2015-16 Panini Limited Basketball returns after a three-year absence
By Stephen Laroche | Beckett Basketball Editor
It has been three years since Panini America has unleashed one its most enduring brands on NBA collectors and 2015-16 Panini Limited Basketball could prove to be a fantastic comeback release due to what can be found in packs.
While its release date is not expected until mid-April, the five cards found inside may have made the wait for its return to the hobby worthwhile. Each pack will have one base card plus either an insert or parallel in addition to three autograph or memorabilia hits.
Base Set and Parallels
Despite a lack of detailed information about the base set and its parallels at this time, 2015-16 Panini Limited Basketball does live up to its name when it comes to the NBA’s brightest prospects. Rookie Jersey Autograph cards will be produced for at least 35 first-year players and are numbered to 99 copies or less. Parallel versions with patch pieces for the rookie cards are set to include Hologold, Platinum, and Gold Spotlight themes and it is likely that others are going to be popping out of packs.
Autographs
Plenty of ink is destined to be discovered in 2015-16 Panini Limited Basketball and each autograph card is numbered to 99 or less. Among the themes unveiled in the company’s product information sheet were Limited Signatures, Limited Dual Signatures, and Limited Trio Signatures.
Memorabilia
Collectors are about to get up close and personal with the sport’s top names when opening 2015-16 Panini Limited Basketball. Team Trademarks has jumbo pieces of memorabilia and the die-cut window spells out their club’s name. Material Monikers is more themed around the player themselves, bearing either their nickname or team’s name in the die-cut area. These and any other parts of the memorabilia card lineup are bound to have Prime versions that will be limited and contain colorful jersey or patch swatches.
The most compelling memorabilia concept Panini announced for this product are the All-Star Shorts. These items aren’t used as frequently by trading card makers in their products and the large pieces found in these cards have come from the 2015 NBA All-Star Game. Some collectors will pull a unique one-of-one parallel that has a piece of a laundry tag.
Inserts
Collectors looking for long-odds inserts in 2015-16 Panini Limited Basketball can find what they are searching for in Phenoms and Rookie Phenoms cards that are seeded once per case.
2015-16 Panini Limited Basketball at a glance:
Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 5
Boxes per case: 12
Set size: TBD
Release date: Mid-April, 2016
What to expect in a hobby box:
– one base card
– one insert or parallel
– three autograph or memorabilia cards
Stephen Laroche is the editor of Beckett Hockey, Beckett Basketball, and Beckett Sports Card Monthly magazines. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an e-mail to him at slaroche@beckett.com or follow him on Twitter @Stephen_Laroche.
