Panini redemption trade-in program can be worth the wait

Redemption cards aren't fun for anyone -- card-makers, dealers or collectors -- but one of Panini America's key stops at its booth at the National Sports Collectors Convention each year is the one for its redemption trade-in program.

Some collectors will stop by with a stack of redemptions, others just a handful. If they take the time to get in line, they'll all leave with something from a selection of key cards, wax boxes, Black Boxes or in some cases Panini Rewards points if they want them, allowing them to select their own assortment of new stuff.

How does it work? For the last seven years, it's been a tiered system depending on the value of what they have.

In my case, I had a pair of National Treasures printing plate/patch autos that I had been waiting on for nearly a year along with a Hall of Famer auto and a handful of smaller auto cards that I've had in the system. (I actually have another sitting somewhere unscratched but cards like that one don't count if you haven't entered them into the system or present them at the booth.) I've had some decent returns from the trade-in at past shows, so I contemplated whether to do it this year or not. I actually drafted the plate/patch autos in some breaks -- so the potential for unopened wax could be risky but the allure of Black Box possibilities was there.

I instantly accepted the Black Box when it was presented to me, clearing out everything in my redemptions and knowing there would be just one card inside -- one that can have big potential. I'm not super-picky (or trying to get rich on this one) but the one-card situation is as wham-bam as it gets -- it's over fast and you'll either love it instantly or have you pondering life if you considered selling the box unopened if its contents find doesn't suit your collecting tastes. (The market can be brisk for these boxes at show time -- and that entered my mind for about a millisecond ... right after I peeled off the first security sticker.)

I got a bit of a surprise -- especially compared to my less-than-a-handful of times I've experienced Black Box breaks in the past. In this one? A 2015-16 Panini Flawless NBA Super Signatures card of "The Brow," Anthony Davis with a 1/1 2018 National stamping. Considering his popularity in the past and this being a card from a premium brand, it definitely felt like a win at the Panini booth. I haven't really observed what this year's Black Boxes have yielded, but I had one simple thought as I checked out my new card and my first notable piece for Davis.

"That was worth the wait."

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