Sports Card Release Calendar: July 2023
While the MLB All-Star break approaches, NBA Summer League kicks into gear, and there’s a slight lull in NFL action prior to training camp heating up, the July release calendar looks strong representing all sports, including soccer, MMA and even wrestling.
There’s a solid mix for both collectors and investors, with entry-level products like Chronicles Draft Picks Football, Panini Prizm Baseball and Score Football. There’s mid-level favorites like Obsidian Basketball, Chronicles Soccer, Topps Chrome Baseball and Select UFC, and high-end releases like Impeccable Premier League Soccer, Futura Unique World Football Soccer, Encased Football and the hobby darling National Treasures Football.
Official release dates are subject to change on short notice at the discretion of the manufacturer.
July 5, 2023: 2023 Panini Chronicles Draft Picks Football
Coming right out of the NFL Draft, Chronicles Draft Picks hobby boxes feature top draft picks in college uniforms in a mixture of Panini’s different football brands, including Spectra, Optic, Contenders, Clear Vision, Plates and Patches and more. Hobby configuration includes 3 Autographs, 1 Relic, 6 Holo, 12 Optic (1 Silver per box) and 2 Spectra Inserts.
July 7, 2023: 2022-23 Panini Chronicles Soccer
This unique release is one hobby box that features three sub-boxes, one from La Liga, one from Serie A, and one from the Premier League. As is the case in Chronicles Football and Basketball releases, Panini puts multiple brands — such as Origins, Contenders Optic and even lesser known ones like Dynagon — in this hobby product. The hobby boxes feature three hits that can be autographs or relics along with 12 parallels — an increase from the nine parallels a year ago.
July 7, 2023: 2022-23 Panini Obsidian Basketball
Becoming more and more of a hobby favorite, Obsidian Basketball returns for its fifth year. Known for its cool Electric Etch Parallel Short Prints, new this year is the Neon Flood Electric Etch SSP which joins the returning lineup of Purple Electric Etch – #/99, Orange Electric Etch – #/50, Blue Electric Etch – #/30, Green Electric Etch – #/25, Yellow Electric Etch – #/10, Red Electric Etch – #/5 and White Mojo Electric Etch – 1/1. There are two parallels or inserts per hobby box. The potential inserts are Equinox, Orbital, Supernova and Tunnel Vision.
July 7, 2023: 2023 Topps Finest Baseball
Taking 100 of the top names in Major League Baseball and giving them each multiple parallels is essentially what this release is all about. For $265 a hobby box, you get two autographs, and a solid shot at 24 different parallels and 14 different insert refractors.
July 7, 2023: 2022-23 Topps Finest OTE Overtime Elite Basketball
The third release for the Overtime Elite Basketball League features several refractors in addition to a 100-card base set. Refractor – 1:3 packs, Purple Refractor – #/250, Speckle Refractor – #/175, Blue Refractor – #/150, Pink Prism Refractor – #/125, Neon Green Refractor – #/99, Aqua Wave Refractor – #/75, Gold Refractor – #/50, Orange Refractor – #/25, Red Mini-Diamond Refractor – #/5 and SuperFractor – 1/1. Featuring future NBA stars Amen and Ausar Thompson and a bunch of other young prospects, collectors get two autos per hobby box.
July 7, 2023: Futera Unique World Football Soccer
This is a higher-end soccer release for $750 per hobby box. It features 1 Hit (Memorabilia, Autograph, Gold-Plated or 1/1). It’s a limited print run of 510 total cases in circulation, designed to create rarity. As of this writing, the checklist is unavailable, but it is believed that it is based on national team kits.
July 12, 2023: 2023 Topps Tribute Baseball
Considered a higher-end baseball release, hobby boxes open at just shy of $500, including 3 Autographs or Auto Relic Card, including the main Tribute Autographs series as well as Iconic Perspectives Autographs (#/50), League Inauguration Autographs (#/99) and Tribute Tandem Books (#/25) and 3 additional relic cards. Topps Tribute features a 90-card base veterans and legends checklist, a 10-card rookie checklist, and 13 different autograph checklists.
July 14, 2023: 2022 Panini Encased Football
One of the more unique releases of the football calendar, Encased features two autos and relics per box, with one of the autos being sealed in a Panini one-touch — hence the “Encased” name. This is the case for the second straight season, as previously this was in a BGS graded slab. In addition to the four hits per hobby box, Encased features one base card with a parallel breakdown of Sapphire – #/25, Gold – #/10, Emerald – #/5 and Diamond – 1/1. Hobby boxes open at $700.
July 14, 2023: 2022-23 Topps Museum Collection UEFA Champions League Soccer
A club competition product with a 75-card base set, Museum is actually a lower priced, higher-end product at $275 per box. Each box has four base cards and one base parallel, with one autograph, one relic and one autograph relic. The auto checklist features several possible inserts, including Archival Autographs (#’d), Archival Dual Autographs (#/25) and Rookie Reverence Autographs (#’d), as well as possible parallels.
July 19, 2023: 2022-23 Panini Chronicles Basketball
Typically a super fun rip, Chronicles features two autos per hobby box, and is usually packed with a ton of rookies. The premise of Chronicles is to deliver a variety of Panini brands within the box. For example, Dynagon, Pinnacle, Score Premium, and Vertex are new to the base set, while Gold Standard, Limited, Plates & Patches, Timeless Treasures, Titanium and Gala (ultra rare) are hobby-only. Rookie autos and RPAs are the top chases, so look for top guys like Poalo Banchero and Bennedict Mathurin in Gold Standard Rookie Jersey Autographs, Phoenix Rookie Autographs, Rookie Cornerstones, Luminance Ink Autographs, Portrait Signatures, Score Premium Signatures, and Under the Lights Autographs.
