2018-19
Paninibasketball
2018-19 Panini Contenders Optic Basketball Hobby Box
What are these options?
- Hobby Box
- The full-size box sold through card shops rather than big-box stores. It has the most packs and the best odds, and most modern hobby boxes guarantee at least one autograph or memorabilia card. Pack and card counts vary by product line. Older listings sometimes call this a wax box.
| Format | In USAUSD | In CanadaCAD | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hobby Box |  |
$1,200 | ||
These are the best prices we could find for this product across the 2 retailers we follow for 2018-19 Panini Contenders Optic, checked daily. Prices move constantly and stock sells out; always confirm on the retailer’s own page before buying.
Checking eBay for sealed boxes…
Other releases of Panini Contenders Optic
Frequently asked
Who's 2018-19 Panini Contenders Optic for?
The deep end. People buy this chasing top rookie patch autos and legend signatures, and the price reflects it.
What makes Contenders Optic different from regular Contenders?
Optic adds chromium shine and multiple colorful parallels to the base design. Think of it like how Donruss Optic relates to regular Donruss. You get the same core autographs and inserts but with a premium, shiny look and more parallel tiers to chase.
What are the key rookie autographs in this set?
Luka Doncic, Trae Young, Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, and Jaren Jackson Jr. are the marquee 2018 draft class rookies. They appear in Rookie Ticket Autographs with multiple parallel versions, including rare 1/1 Gold Vinyl cards.
How do the parallels work?
Base and rookie autographs come in Red, Silver, Blue (/99), Orange (/25), Gold (/10), Gold Vinyl (1/1), and Printing Plates (1/1 in Black, Cyan, Magenta, and Yellow). Higher tiers are progressively scarcer.
What's included in a typical hobby box?
Each box has just one pack of six cards: one autograph, two inserts, two parallels, and one base card. It's a small, focused product designed to guarantee a signature.
Are there veteran and legend autographs too?
Yes. Veteran Ticket Autographs feature non-rookies, and Legendary Contenders Autographs include Hall of Famers like Magic Johnson, Jerry West, and Hakeem Olajuwon with print runs of /99, /49, or /10.
What are the Tribute Autographs?
These use retro designs from 1981 Donruss, 1998, 2003, and 2007 Contenders. Players on the tribute cards match rookies from those original seasons. For example, Vince Carter appears on a 1998 Contenders Tribute card.
What other inserts should I know about?
Superstar Die-Cuts are instantly recognizable by their unique shapes. There's also Hall of Fame Contenders, Historic MVPs, Historic Rookies of the Year, and Playing the Numbers Game inserts.
When did 2018-19 Panini Contenders Optic come out?
It dropped July 31, 2019.
What's in a 2018-19 Panini Contenders Optic hobby box?
1 pack per box, 6 cards per pack. Each box contains 1 autograph, 2 inserts, 2 parallels, and 1 base card.
What's the cheapest 2018-19 Panini Contenders Optic hobby box right now?
Cheapest we're tracking is $1199.95 USD. Prices update daily, and the trend arrow on this page shows which way it's been moving.
Where can I buy 2018-19 Panini Contenders Optic?
We track listings across the major North American card shops and surface the best price up top. The Buy on eBay links go through the eBay Partner Network.
2018-19 Panini Contenders Optic Basketball
2018-19 Panini Contenders Optic Basketball is a chromium take on Contenders with hard-signed Rookie Ticket Autographs as the main draw, plus colorful parallels and retro tribute cards. Each hobby box contains just one pack of six cards but guarantees an autograph.
Autographs
1 Autograph per box on average
On average per hobby box
- 2 Insert cards (Superstar Die-Cuts, Hall of Fame Contenders, Historic MVPs, etc.)
- 2 Parallel cards (Red, Silver, Blue, Orange, Gold, or Gold Vinyl)
- 1 Base Season Ticket card
Inserts to watch
- Rookie Ticket Autographs Hard-signed on-card autographs of 2018 draft class rookies like Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Deandre Ayton, with multiple parallel tiers down to 1/1 Gold Vinyl.
- Rookie Season Ticket Autographs Base rookie autographs numbered #101-130 with parallels including Red, Blue, Orange, Gold, and Gold Vinyl versions.
- Contenders Tribute Autographs Retro-themed autographs using designs from 1981 Donruss, 1998, 2003, and 2007 Contenders, featuring legends like Vince Carter, Dirk Nowitzki, and Kevin Durant.
- Superstar Die-Cuts Instantly recognizable insert set with unique die-cut shapes featuring star players.
- Legendary Contenders Autographs Signed cards of Hall of Famers and legends like Magic Johnson, Jerry West, and Hakeem Olajuwon with print runs down to /49.
Fast facts
- Released
- July 31, 2019
- Box config
- 1 pack per box, 6 cards per pack. Each box contains 1 autograph, 2 inserts, 2 parallels, and 1 base card.
- Set size
- 130 cards
- Top rookie
- Luka Doncic
6 CARDS
PER PACK
=
1 PACKS
PER BOX
Last 30 days
Canadian prices in CAD, American in USD. A break in a price line means every shop was sold out that day; a day we did not scrape carries the last known price forward.