Panini America Provides a Revealing Look at 2015-16 NBA Hoops Basketball Retail
For many retail-minded basketball collectors, the release earlier this week of 2015-16 NBA Hoops Basketball to the hobby channel can mean only one thing: The retail version can't be far behind. In fact, it should be in most retail locations in the next week to 10 days. To help prepare collectors for some of the retail-exclusive components they can expect…
A Glance Inside Panini America’s Upcoming Louisiana State University Card Set
Panini America is reuniting some of the greatest athletes in LSU Tigers history for the company’s upcoming 2015 Louisiana State University trading card set that’s slated to ship to retailers later this month. The unique set features 80 base cards honoring the school’s most decorated athletes, alumni, athletic structures and traditions. The 80-card base set features Silver, Gold (numbered to 25)…
Gallery: Panini America Breaks Early Boxes of 2014-15 National Treasures Basketball
When it comes to the highly anticipated 2014-15 National Treasures Basketball, you've been privy to quite a bit of pre-release material so far. You've seen the results of the early Sneak Peek case that was broken live during the 2015 National Sports Collectors Convention in Chicago. You've seen the earliest on-card autograph returns. And you've seen some of the choice…
Sole Survivor: Panini America’s ‘Sneak Peek’ Insert Returning to Immaculate Basketball
If you follow Panini America on Twitter, Facebook or Instagram, the post you're about to read may indeed be old news by now. But even if you already know that we're bringing back the revolutionary Sneak Peek game-worn NBA shoe insert to 2014-15 Immaculate Basketball, there's still something new -- and quite spectacular -- for you to see in the…
Panini America Celebrates Game’s Signature Voices in 2014-15 Threads Basketball
For any number of compelling reasons both audible and inaudible, basketball's most resounding voices have fashioned fan followings every bit as passionate and plentiful as the players whose games they analyze, announce, critique and broadcast. The acerbic wit of Ernie Johnson. The ear-thrashing volume of Craig Sager's jackets. The hyper-hyped excitement of Dick Vitale. The been-there-done-that expertise -- and occasional…
Panini America Goes Card by Card Through a Case of 2014-15 Gold Standard Basketball
Panini America officials are conducting the company's annual distributor meeting this week, which just so happens to coincide perfectly with 2014-15 Gold Standard Basketball packing out. So instead of the normal Quality Control process, Panini America's Basketball Product Development Team is getting a little QC cooperation from the top sports card distributors in North America while they're in town. Later…
Shoe-In for Set of the Year: A Master Gallery of Immaculate Basketball’s Sneak Peek
The revolutionary Sneak Peek insert randomly inserted into Panini America's 2013-14 Immaculate Basketball has been one of the most talked-about insert sets in recent trading card history -- and for good reason. The idea of deconstructing some of the most spectacular game-worn sneakers in NBA history and incorporating them into trading cards is a shoo-in (no, make that "shoe-in") for…
Inside Immaculate: Panini America Surveys More from 2013-14 Immaculate Basketball
As if collector anticipation for 2013-14 Immaculate Basketball wasn't heightened enough after this Tuesday's world-premiere unveiling of the product's revolutionary Sneak Peek insert, we're likely about to raise the interest level just a little bit more. In the gallery that follows, we deliver a new series of drool-inducing imagery, the remaining results of our trip last week to the Panini…
Out of the Box: Panini America’s Sneak Peek Insert Gives Game-Worn Kicks a New Home
If the shoe fits, you don't always wear it. Sometimes when the shoe fits -- even barely -- you make history with it. And when the shoes that barely fit also happen to have been worn by iconic NBA superstars in a game, well, you create something the likes of which card collectors have never seen -- and you shout…
Inside NT: Panini America Begins Exploring 2013-14 National Treasures Basketball
If you thought last week's one-case preview break of 2013-14 National Treasures Basketball with Layton Sports Cards live from the floor of the 2014 National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland was spectacular, well, you'd be right. But just wait until you see what kind of sneak-peek pyrotechnics we have in store for you here on The Knight's Lance in the coming days.…