Here are my top 5 favourite products right now, and why.
1) 11/12 Upper Deck Exquisite
* Quality feel to the cards - nice weight and very solid feel in hand
* Nice timeless design that looks elegant now, and should stand the test of time
* All autographs are on card - no stickers, period
* All cards are in the box - no redemptions, period
* Great checklist of players - very few players who you've never heard of, and most of the ones that do come up were at least famous in their time
* Great value - every 3 box case always has two big boxes (usually one is a Jordan, and the other a Lebron) so you have about 66% chance of getting more value than you paid for (currently $330 USD at D&A)
* Tin can be reused later - can fit about 8-10 mag sealed cards
2) 13/14 Panini Immaculate
* Fantastic quality build - in hand feel is up there with Exquisite
* Fantastic card design - just enough colour to make the cards interesting, but just enough white space to ensure they don't look cluttered or busy.
* Some really fantastic inserts and parallels - especially the patches and the acetate covered parallels (layer of acetateon the top and bottom makes the card feel like it's laminated in glass - super cool)
* Good quality breaks...most boxes will give you at least 2-3 nice cards, and you don't often get cards of scrubs or major box busts
* Most autos are on card, through I believe there are still SOME stickers (there shouldn't be)
* Lots of fun to bust because there are so many cool inserts, so many hits per box, and because the cards themselves look fun and quality
3) 2013 Upper Deck All-Time Greats
* Excellent quality build, on par with exquisite
* Timeless and classic design style
* Nice variety in the insert designs - ranges from white (base signatures) to black to shiny silver (Die cut cards) so there is plenty of variety to keep it interesting, if a bit lacking in colour
* All autographs are on card
* No redemptions
* Base cards look cool enough on their own, plus are actually hold some value
* Probably the best checklist of any product - the players may not all be worth big money, but every player in this set is a current or future hall of famer
* Solid value: you can get a 3-box mini case for $160 USD, and each of these mini cases has a 50% change of hitting an MJ Auto. If you don't, there is also the chance of a Lebron as a consolation prize.
* Lots of fun to break because the player you get is on the window of the inner tin, so the room always fills with suspense while you open the box and sliding out that tin! Chance of hot boxes makes it even more suspenseful.
4) 2013/14 Leaf Best of Basketball
* High risk, high reward nature adds a ton of suspense to box breaks
* You have absolutely no clue what card, player or even era you are going to get - this adds even more suspense
* The ablity to get a super rare historical card that you could never get in any other pack at this price (e.g. Jordan RC, Bird/Magic/Erving RC, Lebron Exquisite RC)
* Nothing else needs to be said - for me the all of the above sells this box!
5) 2013/14 Upper Deck Black
* Great card quality, on part with Exquisite / Immaculate / ATG
* Dependable design that (while a little old now) still looks classy and should age well
* Some really cool inserts (Arena Art, Rookie Acetate cards, 9 x auto cards, etc)
* All autos (except Jordan Brand Classic) are on card
* Redemptions do exist, but are pretty rare
* Ablity to hit Jordan / Lebron cards is always a bonus for any UD product
That's my list!
P.s.
I must admit I'm also pretty intrigued by the new Panini Paramount cards...will have to bust a box one day and see how I like them!
