Tim Duncan Signs Exclusive Autograph Deal with Panini
It has been a long time since Tim Duncan has had any certified autograph cards. But that’s about to change. The Hall of Famer has signed an exclusive autograph deal with Panini that includes trading cards.
“I felt it was time to return to the industry so fans could get the chance to get cards with my signature,” Duncan said.
According to Panini, Duncan’s first signatures under the agreement are slated to arrive in February with 2023-24 Crown Royale. More will follow in 2023-24 Panini Impeccable.
“We are proud to be partnering with him on his new autographed cards and are even more excited to bring such an iconic star back into the trading card world for basketball fans everywhere,” said Jason Howarth, Panini America’s Senior Vice President of Marketing and Athlete Relations.
Since his rookie season, Duncan has only appeared on around 100 different NBA autograph cards. This includes parallels. Not surprisingly, there aren’t many available on the secondary market at any given time.
Duncan joins Luka Doncic and Charles Barkley as other basketball stars with exclusive autograph deals with Panini. Soccer superstars Kylian Mbappe, David Beckham and Christian Pulisic also have similar agreements.
If Luka and Barkley have autograph exclusives with Panini then why do both those players have outstanding redemptions? It especially doesn’t make sense with Luka who actually plays in the same town as Panini’s headquarters.
You would need to ask Panini. Having an exclusive autograph deal means they’re the only company they’re going to sign for. It doesn’t speak to the signing schedules.