Back in 2010, Panini put out Crown Royale Football, which contained the first of what has become a staple in all of the sports they produce. These die cut silhouette autograph cards are some of the best cards that Panini produces, with few major exceptions, and they have taken on a life of their own in Basketball
. I was literally shocked at how cool of an idea this was.
Although Crown Royale is not its own product, Basketball collectors have embraced the fluid and beautiful design. Coupled with on card autographs and huge swatches, its easy to see why collectors love these cards. They have been getting prices usually reserved for Exquisite patch autos, and that is saying something.
Check out these RIDICULOUS PRICES:
2013 Panini Preferred Anthony Davis Prime Silhouette Auto /25
2013 Panini Preferred Kyrie Irving Silhouette Auto /99
2013 Panini Preferred Bradley Beal Prime Silhouette Auto /25
2013 Panini Preferred Harrison Barnes Prime Silhouette Auto /25 – Ill be honest, never heard of this guy, and look at the price.
2013 Panini Preferred Andre Drummond Prime Silhouette Auto /25 – Again, no idea who this guy is, and it got a crazy price.
2013 Panini Preferred Tobias Harris Silhouette Prime Auto /25 – Craziest of the bunch, sold for more than an Andrew Luck 1/1.
In 2010 and 2011 Crown Royale football, I raved about these cards, especially when they added beautiful hard signed autographs to the mix. Panini Preferred adopted the idea in their sets, and the high end focused market in basketball LOVED them – reaching humongous prices for the patch versions. Even the players you wouldnt expect get a ton of money
.
When 2012 Crown Royale football was previewed, I couldnt wait to see how the cards would change for the biggest rookie class in decades. To say I was disappointed with the horrid design is like saying Justin Bieber is only KIND of a douche. The fluid design was replaced with compartmentalized pictures and ugly colored foil embellishments, with a giant white box for the autographs. Before, the autographs were a compliment to the silhouetted picture, but these autographs might as well have been a sticker
. They were THAT hideous.
Panini still hasnt made the most of their basketball license in my opinion, even in the slightest. With the money they are spending for the exclusive rights, its pretty sad that many collectors would much rather bust one of Upper Deck’s college products. It seems very clear that Panini doesnt understand what Basketball collectors thrive on, and cards like these silhouettes prove the situation. More products should be done with huge patches and great designs, and so far, Panini has vastly underwhelmed.
Maybe this is the future, maybe its just a fluke as usual with Panini’s stuff.
Harrison Barnes has been somewhat of an “under-the-radar” rookie for Golden State this year. He has had a few good 20+ point performances during the regular season, but ended up averaging under 10 pts./game for the season.
However, he has caught on fire during the playoffs (had 26 points the other night) and has only gotten better over the course of the season.
I still wouldn’t consider dropping the sums of money people are dropping on these silhoutte cards, no matter who the rookie is. I would rather get much more for my money. Nice looking cards, though. Panini gets something right every now and then.
Agggh I really do not want to sound like a douche but here goes. Harrison Barnes was the number HS player in the country, went to one of the best programs(UNC) in the country, has played well in the playoffs, and was a top ten pick in the draft. Drummond is somewhat more understandable to be surprised but was a decent rookie, top ten pick in the draft, and went to another well known college (UConn) . These guys are not scrubs that came out of nowhere, they are the basketball equivalent to Trent Richardson and Justin Blackmon.
I dont really follow basketball or cards as it seems panini has a new product out every 4 days.
Its interesting that the $$ are for what seems like an insert. Are the jerseys game used? At least people are buying the singles they like even if the boxes dont reallly appreciate..
These are nice looking cards and selling well. I may get a box this weekend. Thanks
Although Panini has the NBA exclusive, they do not put out a product every 4 days. More like every 2-4 weeks. And they are terrible at releasing products right at or after draft time.
They always release Hoops Basketball (arguably their shittiest product) at the beginning of every NBA season/post draft.
Then they follow it up with other products of varying crappiness only to end the season with their best product 10 months later, National Treasures.
Prizm and Select were pretty nice due to the lack of Topps Chrome in basketball, but everything else has been pretty lame.
These Silhouette cards are nice, but I’d rather not have to drop $200 a box for a chance to get one.
Nice to see a sport where a big hit can actually pay off. Might have to switch to basketball…