2022-23 Panini National Treasures Basketball: The Top High-End Product Returns

2022-23 National Treasures is set to keep a long-running tradition of high-end cards going with a release on  11/17/23… after the next NBA season has officially tipped off. 

Despite the ridiculous delay, this is one of the hottest releases every year and many collectors mark their calendars for this day, so here’s the investment advice you need to see you through a new National Treasures Release.

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2022-23 Panini National Treasures Basketball product introduction 

For over a decade, National Treasures has been a high-end brand that delivers premium cards to collectors with exquisite taste (no pun intended). It’s known for eye-catching jersey cards, on-card autos of some of the best rookies and legends of the game, and every card in the set is numbered. 

Perhaps the most iconic rookie card of the year for hoops collectors is the National Treasures /99 RPA, and this is the set where you’ll find them.

And while the late release is certainly annoying, there’s also no mistaking which top rookies should be pursued—we’ve already watched their entire seasons unfold. In fact, one of the 2022 rookies will be talked about as making the “sophomore leap” when this product drops.

For this year’s set, you can expect eight cards per box and a price tag of somewhere between $3,000 – $5,000.

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What to expect from 2022-23 National Treasures Basketball

National Treasures does a great job of keeping a timeless feel to the product. From the art to the sets, everything about it feels elegantly antique while also seeming modern and forward-looking.

It’s a unique, artful balance that Panini hasn’t captured in any other brand quite like they do with National Treasures. Even Flawless, the uber-high-end stepbrother, falls short in the National Treasures appeal.

Looking to rip a box? Here’s what to expect. 

Each box comes with 10 total cards—2 more than last year. That includes:

• 4 autographs
• 4 memorabilia
• 1 printing plate (1/1)
• 1 base/insert parallel. 

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2022-23 Panini National Treasures Basketball checklist information 

National Treasures returns with a familiar amount of on-card autographs and oversized patches of NBA rookies, stars and Hall of Famers.

As mentioned, the Rookie Patch Autographs are perhaps the single most iconic set of rookie cards every year, and they have proven to hold value very well. Common versions are numbered to /99, but there will be variations going all the way down to 1/1s.

The RPA parallels include: 

• Base #’d/99
• Bronze #/49 or less
• Pink #/25 or less 
• Gold FOTL #/24
• Gold #/10
• Purple FOTL #/8
• Emerald #/5
• Blue FOTL #/3
• Logan 1/1.

In addition to the standard RPA, rookie autos can also be found in Rookie Material Autographs, which have multiple relics. These aren’t nearly as valuable.

This year’s retro collab is the Retro 2010 Rookie Patch Autographs.

Veteran autographs can be found on Peerless Signatures and Penmanship.

The new additions this year are Court Pass, which seem more photo-driven, and Treasured Moments, which are devoted to specific moments.

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Value of 2022-23 National Treasure basketball

Let’s look at investing in National Treasures as a potential investment, both sealed and singles.

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Investing in National Treasures wax

Investing in a box of National Treasures is no joke, and it’s even riskier because there’s a smaller buyers market who can afford buying it from you than other, more affordable brands. 

So bearing that in mind, here’s the value of sealed National Treasures boxes for the last few years:

The 2018-19 doesn’t have any recent comps, but the asking price is about $10,000, and given the deep and proven rookie class, that doesn’t seem unreasonable. 

So, as usual, the price of the sealed boxes depends largely on the rookies from the class. 2019-20 has the best class, led by Ja Morant and Zion, but Anthony Edwards (2020-21) and a slew of guys from 2021-22 could pull the price of those boxes up over time.

If the release price for 2022-23 is our estimated $3500, holding a sealed box is not a risk worth taking. Let this product fall after the initial hype, then pounce if you’re looking to hold. 

The other alternative is buying a box to rip. With a high-end product like National Treasures, there is always going to be potential for a big pull, but there’s also a huge risk in opening a 10-card box that costs several thousand dollars.

In other words, please don’t rip National Treasures if you aren’t in a financial position where it’s okay to lose thousands of dollars. You might hit it big, but you also might get burned. 

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Investing in Panini Basketball National Treasures singles

Investing in singles is the most sure-fire way to make money on this product. By doing so, you let other people absorb the risk by opening the boxes, and then you can go find a card of a player you like and make the purchase. If the player does well, your card grows in value. If not? You get the picture. 

If you’re investing in a single, National Treasures is perhaps the best high-end brand to invest in. But pro-tip: Don’t buy the first card to hit the market. Let the newness wear off and the prices settle, then make your move. 

Bottom line: How to invest in National Treasures Basketball Cards 2022-23

2022-23 National Treasures basketball is such a cornerstone of collecting but not a smart hold to flip as a sealed box, especially at the release price. 

If you have the funds to buy an RPA from this set, it’s the premier card across all releases. But there’s nothing wrong with being a window shopping when it comes to National Treasures. 

This brand has a tremendously high ceiling and, at the price point, a pretty low floor. But hey, that’s part of the fun, right?

What do you think of this set? Share your thoughts on Twitter @card_lines. 

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