2015 Leaf Sportkings cover legends from several fields — and Al Pacino
By Ryan Cracknell | Hobby Editor
2015 Leaf Sportkings looks to all corners of sports. It doesn’t matter whether they were superstars on the baseball diamond, on the soccer pitch, in a hockey arena or a basketball court. For at least one person on the checklist, they only had to play one.
The multi-sport release returns, bringing with it one of the oldest brands in the hobby, detailed artwork and two hits per box.
The 2015 Leaf Sportkings base set legends from all walks of sports. Going back to when Sportkings debuted in the 1930s as a Goudey brand, the overall design is kept consistent. This includes realistic artwork of the featured stars and personalities.
The 100-card set includes lots of Hall of Famers including Babe Ruth. Important builders like James Naismith and Alexander Cartwright are also featured alongside athletes.
Every single-pack box has four base cards plus one Mini parallel.
On-card signatures are a major focus for the product. Sportkings Signatures have a look that’s similar to the base set. Among the advertised signers are Ken Griffey Jr, Mike Tyson, Larry Bird, Roger Federer, Cristiano Ronaldo and Mario Lemieux.
An inclusion that might be curious to some given the sports focus is Al Pacino. However, the legendary actor did play Tony D’Amato, head coach of the fictional Miami Sharks in Any Given Sunday.
Dynasty King Autographs spotlight players who played for teams that won multiple championships in a short period of time.
Other signed cards include Autographed Memorabilia cards and Retired Number Signatures. Singed Buybacks are also randomly inserted with autographs on previously release Sportkings base cards.
Memorabilia cards come from pieces of game- and match-used gear. Among them are one-of-one Spectacular Patches.
2015 Leaf Sportkings has a limited print run of 225 cases. Each case has 12 boxes.
2015 Leaf Sportkings at a glance:
Packs per box: 1
Cards per pack: 7
Boxes per case: 12
Set size: 100 cards
Release date: February 5, 2016
What to expect in a hobby box:
- Autographs – 1
- Memorabilia Cards – 1
- Mini Parallels – 1
- Base Cards – 4
Comments? Questions? Contact Ryan Cracknell on Twitter @tradercracks.
This is one of my all-time favorite products just for design. I wish they would make these in cardboard instead of paperstock to keep that old time feel to them. It’s one of the few products like Allen and Ginter that I collect just to complete the set and the the autos are just bonuses. Love product that put the focus on the set and not the hits.
Always a beautiful product. The checklist is interesting, giving something for all types of collectors. The limited production run will insure value on the secondary market.
Hello,when will 2015 be listed in Beckett monthly?Thank you Artschevy2001