July 19, 2023: 2022-23 Panini Impeccable Premier League Soccer
This Premier League-only release opens at close to $1,700 and averages four autos and one relic (which can potentially be an auto). There’s also one metal card per box that could be a Gold /10 or a Black /1. The autos can be a mix of stickers or on-card, with on-card coming in Canvas Creations, Immortal Ink and Indelible Ink inserts. The case hit is a Logo card that contains a silver or gold bar.
July 19, 2023: 2023 Score Football
The classic brand features a mix of NFL veterans in their pro uniforms but 2023 rookies in college gear. It’s a lower-priced, collector-friendly release packed with rookies, but also features an auto checklist, giving collectors a chance at rookie autos like Base Auto, Gold Zone – #/50 or less, Artist’s Proof – #/35 or less, Red Zone – #/20 or less, First Down – #/10 or less, End Zone – #/6 or less and Gem Masters – 1/1. Hobby boxes come with 4 Autographs, 36 Inserts, 10 Parallels and 90 Rookies.
July 21, 2023: 2023 Panini Prizm Baseball
At $150 per hobby box, Prizm baseball is an affordable release for collectors, but only has top prospects and former stars due to a lack of an MLBPA license. Investors should steer clear, but collectors can expect 3 autographs, 8 exclusive parallels and 12 exclusive inserts along with four Silver Prizms. Hobby inserts include Fireworks, Future Supers, Pot of Gold, Prizmatic, and Second to None, with the rare and popular Manga and Color Blast.
July 21, 2023: 2023 Panini Select Draft Picks Football
In Panini’s response to Bowman University Chrome Football, Select Draft Picks Football returns for a second year featuring licensed NCAA cards, but for both current NFL stars in their college uniforms, and for 2023 NFL Draftees in their college gear. Hobby boxes feature three autos and average three Silver Prizm cards and six additional Prizm parallels, like Zebra Prizm, Tri-Color Prizm (#/199) and Tie-Dye Prizm (#/25). There’s also six inserts per hobby box like Phenomenon, Select Certified Rookies, Select Numbers, Sensations, Snapshots, Sparks, and Turbocharged inserts.
Chase autos of guys like CJ Stroud, Will Levis, Bijon Robinson and vets like Justin Jefferson all in their licensed college unis.
July 21, 2023: 2023 Panini Select UFC MMA
Collectors can chase top fighters like Amanda Nunes and Alexander Volkanovski in the third year of Select UFC hobby boxes, with two autographs and one relic, and H2 boxes, which contain six Prizms parallels. Select’s three-tiered base set breaks down into Base Concourse, Base Premier Level and Base Octagonside subsets. Chase Octagon Action Signatures, Rookie Signatures cards, which come as limited Prizms like Gold and Tie-Dye.
It should be noted that SPs like Artistic Selections cards are only available in H2 boxes, while the new ultra-rare Color Wheel inserts are exclusive to Hobby boxes. The auto checklist features Octagon Action Signatures, Rookie Signatures (which come as limited Prizms like Gold and Tie-Dye), and relics like Sparks and Autographed Memorabilia.
July 26, 2023: 2022 Panini National Treasures Football
Here it is. The release that the majority of the hobby swoons over year-after-year, NT Football. If there’s enough in your bankroll to buy a hobby box, you’ll be treating yourself to six hits, one base card and one parallel. Your hits will be focused around hard-signed rookie patch autos, hopefully pulling a top guy like Kenny Pickett, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. The cards are beautifully designed, with the main Rookie Patch Autographs series being numbered to /99 or less. Other possibilities include The Crossover Rookie Patch Autograph (#/99 or less), featuring a throwback design and the new to 2022 Rookie Treasured Impressions (#/99 or less). Colossal Signatures (#d/49 or less) features veteran signatures only, while Rookie Signatures Field Pass (#/49 or less) feature rookie autos in sweet action shots but no patch.
July 26, 2023: 2023 Topps MLS Major League Soccer
Soccer fans can get involved at a low price point in MLS collecting. The paper release features one autograph and two relics in its hobby configuration, with a solid parallel line-up featuring the new Soccer Tile (1:4 packs) edition, and multiple foils numbered to 99 or less. Look for Base Autographs, which feature new foil parallels limited to 99 or less, the unique MLS Relics series, with parallels including Blue (#/199) and Green (#/99). There are also rare MLS Relic Autographs cards, Nameplate Patches (#/4 or less) and Team Crest Patches (1/1). For your $70 investment, you can expect 2 Relics and 1 Autograph.
July 26, 2023: 2023 Topps Chrome Baseball
Hobby boxes have one auto, and Jumbo Hobby’s have three autos, which is less than recent years. As usual, vets and rookies comprise the 220-card base set along with multiple refractor parallels. New parallels this year are the Purple Sonar Refractor (#/275), Blue Sonar Refractor (#/125) and Green Sonar Refractor (#/99), and to keep retail interesting, X-Fractor (10 per Monster Box), Sepia Refractor (two per Value Blaster) and Pink Refractor (two per Value Blaster) will be in circulation.
July 28, 2023: 2023 Panini Select WWE Wrestling
Last but not least, for the wrestling fans, Select WWE is back for a second year, featuring two autographs and one memorabilia card per Hobby box, along with 12 base parallels and nine inserts. While the Hobby-only Gold Prizms, White Prizms and Zebra Prizms are likely to have the most value as singles, inserts like And New!, Snapshots and Color Wheel will also make for great pulls.
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Paul Hickey is a regular contributor to Sports Card Investor, the creator of the Sports Card Investment Report at NoOffseason.com, and the host of the Sports Card Strategy Show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube. He can be found on Instagram at @sportscardstrategy and on Twitter @nooffseasoncard.
