By Chris Olds | Beckett Baseball Editor

First they were drafted, then they sat on the bench for a card season. Then they were drafted again, and now they can be seen on cardboard.

Panini America on Monday revealed the first looks at the rookie redemption cards collectors will be receiving from their 2011-12 NBA packs.

Get a glimpse of the cards from 2011-12 Past & Present, Limited and Gold Standard … after the jump.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Basketball Editor

You might have pulled one of the cards, now you can know who they are.

Panini America drafted the checklist for its 2011-12 NBA Draft cards on Monday night … the redemptions found in packs of 2011-12 Past & Present, 2011-12 Limited and 2011-12 Gold Standard found in lieu of Rookie Cards this past season.

See the results of what’s what … after the jump.

In reverse draft order (most recent pick first, first pick last) they are  …
(Click here to see how they are selling in online auctions.) 

Note: The card number assigned to the player applies across all three sets.

Kyrie Irving is Card #XRCO

Bismack Biyombo is Card #XRCBB

MarShon Brooks is Card #XRCE

Alex Burks is Card #XRCC

Jimmy Butler is Card #XRCY

Norris Cole is Card #XRCT

Kenneth Faried is Card #XRCS

Jimmer Fredette is Card #XRCHH

Jordan Hamilton is Card #XRCII

Tobias Harris is Card #XRCDD

Reggie Jackson is Card #XRCEE

Enes Canter is Card #XRCW

Brandon Knight is Card #XRCH

Kawhi Leonard is Card #XRCN

Marcus Morris is Card #XRCL

Markieff Morris is Card #XRCK

Chandler Parsons is Card #XRCZ

Iman Shumpert is Card #XRCFF

Chris Singleton is Card #XRCJ

Nolan Smith is Card #XRCX

Isiah Thomas is Card #XRCA

Klay Thompson is Card #XRCG

Tristan Thompson is Card #XRCCC

Jan Vesely is Card #XRCR

Kemba Walker is Card #XRCI

Derrick Williams is Card #XRCGG

Cory Joseph is Card #XRCAA

JaJuan Johnson is Card # XRCQ

Justin Harper is Card #XRCP

Shevlin Mack is Card #XRCB

Gustavo Ion is Card #XRCM

Charles Jenkins is Card #XRCV

Jeremy Tyler is Card #XRCU

Josh Harrelson is Card #XRCF

Lavoy Allen is Card #XRCD

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Basketball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Susan Lulgjuraj | Contributing Editor

Gold Standard Basketball is coming back for its sophomore campaign.

With Panini America’s release of 2011-12 Gold Standard Basketball just a couple of months away, it’s time to get a closer look at some of the cards in the product.

Collectors can expect some of last year’s features back such as 14K gold discs embedded in cards or 14K gold trading cards. But Panini is offering even more to make 2011-12 Gold Standard Basketball even more successful. (Need a checklist for last year’s set or an OPG? Click here.)

Beckett had a first look at Gold Standard in April. But here are more preview pictures to enjoy.

Susan Lulgjuraj is a contributing editor for Beckett Media. You can email Susan here. Follow her on Twitter here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Basketball Editor

When Nick Gauder opened a pack of Panini America‘s 2010-11 Gold Standard basketball cards, he found something that could have made him very rich from a cash perspective.

It was a Golden Ticket good for a all-expenses-paid trip to Los Angeles and a chance to meet Lakers star Kobe Bryant.

But after meeting Kobe on Sunday — and an extended trip that allowed Gauder and his mother to meet relatives they hadn’t seen in decades — he was even more enriched.

“It was worth it, brother,” he said Wednesday, “because my mom and I had the time of our lives.”

While we’ll have more on Gauder’s trip in the next issue of Beckett Basketball soon — featuring Kobe on its cover — check out these Panini-produced videos. See Gauder meet Kobe above and see what else he left Los Angeles with below. (Need a full Kobe checklist or OPG? Click here.)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Basketball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

April 11 Update:  Added new info and images.

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By Chris Olds | Beckett Basketball Editor

When Panini America‘s 2011-12 Limited arrives in late May it won’t just be packing the latest and greatest in autographs and memorabilia.

It will be packing redemption cards for the first rookies of this year’s NBA class — and next year’s crop, too.

