NBA

Release Date: September 1, 2010
Configuration: 10 Cards, 24 Packs, 20 Boxes
Pack SRP: $2.99

Box Break:
1 Autograph
2 Memorabilia Cards
22 Insert Cards
240 Cards Per Box!

Product Highlights:
111 On-Card Kobe Bryant Autographs

Find Dual (#’d/99) and Triple (#’d/49)Rookie Autographs

Rookie Challenge Materials – Swatches of Material worn in

All-Star Weekend Rookie Challenge Game (#’d/699 or less)

Christmas Cards feature swatches of Jerseys worn on Christmas Day 2009

More than 1,000 On-Card Autographs updating previous Panini releases from the 2009-10 Season

ARLINGTON, Texas (July 1, 2010) – Panini America (www.paniniamerica.net), a subsidiary of The Panini Group, the leading global publisher of sports and entertainment collectables, announced today that it has entered into an exclusive relationship with Evan Turner, who was the second overall pick in Thursday’s NBA Draft and selected by the Philadelphia 76ers. This partnership with Panini America, the exclusive trading card and sticker licensee of the NBA, marks Turner’s first NBA trading card deal.

The playoffs are underway and there’s no better time to be an NBA fan. In many cases, regular season games seem meaningless until a few minutes left in the 4th quarter. That’s all washed away now and the real ballers take the wannabes to school. What better time to bust a box of your favorite NBA stars past and present? Panini brings the rain with the release of 09-10 Classics. A staple in the Donruss lineup for years, the basketball version should satisfy collectors wanting an all-around look at the stars of the NBA.

From March 1st and March 28th, collectors will have the chance to collect 5 different players every week. Lots of prizes and bonuses for collecting every player.

Find your participating shop.

After a fine showing at the NBA All-Star game where they proudly displayed the largest game-used trading card and introduced their new NBA trading card game – Adrenalyn, Panini is back with another loaded release 09-10 Certified. The 10-pack box contains four big hits and lots and lots of glossy, shiny cardboard. Priced at about $85 per box Certified is a parallel collectors dream set. Its rainbow-colored variants have always been a favorite of collectors and so have the multi-level Fabric of the Game inserts. There are enough variations to make the most level-headed collector crazy – in a good way! The set also contains exclusive Kobe Bryant memorabilia and hard-signed Kobe autographs!

The NBA version of Certified is a 200-card set featuring 150 of today’s best players, 20 retired players and 30 autographed memorabilia rookie cards #’d to 399. In addition to the parallels and Fabric of the Game inserts, there are dual memorabilia cards in the Shirt Off My Back set. There are additional insert series including Gold Team, Certified Champions and Certified Imports.

Parallels, Parallels & More Parallels

Just in time for the holidays, Panini has two new hoops releases for the collector as they continue to make the most of their NBA license acquisition. Donruss Elite and Panini Threads hit in December and while vastly different in design and content, both offer up strong possibilities. (Picture is sample not actual card pulled.)

A hobby box of Elite contains 20 packs and can be found in the $90 to $100 range. NBA fans that have been followers of Donruss/Playoff sets from the past will enjoy this first Panini Elite release. The schematic and designs are similar to previous editions. Those that have collected Elite before know that it is loaded with enough foil cards, inserts, parallels and die-cut cards to have your eyes popping with excitement from pack to pack.

With Panini now having the lone NBA trading card license, one of the things many collectors including myself were excited about was the prospect of seeing NBA stars within some of the most well known trading card brands including Studio, Certified, Limited and today’s topic – Rookies & Stars. The first product to feature their new spokesperson Kobe Bryant on the packaging, 2009/10 Panini Rookies & Stars offers collectors a box with 24-packs in the $75 to $80 range.