Donruss Elite returns for the 2023 NBA season with a focus on rookies and established stars in the league, releasing on March 15th. It remains one of the more affordable NBA hobby box products. Read on to find all the key information about the long-running basketball brand.
Shop for 2022-23 Donruss Elite Basketball hobby boxes on eBay
Since the 2018 season, Donruss Elite has received a basketball release every year. The product focuses on recognizable names in it’s base set, including plenty of rookies.
This year’s iteration was released on March 15th, 2023.
Panini released Donruss Elite Basketball in two formats this year, First Off The Line (FOTL) and hobby.
Shop for 2022-23 Donruss Elite Basketball hobby boxes on eBay
Each hobby box will include:
On average, you can expect the following from each hobby box:
Shop for 2022-23 Donruss Elite Basketball hobby boxes on eBay
First Off The Line boxes come in the same configuration as hobby boxes, but they include some exclusive parallels. On average you can expect the following from each FOTL box:
Shop for 2022-23 Donruss Elite Basketball FOTL boxes on eBay
Donruss Elite is a parallel heavy brand with plenty of chase pieces for collectors. Plenty of opportunities also exist to get rookies, but Panini has controversially removed the numbering from the base rookies. This year’s release will also feature on-card autographs.
The base design is simple with sharp angels in opposite corners of the card. In the top right is the elite badge with the player’s information in the bottom left. Overall, it’s a simple and safe design for this well-established product.
This year’s base set comes in at 250 cards, with 201-250 consisting of rookies. It also includes 14 parallels with 2 being limited to FOTL boxes.
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Donruss Elite has plenty of opportunities for autographs, with 8 auto inserts available in the release.
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Elite Signatures combines legends of the game with some of the veteran talent today to form the roster for the set. It consists of 25 cards and includes four colored parallels.
For the first time in Donruss Elite history, the popular GenreGraphs makes an appearance. GenreGraphs highlights player moments by making the background darker, really bringing the player into the foreground. The result is a stunning photo on the card.
Impact Impressions combines rookies, veterans, and a few legends like Ray Allen to create it’s roster of 60 cards.
If you’re wanting rookie autos, this first-time insert is what you’ll want to target. It features 50 rookies as well as 6 parallels.
One of the most popular sets Panini has is Passing the Torch. The fan-favorite insert pairs young players with older players that they share a connection with, either through playstyle or by playing with the same team. It has 9 cards and 2 low numbered parallels.
Pen Pals highlights some of the top rookies with a flashy design and on-card signatures. It consists of 40 cards with 4 parallels.
Another rookie-focused autograph insert, this one coming in at 40 cards with 6 parallels. Keep in mind that Patrick Baldwin Jr. doesn’t have a Red and Green Asia or a Red and Gold Asia parallel. Chet Holmgren does not have a Red parallel.
Turn of the Century highlights some players of the early 2000s as well as rookies of today. It has a roster of 50 cards and includes 6 parallels.
12 inserts are available in this years release.
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Highlighting some of the most iconic players from the 80s and 90s, Back to the Future has 10 cards and features legends like Allen Iverson and Hakeem Olajuwon.
Clarity features 30 cards of today’s biggest stars with four parallels.
This insert features a design inspired by playing cards with a 30-card roster.
Dimensions is an insert that gives players a 3D appearance on the card. It has a flashy, colorful design and consists of 15 cards.
This insert shows off players going full throttle sprinting down the court with the ball. The set includes 10 cards, all of them big names in the modern NBA.
Glass Masters highlights 10 of the best big men in the league today.
Next Up consists of 10 cards focused on the best rookies this year.
Power Formulas consists of 30 cards with 7 parallels.
While Spellbound includes 40 cards, only 7 players make up the set.
Consisting of 20 All-Stars, Star Status shows off some of the most recognizable NBA players today.
The end goal of every NBA team is to win a championship at the end of the season. This insert highlights 20 of the players who have won it all.
Titlists is similar to Title Waves, however, the imagery shows off players with who both won the NBA Championship and the NBA Finals MVP. It consists of five cards featuring Steph Curry, Dirk Nowitzki, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and Lebron James.
With a low hobby entry price and a strong brand, investing in Elite Basketball is going to be a common question. Let’s take a look at past releases to see how this one might perform in the future.
Shop for 2022-23 Donruss Elite Basketball hobby boxes on eBay
Below is a look at past hobby box sales for Donruss Elite Basketball.
Year | Price |
---|---|
2022-23 | $275 (MSRP) |
2021-22 | $300 |
2020-21 | $350 |
2019-20 | $490 |
As you can see, hobby boxes tend to slowly rise in value over time. It may be risky to count on these to rise any substantial amount in the next few years, as it looks like Panini has ramped up production for this years release. A week after the release, boxes are still easily available directly from the Panini website. Either demand for the product isn’t there, or production has skyrocketed. Either way, it’s difficult to suggest hobby boxes as a good investment here.
Shop for 2022-23 Donruss Elite Basketball hobby boxes on eBay
How do rookies fare in Donruss Elite Basketball? Obviously finding them in packs isn’t an issue, but how are they as an investment?
Overall, there are some positive results when it comes to rookies. Taking a look at some of the most popular rookies from past releases shows that low-numbered cards and autos tend to perform well. For example, this ungraded 2020 Anthony Edwards auto recently sold for $395 and this ungraded 2021 Jalen Green /10 card sold for $610.
Obviously, investing in rookies carries some inherent risks thanks to the impossibility of projecting their entire NBA career, so no return is guaranteed from this method. However, acquiring autographed cards or those with a low print run of rookies should prove to be a good investment assuming their career pans out. Targeting multiple rookies could alleviate some of the risks that come with this strategy.
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The latest release of Donruss Elite Basketball is a promising one, with a little bit of everything to please collectors. Although the base design isn’t anything special, the player roster and popular inserts easily make up for it.
At the end of the day, 2022-23 Donruss Elite Basketball is a solid and affordable NBA release.
Shop for 2022-23 Donruss Elite Basketball hobby boxes on eBay
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