Limited is one of three 2011-12 products that will take this approach with the other two being the forthcoming Past & Present and the forthcoming Gold Standard.

While full details are still forthcoming from the company, what is known about Limited is that each $100 (or so) six-card pack (15 packs per case) will include one Draft Class autograph redemption card inside along with one autograph, one memorabilia card one parallel and a selection of base cards when it arrives on May 30.

While a full slate of what’s in store has not been released, the company has noted there will be a heavy emphasis on prime swatches and lower-numbered chase parallels. Some of the notable signers for this one will include Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Dirk Nowitzki, Derrick Rose, Magic Johnson, Blake Griffin, Chris Paul, Larry Bird, Bill Russell and Shaquille O’Neal.

Several Prime autograph insert sets also will be found in the product, including:

– Jumbo Jersey Numbers, limited to five or fewer copies.

– Decade Dominance, limited to five or less.

– Glass Cleaners, limited to five or less. This one will include both current and retired stars on a new look.

– Trophy Case, limited to 10 or less. This new insert set will showcase, you guessed it, trophy-winners.

– Retired Numbers, limited to five or less.

A couple of other ink-focused inclusions — but clearly not everything in the mix — will include Limited Trios Signatures (three autos from a themed selection; 49 or less) and Potential Signatures, which will showcase some of the league’s top young stars. Decade Dominance Signatures will showcase long-time stars, while Masterful Marks will focus on 50 top veterans and young stars.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Basketball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Basketball Editor

Panini America‘s Gold Standard was a memorable rookie and it’s going to be back for a sophomore season.

While full details are not yet available for the sophomore release of the high-end brand, the basics on the sterling product are. When 2011-12 Gold Standard arrives on June 20, it will include one 2011-12 Draft Class Redemption Autograph in every box, three additional sigs and two memorabilia cards to go with a selection of base cards in every $200 (or so) pack.

The solid gold and gold inlay cards will be back — obviously with a name like that there’s a bit of a standard to maintain — with redemptions for the 2012-13 NBA Draft class to be found as well.

Some of the other highlights teased by the company?

– A redesigned Gold Rush set, which will better service the gold disc on the card.

– 24-karat Autographs, a set showcasing players who scored 24,000 or more points in their careers.

– 14-karat Autographs, a set showcasing those who topped the 14,000-point mark.

– Greatest Graphs, an autographed selection from the NBA at 50 honorees.

We’ll have more on this one right here when it becomes available.

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In other NBA card news from Panini, the company is planning a product exclusively revolving around its top spokesman, Kobe Bryant. In each 2012-13 product that is released, there will be a pack of the Kobe cards included with autographed and game-used cards in the fold. We’ll have more on this one right here when it becomes available as well.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Basketball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.

By Chris Olds | Beckett Basketball Editor

NBA fans, your wait for trading cards is officially almost over.

Panini America announced its plans for the 2011-12 NBA card season on Tuesday with what it calls a “completely overhauled roster” of products.

The company, which is the lone NBA card licensee, will launch its offerings with the high-end 2011 Preferred coming in late-February. That high-end product will include three autographs and one six- or eight-swatch booklet card in every pack. Its price — $200 a pop.

“We are excited by the return of the NBA and look forward to delivering NBA trading cards to basketball fans around the world with the release of our 2011-12 NBA products,” said Panini America CEO Mark Warsop. “There was so much excitement for the NBA and its players last season and we are looking forward to picking up where we left off.  The time away has only strengthened the demand for Panini NBA trading card products and we’re confident that our new product roster will be well-received.”

Up next will be 2011-12 NBA Hoops, which returns after several years on the bench. That brand, arriving in March, will carry a suggested retail price of $1 a pack and include autographed buyback cards from the inaugural 1989-90 NBA Hoops set. It also will have a hobby version costing $2 a pack which will include two sigs per box.

Planned products for later in the year include 2011-12 Limited, arriving in May, 2011-12 Past & Present (set for June) and 2011-12 Gold Standard set to arrive in July. The last two products will include redemption cards for the first cards from the 2011-12 rookie class as well as redemptions for the 2012-13 NBA Draft picks.

The five brands — six if you count hobby Hoops as a “different” product — are the only sets the company presently plans to produce. That’s down from 16 brands, plus the Adrenalyn gaming set, last season.

Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Basketball magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.