Idiots guide to NBA Trading Cards?

ChrisQ

ChrisQ

OzCardTrader
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Hey guys,

Absolute NBA trading card novice here - please be gentle.

Just wondering if there is a bit of a breakdown of the NBA releases out there by each brand and then each release.

Haven't really bought any NBA trading cards since the mid 90's and looking at what is out there right now, I'm terribly confused. There seem to be so many releases per season - is there any different between each release?

For example this is what is currently out there from Panini..

Crusades
Pinnacle
Elite
Titanium
Gold Standards
Prestige
Hoops
Prizm
Totally Certified
Timeless Treasures

I'm so confused!

Also it seems that Panini is the number one brand out there now - what happened to Upper Deck and some of the other big mid 90's brands?

I've always loved the idea of NBA trading cards - but each release just seems so massive, have no idea where to start!

Any tips/info would be greatly appreciated.
 
Panini outbid UD last time the license was up for grabs... Stern decided its best to lump all eggs in one basket and have 1 brand produce everything.

You can use both Beckett.com or Cardboard Connection to look and the sets checklists (click the titles to be taken directly there). I find CC easier when looking at a whole product, but beckett when you want a breakdown.
 
Hi Chris,

A couple of things worth Knowing about the 2 major brands is the following

Panini is the only company where you can find the following
- Official licensed cards featuring NBA uniforms in the pictures used
- All the new Rookie autographed cards (excluding the occasional rookie snapped up by other card producers) Lillard was signed by Leaf but Panini eventually found a way to release Lillard auto's in certain products

Upper Deck is the only company where you can find Lebron James and Michael Jordan autographed cards inside products
Sadly they are only in college and high school ball uniforms
 
What the other guys have said is correct and good to know, but also remember to keep a few other, more generic things, in mind:

  • Don't be afraid to ask questions on here about ANYTHING card related! Some people in the hobby are idiots, but they are very few and far between on Ozcards. Most people here will be more than willing to help, no matter how "noob" the question is
  • The BEST cards that are being produced these days are ones that include Spurs players on them. It is an unfair advantage, I know, but they can't help being the greatest...... chokers
  • Don't trust anyone on the internet with your money! Always pay using paypal GOODS payment so if you get scammed, you can recover your money
  • Do your research first. There are a lot of people trying to take advantage of new collectors by advertising cards at inflated prices or selling fake autos/patches.
  • Don't listen to a word Bainy says because, while he won't admit it, he is semi delusional and pretends to be a decent guy, then smacks you in the face with reality a few weeks later!
  • Think about what YOU like and what you want to collect. It is very easy to get lost i the amount of different products available and you can easily find yourself collecting as many different sets as @silvertapoutstar in no time at all!
Most importantly, just stick to whatever it is that caused you to like NBA cards in the first place, whether it is rare autographs or full sets of cheap inserts like back in the 90s. Either way, this is the best forum to do it on!!

/end rambling!

disclaimer - some of the above points may not actually be true but were formed by my own biased opinions. Hopefully it is not too difficult to work out which ones! ;)
 
drob50 said:
What the other guys have said is correct and good to know, but also remember to keep a few other, more generic things, in mind:

  • Don't be afraid to ask questions on here about ANYTHING card related! Some people in the hobby are idiots, but they are very few and far between on Ozcards. Most people here will be more than willing to help, no matter how "noob" the question is
  • The BEST cards that are being produced these days are ones that include Spurs players on them. It is an unfair advantage, I know, but they can't help being the greatest...... chokers
  • Don't trust anyone on the internet with your money! Always pay using paypal GOODS payment so if you get scammed, you can recover your money
  • Do your research first. There are a lot of people trying to take advantage of new collectors by advertising cards at inflated prices or selling fake autos/patches.
  • Don't listen to a word Bainy says because, while he won't admit it, he is semi delusional and pretends to be a decent guy, then smacks you in the face with reality a few weeks later!
  • Think about what YOU like and what you want to collect. It is very easy to get lost i the amount of different products available and you can easily find yourself collecting as many different sets as @silvertapoutstar in no time at all!
Most importantly, just stick to whatever it is that caused you to like NBA cards in the first place, whether it is rare autographs or full sets of cheap inserts like back in the 90s. Either way, this is the best forum to do it on!!

/end rambling!

disclaimer - some of the above points may not actually be true but were formed by my own biased opinions. Hopefully it is not too difficult to work out which ones! ;)
Click to expand...
You really should wear a mask when using that PVC glue Adam
 
Technically, panini didn't outbid anyone at the last contract negotation. The NBA put together complete package they wanted - upper deck and skybox cried poormouth and Panini had the money and wherewithall to meet the NBA's international marketing criteria. Skybox went bankrupt in 2000 and were complete bought out by fleer. Fleer went bankrupt in 2005 and UD purchased their license in sept. 2005. While upper deck has gone strictly college, Topps has decided to stay away all together.
 
silvertapoutstar said:
I really don't mind panini they just need to cut back on so many scub autos and these stupid /1 /5 /10 /15 /20 /49 /99 of the same card geez come on...
Click to expand...
Agreed. I'd like to see less autos in general. These days when you bust even a cheap product you can almost throw 2 or 3 autos straight in the bin. Would be cool if only allstar calibre players and maybe the top 5 draft picks had autos and they were harder to find. And instead of the rainbows (199/49/10/1 etc) it would be cool if they had different designs for each so there was literally only 1 of the "1 of 1" design. Then whoever got it would be the only person who even knows what it looks like. A different colour doesn't cut if for me, i have a tough time caring that it says "/10" on it as opposed to "/199" aside from being told it's worth more.
 
Fleer57 said:
Agreed. I'd like to see less autos in general. These days when you bust even a cheap product you can almost throw 2 or 3 autos straight in the bin. Would be cool if only allstar calibre players and maybe the top 5 draft picks had autos and they were harder to find. And instead of the rainbows (199/49/10/1 etc) it would be cool if they had different designs for each so there was literally only 1 of the "1 of 1" design. Then whoever got it would be the only person who even knows what it looks like. A different colour doesn't cut if for me, i have a tough time caring that it says "/10" on it as opposed to "/199" aside from being told it's worth more.
Click to expand...

I think you make a good point here in regards to rainbows. However I think there are two kinds, 1 being a waste and the other fulfilling a need.

1) National Treasures 11v12 set with autos /99, /49, /25, /10 and the only difference being the Colour of the NT logo stamped in Silver, Green, Bronze or Gold. All are sticker autos, and off the press all are identical until this final finishing stage.
2) Prizm or Crusade rainbows where the point of it is to actually put together and hunt down the various Colour parallels of the card.
 
I love how panini makes it almost impossible to complete some sets making a few short print to /15 or /10 or super short print to /5 or /1. Silhouette's being a perfect example of this.
 
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