends in 2012 Cooperstown Baseball
When it comes to relative scarcity in the modern sports card arena, certain cards rank as tough pulls, others are tougher still and a precious few are so needle-in-a-haystack rare that they seem to be nothing more than rumors. Two special cards in Panini America's recently released 2012 Cooperstown Baseball fall into that last category. These previously unannounced inclusions honoring…
Big-Dollar Sales of Vin Scully, Black Friday, NBA Shine in New Panini America PPI
Regardless of whether you collect trading cards for the love of the hobby or as an investment, there's no denying the thrill of uncovering a valuable trading card. In our attempt to keep you abreast of hot-selling Panini America trading cards raising brows on the secondary market, we offer you this special edition of the Panini Price Index. In this edition…
Panini America’s Election-Night Coverage of 2012-13 Contenders Basketball (Preview)
Hey, let's be honest: We all can use at least a little break from tonight's wall-to-wall, budget-busting coverage of the 2012 presidential election that's likely dominating any television you're watching. To that end, we thought right now provided us the perfect opportunity to separate the pretenders from the contenders (or at least shed a little light on an all-new Contenders).…