EDICOLA NEWS: THE REVIEWS nr. 274
album: NBA sticker collection 2022/23 (Panini)
stickers: 511 (1-511)
album 2,00€
box: 36 packets (5 stickers per packet) 0,80€ each
Good news! At least from our point of view, which is clearly not the one most shared by collectors. Finally, the NBA sticker album separates from the cards and continues (temporarily?) The journey alone, creating the conditions for basketball to have a collection even with relatively low costs. Commercial choice? Need as the cards will go out with another publisher? Whatever the reason, fine.
Other good news comes from the quality of the album, although we found no creases or other problems in glossy paper, the three staples are a good omen for the final seal. At Edicola Birra, where we are based, only the sales version album has arrived, no starter packs. Too early to understand if Panini has followed the advice and improved the card in exchange for a financial contribution (and therefore no starter pack with free album), or if it is just a coincidence. We will find out with the next expected albums.
Too bad only for the quality of the stickers, perhaps with the baskets photographed in the bust as in the soccer cards (see last world championships or champions league) it would not be bad, but with the formula of the sticker in action the photos are very small and not only suffer from it a lot the quality but also the spectacular scenography that often have the game action in the NBA championship.
Going into the details of the 2023 album, the formula is similar to the previous ones but not the same. The first pages are the usual “best of” of the 2022 season, with particular reference to the top teams made up of the best players by position and the “rookies”, the potential champions of tomorrow.
With so many teams, the album naturally grants a large part of the space available to all the clubs. For each team we find two pages, large photos to highlight the actions of the 2 main players (not always ..), 13 stickers of which 9 with the team’s rose, three silver of the top players, the logo. Nothing sensational, knowing the incredible potential of Panini we can expect much more.
Last pages with the giant puzzle logo of the NBA and above all 20 “legends” stickers, a term often abused in the world of sport. Are we very curious to find out who we will find, Doctor J? Jabbar? Kobe Bryant? Michael Jordan? Larry Bird? And maybe even the oldest NBA. For example, applause would be the figurine of an absolute legend like Bill Russell, who died this summer at 88 years old.
(EN)