2016 Panini Diamond Kings Baseball Details
By Ryan Cracknell | Hobby Editor
2016 Panini Diamond Kings Baseball brings back the artistic stylings that the name has been known for since the very beginning. Sticking largely with the formula from last year, boxes are kept on the small side. Each has 12 packs and promises two total autographs and memorabilia cards and a pair of framed parallels.
See Also: 2016 Panini Diamond Kings Checklist
One of the cornerstones of Diamond Kings when it debuted as a Donruss subset in the early 1980s was that each card was based on an original painting. But each of those had less than 30 cards. The 2016 Panini Diamond Kings Baseball base set is much bigger. Rather than hundreds of original paintings, which would add a lot to production costs, the magic of photo manipulation has given the cards that artistic look. For most, it won’t have quite the same touch but it does create something that gives the product an angle and more distinct versus other brands.
Base cards come with several levels of parallels, framed and unframed, regular-sized and mini. Artist’s Proofs are also in the mix.
Like last year, select players also have variations.
Get a fully sortable 2016 Panini Diamond Kings Baseball checklist and price guide access.
Autographs and memorabilia cards take on several forms in 2016 Panini Diamond Kings Baseball. Diamond Kings Materials, Diamond Kings Signatures, Diamond Deco, Elements of Royalty and Limited Lithos are some of them. Diamond Kings Mini Framed Materials put relics into smaller cards then put those into regular card-sized frames. Collectors can expect a similar mix as 2015 when it comes to number of swatches and auto-relic combinations.
Several vintage Hall of Famers have memorabilia cards in the product including Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, Lou Gehrig, Roberto Clemente and Honus Wagner.
Rookie Signatures have two relics to go with the autograph. Parallels are serial numbered no higher than 299 for Silver, Gold, Bronze and Black. Framed parallels come in Brown, Blue, Green and Black and are numbered to 99 or less.
Memorable Feats is a new addition to 2016 Panini Diamond Kings Baseball. These track key moments in the career of an all-time great.
2016 Panini Diamond Kings Baseball at a glance:
Packs per box: 12
Cards per pack: 8
Boxes per case: 12
Set size: 185 cards.
Release date: April 6, 2016
What to expect in a hobby box:
- Autographs and Memorabilia Cards – 2 Total
- Aficionado Inserts – 2
- DK Originals Inserts – 2
- Expressionists Inserts – 2
- Memorable Feats Inserts – 2
- Framed Parallels – 2
- Mini Cards – 2
- Short Prints – 2
- Rookies – 24
Comments? Questions? Contact Ryan Cracknell on Twitter @tradercracks.
I personally never opened a hobby box of this product as i didn’t care too much for the Logos being removed from the jerseys and what have you. It made the cards look generic in my opinion. These on the other hand look anything but. Very nice detail and remind me of the days as a kid ripping into retail packs of Donruss and finding the Dick Perez Diamond King insert cards! Who remembers finding the Willie Stargell puzzle pieces in the packs that once put together was a picture of his Diamond King card?!
Have they started to use real COA on the back of the memorabilia cards yet?
Or are we still talking generic text which allows them to use things like seats without saying it?
There is a BIG difference between a bat used by the player and a seat in stadium.
The text varies from set to set. We’ll have to wait until this set comes out until we know the approach.
I thought it was a good product last year and was overlooked. I liked the art touch, the feel of the flet around the border, and the it was different. Expecting the same this year. Built the set and will build this one.
I remember the Stargell puzzle! But growing up in New England, the year they came out with the Yaz puzzle was awesome!!