Other brands of basketball cards have co-opted autographed patch rookie cards, but SP Authentic is the set that really put them on the map. They're once again the main draw for 2007-08, though autographed jersey number and letter cards and other signed inserts also add to the package.
Each 24-pack box of 2007-08 SP Authentic Basketball should contain either an autographed patch RC or a signed letter or number card plus at least one other autographed card. Each pack contains five cards and carries a suggested retail price of $4.99.
Base Cards and Inserts
There are some things you can always expect from SP Authentic base cards: white backgrounds, action photos and some kind of additional element that makes it clear what sport is represented. All of those things are present for 2007-08, with the photos displayed against a basketball panel that fades to white at the edges.
Card backs have a second, close-up photo, five years of player stats and a small write-up. A total of 100 veterans gives the base set a pretty standard selection of players.
A pair of insert sets helps spice packs up just a tad. Authentic Profiles is a 60-card set that covers players ranging from rookies to legends on cards that sparkle with foil. The cards of rookies include their college stats, which is a small but nice touch.
Speaking of rookies, Destination Stardom captures 30 of them form the 2007-08 draft class. It's a pretty standard insert set, though the photos all feature the players flying to the rim.
With a relatively small base set and few inserts, you'd like to see all the veterans come out of a single box. A sample box I opened for this review almost made it there, but not quite, producing 96 of the 100 veterans (plus 10 duplicates). I also pulled 12 Authentic Profiles, or one in every other pack.
Rookie Cards
The autographed patch cards get the publicity, but there are actual four levels of rookie cards in SP Authentic this season. The first tier are normal cards numbered to 299, a group that includes players like Greg Oden and Brandan Wright who are signed to exclusive autograph deals with another company.
Next is a group of autographed rookies numbered to 999, the best of which is probably Houston Rockets import Luis Scola. The final two tiers are the autographed patch cards, with 27 numbered to 599 and six limited to 299 copies. This year's cards utilize a horizontal layout and feature on-card signatures - definitely nice to see.
My sample box did turn up one of the patch rookies, a three-color card of Gabe Pruitt of the Celtics. I also pulled an unsigned rookie of Darius Washington.
Autographed Cards
Several other long-time favorites are back to add more autographs to SP Authentic. Chirography cards present a single signature and have a varied 60-card checklist that runs from role players like Bobby Jackson all the way to His Airness himself, Michael Jordan.
Sign of the Times cards come only in multi-signed varieties for 2007-08. They include dual (#'d to 50), triple (#'d to 10), quad (#'d to 5) and six-autograph (also #'d to 5) versions with a variety of different combinations of players.
The final group of signed cards puts a player autograph on an authentic jersey number or letter, and includes the By the Number and Recruiting Class sets. These cards are visually appealing and limited to no more than 75 copies apiece, but it should be noted that the letters and numbers do not come from game-worn jerseys.
Finding a signed number card is supposed to be an either/or proposition with the autographed patch rookies, but my sample box held one of each. I found a Sam Perkins By the Number card, numbered to 25 and with his signature on a Sonics' '4.'
The Last Word
SP Authentic still has it. The cards look great and the autographed patch rookies are winners as usual, plus the name recognition the brand has going for it should help them hold up in value against other similar cards.
The only negative is that opening 24 packs looking for that patch RC or signed number card can seem like a long slog, as there don't seem like enough other elements in a box to keep the excitement level high. Perhaps a configuration change is in order, but until then, SP Authentic Basketball should continue its run as one of the most recognizable names in the hobby.