Panini has been known for producing collectibles in Europe since the 1960s. Recently, they entered the US sports cards scene, cranking out high quality sports cards under the Panini America brand.
The company first acquired and exclusive license to produce NBA basketball cards. Priced at the lower end of the spectrum, Panini released NBA Blaster packs which were priced at a little over $2 a pack when bought by the box. A more upscale line, the Panini Certified Absolute Memorabilia was sold for around $3 per pack. The NBA blaster box averaged one rookie card per pack. The premium chase card of the set were rookie autograph cards.
Panini Certified Absolute offered sequentially numbered, autographed cards and jersey cards of current NBA stars. As a bonus, a separate chase line, with signatures from the stars of yesteryear such as Magic Johnson and Gary Payton were also included in the mix.
Since Panini purchased the legendary Donruss card company, Panini was able to inherit the company’s NFL license. Panini was quick to offer the NFL Adrenalyn line. The starter kit, aimed primarily at kids, was sold for a measly $15. What was unique about the Adrenalyn line was that fans were able to form their own fantasy league with their cards. Traditional sports cards were basically collectibles, but this offering was something different. Fans could purchase this and then play with their friends.
For traditionalists who did not care much for games, Panini promoted the NFL Absolute Memorabilia. The Absolute line boasted not only the top rookie cards but also rare combination autograph and swatch jersey cards seeded at approximately one card per box. Each Absolute Memorabilia box was priced at about $25. The top pick of the set may be the autographed, jersey card of Peyton Manning.
For followers of the NHL, Panini put forward a premium product. At approximately $100 a box, the Panini Limited Hockey Hobby Box was one of the company’s most expensive releases. Aside from using premium quality card stock for the base card set, exciting chase cards were also inserted.
Each rookie card was limited to just 199 cards. Aside from this, buyers were excited about the 1-of-1 cut signatures of such stars as Ken Reardon, Eddie Shore and Toe Blake. Another unique chase were the Limited Vintage Pucks which incorporated game-used pucks in the design.
An excellent source for Panini sports cards (and those from other sports card companies) is Sports Card Box, which offers links to all relevant eBay products from one central location. You can also learn more about Donruss-Panini and the various types of sports card boxes available to collectors of current and vintage sports card packs.