Box Review: 2012 Panini Preferred Basketball

Panini's 2012 Preferred basketball went live last Tuesday as the second hoops release this years from the company. Panini is touting Preferred as a high-end product that combines previously successful designs like Crown Royale, Donruss Signatures, Panini's Choice (formerly Cramer's Choice) and my favorite Silhouettes. I checkout all the press releases for upcoming products months before they go live, and every once and a while I get excited for a product to come out just like I did with Preferred. Luckily for me, Panini was nice enough to send me a box for review. So a big thanks goes out to Panini and The Knight's Lance. Now for all the fun.

Each $200 box contains four individually wrapped cards. I know that four cards for $200 seems steep, but you can see the prices for singles on eBay justify that $200 price tag. Also important to note about these four card boxes is that each card is either an auto or jersey booklet. So every card is a hit. Here is everything else you need to know about Preferred:

• - Every autograph will be limited to a print run of 99 or less
• - Tons of on-card auto's
• - 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

You can see the cards I pulled in the box of Preferred I opened. The Walton is the gem for me. I love collecting cards of legends like Walton and it's a pretty limited at 04/15. The foiling on the Panini's Choice cards really shines and adds a level richness to the product. Also, the on-card auto's really pop off the cards against the white background where the signatures are located. The jersey booklet is nice as well. I love the themes of these booklet cards. You really can't go wrong with a Slam Dunk theme in a basketball trading card, especially when you have the likes of Dr. J, Dominique Wilkins, Blake Griffin and Larry Johnson featured. The only gripe I have with my box break is the Patrick Paterson. Admittedly, I don't collect Patterson, but my grip is less to do with the player and more to do with the design. Where it looks like the Panini team nailed it with every other card in this product, these preferred signatures just lack the effort or higher standard of the other lines in Preferred. It's almost like the Preferred Signatures don't even belong in the product. I know some of the cards are on-card autos for certain players like Kevin Durant, and maybe that would make a difference, but the Preferred Signatures just don't make the grade compared to an otherwise flawless product.

THE VERDICT: Aside from the Preferred Signatures, Panini hit a home run on this one, or should I say slam dunk. The Silhouettes and Panini's Choice are amazing. The on-card auto's are great and the list of current NBA superstars and legends is more than extensive. If you are a collector who is looking for hits, than this is the product for you. Let me know what you think.

Thanks for reading and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Bill Walton 1978 Dell Flip Book

(Front)

Here's a neat little item I picked up several months ago for around $6.00. It's a 1978 Dell action flip book of basketball legend Bill Walton. Notice that the original price for this collectible was only $.50. Even for back in the late 70's I think that was a good deal.

This really is a fun little gem in my collection. I love the look and colors on the front of the book. It's not terribly big. It's made to fit comfortably in ones hand so as to be able to flip the pages quickly to reveal "The Big Red head" throwing one of his renown outlet passes. It's really like a mini 10 sec motion image. Remember folks, this is before video games became big and the internet ruled the world. This pretty good stuff for '78.

The back of the book shows some of the other flip books of NBA greats like Dr. J and Kareem. I wouldn't mind adding the "Pistol" Pete flip book to my collection, but I haven't come across a reasonably priced one yet. There is one for sale on eBay (click here), but that is definitely outside of my price range for that item. Here's a current Buy It Now eBay auction for a 1978 Dell flip book of Bill Walton (click here). Out of the six players shown on the back of the flip book below, which would you most like to add to your collection?

(Back)

Which Notable Nickname Would You Want?

Panini's upcoming National Treasures Basketball product will be released August 4th and features some really great looking cards. This'll be Panini's most highend basketball product to date with a $400 price tag. That $400 dollars does not give you much in quantity, but from the looks of the press released images, it will get you plenty of quality. Actually, each box will contain six auto'd and/or memorabilia cards, one insert or rookie card and one less than 99 serial numbered cards in every box.

As of July 13th, Panini has posted 33 images on their Facebook Page of cards that will be included in the National Treasures product. Every card features either an on-card auto, inscription auto, massive multi-colored jersey patch or some awesome combination of auto and patch. It looks like there are some great cards to be had for sure, but I'm really excited for the Notable Nicknames inscription cards. These look great and feature some of the greatest players in NBA history. So the Notable Nicknames cards look great, but which card would you want to add to your collection and maybe more importantly, which nickname would you want to have? Here are your choices:

The "Iceman" was the master of the finger roll during the 70's and 80's. He was also a dangerous offensive player and was really the first star for a fledgling San Antonio Spurs franchise. No doubt, this would be a nice addition to anyones collection and there aren't too many nicknames cooler than "Iceman".

"Mr. Clutch", there really isn't a better nickname for a basketball player that wants to be known for winning and knocking down big shots, but the truth is that Jerry West actually only won one NBA Title. With a nickname like that, you would think "The Logo" would've won a few more titles. Actually, I like "The Logo" nickname even better. I have Mr. West in my all-time top 10 players of NBA and basketball history. He's truly a legend and an inscription auto'd card of his would be the centerpiece of many collectors collections.

Here's my vote for the card I would want out of the set if I had to pick one, and the same goes for the nickname. I love Dominique Wilkins cards. There're so many great inserts of Wilkins from the 90's and great recent auto's (click here). "The Human Highlight Film" certainly earned his name. I don't know of any other NBA players that had as many great in-game dunks as Wilkins (click here). This is a great looking card. The auto and inscription are awesome, but don't overlook Wilkins' classic 80's hightop fade haircut.

Although brief with glimpses of greatness, "The Big Redhead's" place in basketball history is secure. From his time at UCLA to his time as an NBA anaylist, Bill Walton's influence on the game can be felt throughout. This is a really cool inscription.

I really like that Dominique Wilkins card, but this Clyde "The Glide" Drexler card would be my second choice. It's just a fantastic card of an all-time great. I love that Panini used an older picture of Drexler from his time with the Portland Trailblazers. He won an NBA Title with the Houston Rockets, but he became "The Glide" in Portland. If you need a little refresher of when Drexler ruled the Great Northwest skies, (click here).

So there you go. My pick form out of the five cards and nicknames is both Dominique Wilkins. I love the card and "Human Highlight Film" nickname, but I don't think you can go wrong with any of the choices. So which card would you most like to add to your collection and witch is your favorite nickname?