2021-22 Crown Royale comes at a steep price for only eight cards but the enticement of pulling a Kaboom or rookie auto is too much for most collectors to pass up. Each box/pack contains eight cards with one auto and one relic guaranteed. No doubt we were excited to rip this as it came directly from Panini.
Well our expectations were not exactly met, I’d have to say. The pack stared off strong with Spurs star and All-Star Dejounte Murray base with Malcolm Brogdon following. The next two cards were of John Wall and Kemba Walker, neither of which played the majority of the season. Disappointing that they would even be included in the set as even their popularity has declined with their skills.
Pack opening pressed on though with excitement as the back of the relic card appeared. The Giant multi-colored logo of the Thunder shined like a beacon and the hope was that we just pulled a Josh Giddey relic. Sadly, it turned out to be Jeremiah Robinson-Earl with an Heirs to the Throne jersey relic. This was followed a bronze cracked ice Cameron Thomas rookie. Great looking card though it’s un-numbered.
Two cards remained with one guaranteed auto. After pulling the Thomas, the moment of truth. Auto… Miami Heat… blue (#/75!) … Udonis Haslem… welp. To be fair, Haslem is a warrior and is currently active at the age of 41! I will not take anything away from this man’s career (3x champ) but we were hoping for a more impactful auto, preferably a rookie.
Rounding out the pack was arguably the best card, in terms of value. A Damian Lillard Test of Time #/99.
Let’s get to the breakdown:
1 pack per box/8 cards per pack
- 1 auto – Udonis Haslem Blue #/75
- 1 relic – Jeremiah Robinson-Earl Heirs to the Throne
- 1 Test of Time Damian Lillard #/99
- 1 Bronze Crystal Cracked Ice Cameron Thomas
- 4 base cards
I happen to love die-cut cards so Crown Royale is always one of my favorites. It’s just a tough sell when you’re putting down a lot of money for such a small of cards, with no real guarantee you’ll get anything of value. But I guess, that’s the name of the game in collecting.
Overall Rating = B+
Pros
- Great design
- Guaranteed auto and relic per pack/box
Cons
- High cost
- Checklist contains barely-active players
