NBA Trading Cards are Back! Panini Peeks the Unique 2011 Preferred Basketball Set

Basketball fans will get the best gift of all this Christmas when the 2011-12 NBA season officially tips off with a festive five-game gala headlined by Miami at Dallas, Boston at New York and Chicago at the Lakers. At long last, basketball is back. And basketball collecting is right behind it.

Basketball fans will get the best gift of all this Christmas when the 2011-12 NBA season officially tips off with a festive five-game gala headlined by Miami at Dallas, Boston at New York and Chicago at the Lakers. At long last, basketball is back. And basketball collecting is right behind it.

In late February, Panini America will unveil 2011 Preferred Basketball, the first product in a completely revamped line of products set to dazzle fans and collectors who’ve waited longer than normal for new basketball cards.

The unique Preferred promises to be unlike any other product in the Panini America portfolio as it parlays three of the most iconic designs in sports card history — the triangular die-cuts of Panini’s Choice (formerly Cramer’s Choice), the stunning Silhouettes from the Crown Royale brand and the legendary Donruss Signatures — into a first-of-its-kind base set that includes nothing but autograph cards.

In fact, there are no common cards of any kind in the set. Every card produced for 2011 Panini Preferred, including the 270 one-of-one autographs, is either an autograph or a multi-swatch memorabilia booklet card.

Each $200, four-card pack will include three individually blind-wrapped autograph cards and one six- or eight-piece memorabilia booklet card.

Some of the highlights:

  • Every autograph will be limited to a print run of 99 or less
  • The first Panini America autographs of new Clipper Chris Paul
  • 10 Autographed Crown Royale die-cuts will feature retired legends
  • Three distinct autographed Rookie Card designs for each player — Silhouettes, Crown Royale Die-Cuts and Preferred — all   limited to 99 or less
  • Next-level memorabilia cards showcasing never-before-seen player combinations on each booklet

To help get you even more excited for the start of the 2011-12 NBA season (if that’s even possible), enjoy this exclusive first look at 2011 Preferred Basketball. Stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for additional details on the product as they become available.

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29 Replies to “NBA Trading Cards are Back! Panini Peeks the Unique 2011 Preferred Basketball Set”

  1. Ahhh, not sure what I’m waiting for more – the start of the season, or when the cards start coming out. Looks cool, interesting combination of some sets – and it’s good to see some book cards in bball.

  2. The booklet patches look great!

    Question: is that durant a sticker auto?? I thought Kobe, Durant, Blake and Wallie were all on-card…

    Looks GOOOOOD can’t wait!

  3. The lines between trading cards and sports memorabilia have been blurring for years now but Preferred takes this to a new level. At $200 for 4 cards this is definitely not a product for the majority of mainstream NBA fans. You can probably get a decent ticket to an NBA game and get a semi-star (or star if you’re lucky) player to sign a trading card for less money and the memory might just last a lifetime. Interesting product but I’ll pass.

  4. Very interesting concept there. Were all these going to be stand alone products but merged just because of the lockout?

    I do like that the autographs are numbered to 99 or less. That makes pulling some of these autographs quite fun as you know the print runs won’t be too high.

    And of course, the Silhouettes are awesome.

  5. I like the elimination of the plain base card in a high end product. A base set that is all autographed to 99 is pretty sweet.

    Show us a true Kyrie Irving rookie if you get the chance.

  6. I’m glad basketball is back and you guys are making cards again wooooo! Can’t wait for what you guys have in stock in the coming year. Nice previews to this set, looks pretty amazing! Great Job Guys. yeyeye

  7. Really hope the auto checklist wont have any duds!! like those in Elite Black n Gold Std. Paying so much for a high-end product and getting a sticker auto of some duds is like throwing money into the sea.. 🙁

    Do hope Panini will shortlist the auto checklist to include only those top 15 rookies of class 2011, A-list performer, All-stars, Legends and Team/Stat leader. We also dont mind to have those other rookies but hopefully low-numbered.

    And also, Panini, please give us multi auto, with theme like team mates, state leader, legends, draft class, ROY etc.

  8. hey, i hope Larry Hughes will be in at least 1-2 base sets this year, he worked hard to make his way back in the league and i would like to add his cards in the Magic uni to my PC. You guys failed to make any cards of him while he was in Charlotte, granted, he played only a couple games there, but i believeeach player should have at least one official card with every team he has played for. And i mean, we are not talking any scrub here, he still put up 8 points a game for them during that short stint.
    Just letting you know Larry Hughes got still his share of fans and collectors out there, you would be actually pretty surprised, so please at least include him in a few base sets.
    Thank you!

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