2012-13 Panini Signatures Basketball Cards

Product Review

2012-13 Panini Signatures Basketball Product Review

Reviewed by Ryan Cracknell

Good: Lots of autographs, Signatures Film cards look fantastic, set construction ensures low numbered cards in every box.

Bad: Too many variations, parallels don't add excitement, white design does not work well for sticker autographs.

The Bottom Line: 2012-13 Panini Signatures Basketball lives up to its name by offering three autographs in every single-pack box. The construction of several variations for non-autographed allows for lots of low-numbered cards as well as a focus on only key players. Unfortunately that doesn't carry over to the autograph checklists. Like a lot of sets this year, there are lots of stars but also plenty of low-impact players. The overall look and feel is different from anything Panini's offered. It's such a departure that some will like it a lot while others will likely shun it. Personally, I think it's sharp and works well with autographs (at least when they're on-card).

Card Design: 4.2/5.0

Most of the cards in 2012-13 Panini Signatures Basketball look simple, though not in the plain sense. The designs emphasize lots of white, which works well as an autograph canvas. At least when they're signed on-card. Those that use stickers, though, are not nearly as attractive -- and not just because they're stickers. The design looks as though it was intended for hard signatures. Those that don't have them look simply as though the sticker was placed over top and not incorporated into the design at all.

The small action stripes that have the color photo are an interesting aspect. It's different and works in a sense, but not something I'd like to see a lot of. Keep it isolated and not a trend and I'm good.

By far, my favourite cards in 2012-13 Panini Signatures Basketball are the Signatures Film cards. The embedded film and on-card autograph make them stand out. But it's the integration of the film strip into the design that really makes them pop for me.

Checklist: 3.3/5.0

The choice to go with few players but lots of variations on the base, I mean Chase cards, is an interesting one. Basically, it's a toned down version of the Topps Tek model where all are more or less the same but one element. If you want one card of a particular player, it works. But it's the variations that make up the chase. Topps Tek went over-the-top with both its designs and variations. In Panini Signatures, the different variations are subtle. This is amplified by the amount of white space. But it's a great way to ensure this part of the set is filled with only top players. Like the design, this isn't something I want to see a lot of, but it could fill a niche for player collectors.

As for the autographs, which should be the central focus of any set named Signatures, the number of signers is daunting. Like any deep checklist, there's going to be several big names. And lots of lesser players. So if you're buying a box, don't expect superstars every time.

Value: 3.0/5.0

When everything is rare, nothing is rare. That's the case with 2012-13 Panini Signatures Basketball. While I'm sure it has a somewhat limited print run, until it dries up, I doubt that a lot of the Chase cards will carry much of a premium despite all being numbered to 25 or less. On the surface, it sounds like a great idea. The allure of guaranteed rare cards is exciting. But then again, everyone who busts the product is getting a similar guarantee. That said, if this approach is going to be taken, I'm glad Panini kept the number of names in the Chase sets low.

As for the autographs, it's a tough sell with the sheer number of lesser players. And, again, it's a matter of everything being rare working against it in a sense. Perhaps cutting the number of autographs down to two but putting the same amount of resources into the autograph checklist would help. Cut the number of less desirable players and focus that money on more stars. They wouldn't even have to be the premier players, just guys who score more than five points (or less) per game.

The Fun Factor: 3.8/5.0

Despite not getting a great autograph, I like a lot of things in 2012-13 Panini Signatures Basketball. It has some distinct elements that aren't in other sets. This gives it a personality. But I think there's room to go further. Keep the variations, but make them wilder. Instead of using die-cuts to make somewhat non-distinct parallels, try these out as the Chase variants. That way, the artwork can stay the same and at first glance, cards won't look the same. Just don't bring back the Fractral Matrix system. Those stuck in 1997 are still trying to make sense of it.

The big thing is the autograph names. There doesn't necessarily need to be more bigger names, just more of their signatures. With only five cards per box and three of them being autographs, the average box should yield at least one that's decent.

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2012-13 Panini Signatures Platinum Film Kevin Durant On Card Auto 1/1 Future HOF

$2,000.00

2012-13 PANINI SIGNATURES FILM JAE CROWDER ON-CARD AUTO 01 /49

$29.99

DRAYMOND GREEN PSA 9 2012-13 Panini Signatures Film RED RC Autograph /25 Auto

$369.23

2012-13 Panini Signatures Basketball Film Autograph #167 Jeff Taylor Auto

$10.00

2012-13 Panini Signatures Basketball Card Pick (Inserts)

$6.00

2012-13 Panini Signatures Film Red /49 Kent Bazemore #164 Rookie Auto RC

$8.02

2012-13 Panini Signatures Film Red /25 Andrew Nicholson #176 Rookie Auto RC

$9.45

2012-13 Panini Signatures Film Red /25 Tyler Zeller #173 Rookie Auto RC

$10.03

2012-13 Panini Signatures Signatures Film Brian Roberts #197 Rookie Auto RC

$9.74

2012-13 Panini Signatures Film /10 Nikola Vucevic #163 Rookie Auto RC

$109.79

2012-13 Panini Signatures Signatures Film /10 Gordon Hayward #53 Auto

$22.09

2012-13 Panini Signatures Film Green /5 DeQuan Jones #191 Rookie Auto RC

$12.04

2012-13 Panini Signatures Signatures Film Red /25 Alonzo Gee #28 Auto

$7.99

2012-13 PANINI SIGNATURES FILM DEQUAN JONES AUTO

$9.99

2012-13 PANINI SIGNATURES FILM KENT BAZEMORE AUTO

$6.99

BGS 9.5 2012-13 PANINI SSP RED #D /10 BLAKE GRIFFIN AUTO SIGNATURES FILM =GRD391

$449.99

2012-13 Panini Signatures Signatures Film Chris Copeland #177 Rookie Auto RC

$5.71

2012-13 Panini Signatures Signatures Film Red /5 Ty Lawson #42 Auto

$46.54

2012-13 Panini Signatures Basketball Film Autograph #189 Jon Leuer Auto

$10.00

2012-13 Panini Signatures Basketball Film Autograph #173 Tyler Zeller Auto 33/49

$10.00