Panini America Offers Detailed First Look at 2017-18 Vanguard Basketball (Gallery)

[scottkoz20]

There was a time in the sports collectibles industry (like 15 or so year ago), when Promo or™Sample Cards were as much a part of a new product release as fancily worded press releases and mylar wrap. These so-called Sample Cards were a way for manufacturers to preview the look and feel of an upcoming set. And the more unique the design or the technology, the more the need for the Promos. And so it is with Panini America’s upcoming 2017-18 Vanguard Basketball release.
Last week, hobby distributors and select hobby shops were on the receiving end of what has become an increasingly rare delivery in the current collecting climate: Honest-to-goodness Sample Cards showcasing the upcoming Vanguard Basketball, a proud brand from the hobby’s past that last appeared on the market during the 2002-03 hockey season. A lot has changed in the almost 20 years since; Vanguard, however (as those nifty sample packs prove), still looks great.
What those Sample Cards don’t necessarily indicate, though, is everything else 2017-18 Vanguard Basketball has in store. Set to arrive early September, each hobby box (five cards per box, six boxes per case) will deliver, on average, four autographs and one base card or parallel. Additional product highlights are many and include . . .

• A plethora of on-card autographs, including the rookie-driven Hot off the Press Autographs, Rookie Signatures and Prime Prospects.
• Relive some of the top postseason performances in Postseason Heroes Autographed Materials.
• Reach for the stars with Cosmic Force Signatures featuring a stunning celestial design.
• Key autograph inserts such as Beyond the Arc Scripts, High Voltage Signatures and In Focus Autographs.
• As previewed with those aforementioned Sample Cards,™Vanguard features one of the industry’s most collectible base sets printed on thick, holographic card stock and numbered to 49 with parallels as low as 1/1.

We’ll have plenty more on 2017-18 Vanguard Basketball in the coming weeks right here on The Knight’s Lance. But until then, enjoy this extended sneak peek:


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[MichiganMan]

I can definitely make room in my collection for some Detroit Pistons from this set.

-Robert