2013 14 Panini NBA Hoops Basketball Box Break Recap And Review

Three years ago Panini went old school, bringing back NBA Hoops with a fresh take on the classic inaugural 1989-90 set.  The most current release, 2013-14 Panini NBA Hoops Basketball, is a great set for a wide range of collectors, from entry point to serious set builders.  For the first time Panini is offering hobby card collectors a jumbo box with behemoth 50 card packs and exclusive 1 of 1 artist proof parallels.

We classify 2013-14 Panini NBA Hoops Basketball as trading cards.  Each jumbo hobby box contains 10 – 50 card packs for a whopping 500 cards with the promise of 2 autographs and 1 Memorabilia card per box.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

2013 Topps Triple Threads Baseball Box Break Recap and Review

Right away you can see a design change for 2013 Topps Triple Threads Baseball but the contents have remained relatively unchanged.  Most collectors will appreciate that, as Triple Thread has become the goto Premium Baseball card offering with the widest range of appeal.

Topps Triple Threads Baseball falls under our premium cards category.  Each master display box contains two mini boxes with 7 cards per mini. Every mini-box contains an autographed relic and relic card, one of which is a triple relic.

Here are all of the cards we pulled from our box.

2013 Panini Prizm Football Box Break Recap And Review

As Football Card collectors, we have been spoiled.  We have been feasting on a banquet of outstanding rookie classes in 2011 and 2012.  Rookies that went straight into starting rolls and became instant superstars.  So it would reasonable to expect a bit of a let down in 2013 with a rookie class that is talented but not quite as explosive as the Cam Newtons of the world.  But there is no let down with 2013 Panini Prizm Football.

If you follow our reviews you are aware that while past releases have benefited from these tremendous rookie classes, it is just a small part of what we use to judge sets that fit into our trading card category.  The overall look, likeability of inserts, completeness of checklists and urge to set build play a much bigger role.  In the long run, we find that serves the purposes of reviewing releases better as secondary market values fluctuate over time.  We can not forget about years like 2000, a year when collectors might have been hot to score a Chad Pennington rookie card, while most ignored the guy drafted in the sixth round, 199th over all, Tom Brady, who was a fourth string quarterback and only threw for six yards in his rookie season. While this may not be the year to “rip and flip” we are already starting to see some break out talent.

So 2013 becomes the year to revisit the true meaning of collecting, concentrating on building sets and gathering cards for your PC. 2013 Panini Prizm Football is a great set for that as this year’s edition still retains its simple configuration with a great looking set of base cards, some low numbered parallels in addition to solid inserts and hits.

As an added value, Panini brings their HRX format to the release with a new twist, escaping the limited number of video cards that can be distributed by enabling all collectors to turn their smart phones into instant video cards thanks to QRL Code technology, the use of Platinum League’s phone app and a rather animated Tracy Hackler to guide your way.

Though on the high end of the category from a cost standpoint, we classify Panini Prizm as trading cards.  Each box contains 20 - 6 card packs with a promise of 2 autographs in every box.

Here are some of the cards we pulled.

2013 Rittenhouse Archives Falling Skies Season Two Premium Pack Break Recap and Review

When Steven Spielberg is attached to a movie or TV show, there is an expectation that it will be highly entertaining, and for good reason, he has a track record of delivering.  Currently on TNT is one of DreamWorks Television projects, Falling Skies, which has garnered critical accolades and a strong fan base.

Another company that consistently delivers on expectations is Rittenhouse Archives.  With the release of 2013 Rittenhouse Archives Falling Skies Season Two Trading cards in Premium Packs, everything a collector could want is there, including the lead actors autographs on a non-tiered, regular release basis which is a huge deal.  But for multiple box purchasers, there are still exclusive incentives to be collected.

These cards cover episodes 11 through 20 of the series.  This is the second premiere offering for the series so one would expect more releases in the future to cover upcoming seasons.  Fans of the show should be pleased.

Falling Skies Season Two falls under our premium cards category.  Each Premium Pack contains 3 Episode cards, 1 "Quotable" or International Poster Art Card, 2 Relic cards and 1 Autograph card. These can be purchased by the individual pack or as a 15-pack box.

Here are the cards we pulled.

2013 Topps Heritage Minor League Baseball Trading Cards Box Break Recap And Review

2013 Topps Heritage Minor League Baseball offers collectors a unique release, unlike Pro Debut or any of the Bowman line.  With its modest price, great base set with fun minor league names and logos and the chance for some really nice hits, Heritage Minor League is a solid set and a great purchase for fans of the MiLB, set builders and prospectors.

This set falls under our classification of trading cards.  Hobby Boxes contain 24 – 9 card packs and feature two autograph cards and one relic card.

Here is a look at some of the cards we pulled.

2013 Topps Tier One Baseball Cards Box Break Recap and Review

Topps’ Ultra Premium offering, Tier One Baseball, returns this year with the same configuration as last year. Not everyone gets the chance to open one of these types of boxes so we gave you the opportunity last year to open our box of Tier One... virtually.  If you didn’t get a chance to do this virtual box break, use this link to get to it before you continue this review. 

If you look at our post “How we review and classify cards,” by definition, collectors who go for an Ultra Premium box of cards should understand “these are "High Risk, High Reward" cards” and “not every box will be a winner.”  After viewing a healthy amount of case breaks, the biggest hits of Tier One seem to be falling about 1 every 6 boxes, with one large case hit per 12 boxes, a nice ratio for ultra premium cards.

Bat knobs and cut signatures once again will rule the day from a secondary market perspective, some pulling in mid four figures. Some of the other cards can be picked up in the after market for a few dollars and that is how the ‘high risk, high reward’ equation comes into play.  So when you bust, you can bust big, at least from a monetary value standpoint.  Still, this is well within reason for an Ultra Premium product. What seems to be on the rise this year are redemptions which limits the shelf life of this year’s Tier One to mid 2016.  But all in all, this is a great quick hit of a product, allowing those normally out of the price range of an Ultra Premium product to get in and those with deeper pockets to bust cases to spread the risk.

Each box of Tier One Baseball contains 3 cards, two autographs and one relic card.  Every fourth box contains an extra relic hit for a total of 4 cards.

Here are the cards we found in our box.

2013 Press Pass Showcase NASCAR Trading Cards Box Break Recap And Review

NASCAR trading card collectors will all tell you, "if there is one product to buy each year, it's Showcase."  It is high end, but still obtainable for most collectors.  And these tiny boxes provide plenty of punch to keep hit seekers happy.

We classify 2013 Press Pass Showcase as premium cards.  Each hobby box contains 3 – 5 card packs and each pack contains either one autograph or memorabilia card.

Here are all the cards we pulled.