This week, Panini releases a pair of familiar sets in the form of 2021-22 Contenders Basketball and 2021 Encased Basketball. Topps drops a brand new set highlighting the UEFA Champions League, plus the first edition of Topps Chrome Basketball in over a decade, and Upper Deck releases a box set that features the biggest names in this year’s talented NHL rookie class. Read up on all of these trading card releases and more in this week’s issue of The Rip.
2021-22 Panini Contenders Basketball
2021-22 Panini Contenders Basketball has established itself as a staple of the annual NBA trading card release calendar. The base set hosts 165 total cards that don the set’s signature Ticket Design, while 65 of the cards come from the Rookie Ticket subset and highlight young talents such as Cade Cunningham, Evan Mobley, Jalen Green, plus others selected in the 2021 NBA Draft. Memorabilia and autograph cards also make appearances and feature not only the first-year standouts, but established NBA stars, MVP candidates, and a handful of legends, some of whom are already in the NBA Hall of Fame.
The 2021-22 Panini Contenders Basketball Hobby Box holds ten cards per pack, and twelve packs per box. On average, you can expect each box to add two autographs, and two limited print run base set color variation parallels to your collection.
The 2021-22 Panini Contenders Basketball Hobby Box will release on April 13th on the Panini America website. Additionally, retail products such as Blaster boxes will begin stocking at Targets and Walmarts in the coming weeks.
2022 Panini Prizm UFC Premium Box Set
In the set’s sophomore season, 2022 Panini Prizm UFC is seeing its 200 card base set released on special edition Opti-chrome card stock in a Premium Box Set. Additionally, each box will hold one Premium Box Set Exclusive Champion Signatures autograph card that features legendary octagon fighters such as Brock Lesnar and Kamaru Usman.
Each 2022 Panini Prizm UFC Premium Box Set provides your collection with the entire 200 card base set, plus one Champion Signatures autograph card.
The 2022 Panini Prizm UFC Premium Box Set will be released on the Panini America website on April 12th at 12PM EDT via their unique Dutch Auction format, where each box will be sold starting at $5,000 with the price dropping every five minutes until it sells out or hits $1,000.
2021 Panini Encased Football
2021 Panini Encased Football is so named as every single card in the set will come either pre-graded and slabbed, or packaged in a one-touch magnetic case. There is a 100 card base set with a fairly limited number of low print run parallels for each card, but it is the autograph and memorabilia subsets that bring the true value to this set. Throughout the base set and several autograph and memorabilia subsets, you can find cards for top 2021 NFL rookies including Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields, Ja’Marr Chase, Mac Jones, plus more.
The 2021 Panini Encased Football Hobby Box will be released on April 13th on the Panini America website.
2020-21 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Hockey
2020-21 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Hockey contains a mix of base cards, relics, and autographs. To the delight of collectors, the autographs included in the set are only premium on-card autographs. Rookies on the checklist include Kirill Kaprizov, Alexis LaFreniére, Tim Stützle, and Brady Tkachuk. In addition to the rookies, several NHL superstars also offer the opportunity for a big hit in the set with players like Connor McDavid, Auston Matthews, and Patrick Kane.
The 2020-21 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Hockey Hobby Box focuses on quality as each box contains four cards. Within each box, you should find one Rookie Autograph, one Relic, one additional autograph or relic, and one base, base parallel, or insert. 2020-21 Upper Deck Ultimate Collection Hockey becomes available on April 13th at local and online trading card hobby shops.
2021-2022 Upper Deck NHL Star Rookies Box Set
The 2021-22 Upper Deck NHL Star Rookies Box Set places the 25 top NHL Rookies from this season into one convenient package. Names on the checklist include Cole Caufield, Spencer Knight, Lucas Raymond, and Moritz Seider. One out of every 20 boxes will also contain an autograph card from the same batch of standout rookies.
The 2021-22 Upper Deck NHL Star Rookies Box Set will be released on April 13th.
2022 Panini Donruss NASCAR Racing
2022 Panini Donruss NASCAR Racing covers the biggest names in NASCAR in a 200 card base set that includes a fresh batch of Rated Rookie cards for new drivers on the circuit. Additionally, a variety of sticker autographs, limited print run parallels, race-used relic cards, and classic inserts (like the comic book-inspired Motorsport Marvels) round out the subsets in 2022 Panini Donruss NASCAR Racing.
Each 2022 Panini Donruss NASCAR Racing Hobby Box comes in the traditional format of eight cards per pack, and 24 packs per box. The hits in the box come in the form of one autograph, two relic cards, and 24 Silver or color variation limited print run parallels, on average. You can also expect to find 24 Optic cards in each box.
The 2022 Panini Donruss Racing Hobby Box drops on April 13th on the Panini America website with retail products, such as Blasters, beginning to stock following the Hobby Box release.
2021-22 Topps UEFA Champions League Soccer
2021-22 Topps UEFA Champions League Soccer is the first time that Topps is tackling the tournament of top clubs from Europe in a paper flagship set. 200 cards make up the base set, with young talents in the league receiving a special Rookie Cup stamp on their cards. While the base set and its variety of limited print run color variation parallels are the main focus of the set, a handful of sticker autographs can also be found, with top names such as Neymar Jr. included on the checklist.
The 2021-22 Topps UEFA Champions League Hobby Box holds eight cards per pack, and 24 packs per box. The set will release on April 15th at online and local trading cards hobby shops, with retail Blaster boxes beginning to stock around this time as well.
2021-22 Topps Chrome Overtime Elite Basketball
2021-22 Topps Chrome Overtime Elite Basketball brings the iconic set back to the hardwood by featuring players working on developing their skills in the Overtime Elite League as its subject. The 100 card base set includes a full rainbow of limited print run color variation parallels. Autographs are also a part of this set and can be found in the Chrome Autographs subset.
The 2021-22 Topps Chrome Overtime Elite Basketball Hobby Box holds four cards per pack, and 18 packs per box. You can look to find two autographs inside each box.
2021-22 Topps Chrome Overtime Elite Basketball will release on April 15th.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Albaz Strike Structure Deck
The Yu-Gi-Oh! Albaz Strike Structure Deck is based upon the power dragon, Fallen of Abaz, and its special Fusion Summoning effect that enables it to absorb enemy monsters into itself and increase its power. The deck also includes cards from past sets, Phantom Rage, and Blazing Vortex.
Within the structure deck, you will find five Ultra Rares, three Super Rares, 38 Commons, five Special Token cards that allow you to pay costs owed to your opponent during battle, and one double-sided deluxe game mat.
You can look for the Yu-Gi-Oh! Albaz Strike Structure Deck wherever Yu-Gi-Oh! cards are sold starting April 15th for a retail price of $11.
