Panini teases its National VIP set
By Chris Olds | Beckett Sports Card Monthly Editor
Panini America offered the first glimpses at its plans for this year’s National Sports Collectors Convention on Monday, teasing four of the six cards it will make available to collectors who purchase a VIP pass to the event.
The cards, created using the Gridiron Kings design of recent years, showcase NBA rookie Kyrie Irving, NFL rookies Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III as well as NHL newcomer Ryan Nugent-Hopkins.
The company will reveal the final two cards on Aug. 1 in Baltimore — the opening day of the show.
It’s worth noting that there is not a presence in the set for the company’s fourth major license — any cards of baseball players under its MLBPA deal.
The Irving card, which shows him at last year’s NBA Draft, is just the second card released for him by Panini. His first was at last year’s NSCC, and, because of a lack of Rookie Cards because of the NBA lockout, it’s been a hot seller.
Chris Olds is the editor of Beckett Sports Card Monthly magazine. Have a comment, question or idea? Send an email to him at colds@beckett.com. Follow him on Twitter by clicking here.
I like these cards, and I think… Lebron James and Johnathan Quick will be the mystery two!