For most of the last month, Panini America NBA acquisitions maven Ivory Tabb has been on the road in one NBA city or another tracking down as many on-card autographs as possible for the upcoming 2011 Preferred Basketball. Along the way, the road-weary Tabb has regaled us with entertaining behind-the-scenes insight from some of the top stars in the game.

It should come as no surprise, then, that Tabb is traveling again this weekend — along with several other members of the Panini America — to the 2012 NBA All-Star Game in Orlando. But before she left, Tabb, , a former star on VH1′s “I Want to Work for Diddy,” provided one final batch of anecdotes and images from her just-completed cross-country Preferred tour.

Now as always, we’re sure you’ll enjoy her tales from the road, which should also give you a much deeper appreciation for the finished product when it releases later this month.

Paul George
“The Pacers were excited because they had a day off. Paul is in his second year and said he loves playing in Indiana now because they are winning. He said this was the best year of his life. He had teammate Dahntay Jones, the team prankster, with him. They told jokes back and forth the entire time. Paul just happened to walk by and I recognized him and said, ‘Oh have a seat, you’ve gotta sign some cards.’ Dahntay said I ‘straight jacked’ their schedule and made PG have a seat. Paul said he knew he had to sign cards but totally forgot. He said his pregame meal isn’t hot wings but he does need some kind of chicken. To get hyped and ready for the game he has Lil Wayne, Meek Mill and Rick Ross on heavy rotation.”

Darren Collison
Darren loves reality shows, so as soon as I walked in he said, ‘Have we meet before?’ I had to laugh and say, ‘No, we haven’t, but you may have seen me a few times.’ We started to chat about all the shows he watches and likes. He said he had a lot more time on his hands two years ago but now that he is playing a lot of minutes and they are winning, he only catches recaps. Of all the shows he mentioned, he said ‘Basketball Wives’ was a favorite for laughs. He said if he had a wife, there’s no way she could be on ‘Basketball Wives.’ He said during his first year in the NBA he ate badly. Really badly. Hot wings, burgers, fries; essentially anything he wanted. Now he’s doing better — pasta , baked chicken and other healthier choices. He said he listens to a mixture of songs from Lil Wayne, Meek Mill and Rick Ross, but he adds in R&B because he gets tired of guys screaming at him.

Eric Bledsoe
The Clippers are a fun team. They have at least five guys on the team who have deals with Panini America, so whenever they see me the guys are like, ‘Are you here for me? How many do I need to sign? Let me get this money.’ My partner in crime from Panini Authentic, Brian Bayne, took a trip to Los Angeles last month to secure Blake Griffin and our newest signee, Chris Paul. When the team came in to Dallas the only player I needed to see was Bledsoe. Eric is used to having so many autographs to sign, so when he realized he had a relatively small amount to catch up on, he sat down immediately and said, ‘Let’s do it.’ I actually joked with him that it was a good thing he had on his practice jersey on because I wouldn’t have recognized him with his hair grown out. He loves that the team is playing well and they’re now the hottest team in Los Angeles. Several of his teammates stopped by and asked for deals on the spot, saying they would be the quickest signers I’ve ever had. What’s so funny is that they all say that, then when the cards come they take their time getting them back. The best part of our signing session is we now have a very clear understanding. When Eric sees Panini America boxes of cards he will sign them immediately and get them back. I told him I was going  hold him to that since he won’t have nearly as many now.”

Ty Lawson
Ty was looking for me! That’s a first. He said the Nuggets were very tired at the moment. They had played at home the night before and didn’t get into Dallas until around 2:30 in the morning. He said this season has been mad crazy with all of the traveling so it’s a good thing I met him today or I would have never gotten these cards back. He loved the way his Silouhettes Prime card looked and actually asked if he could keep it. He breezed through signing all of his cards but when I pulled out the stickers he just groaned. I asked him why he didn’t like to sign stickers and he said the box was too small. On his card he had a head band on and I asked him how long he’s been wearing it. He said, ‘Since high school.’ After each game, even on the road, he throws it in the crowd so a fan can have it. He said he’s graduated from hot wings to pasta. But he did say that if hot wings, fries or McDonald’s is ever an option, he’d definitely take it into consideration. He listens to Lil Wayne to get hyped before a game and said he felt like Nikki Minaj lost her mind at the Grammys. I asked to rank the worst cities in the league and his choices surprised me. He went Utah, Sacramento and Minnesota. He said there’s nothing — absolutely nothing — to do in any of those cities.”

Andre Miller
This was an interesting signing. The team didn’t get in until very late and had breakfast at 11 a.m. Since there wasn’t a shoot around after that, the players just normally go up to their room and go back to sleep. This is exactly what Andre did. His agent called him several times and Ty went  and knocked on his door but got no answer. At this point, the cards are not getting signed. This is the part of the on-card signings that’s not fun: Waiting. I finished up with Ty at around 1:30 p.m., Andre’s agent called me at 3 p.m. to say that he’s not answering and he suggested I leave. The dilemma, of course, is that if I would’ve left, I wouldn’t have gotten these cards signed, so I decide to go grab lunch and come back at around 4:30 because the team would start getting on the bus at 5:15. As soon as I ordered my food, Andre’s agent called to say that he just got my message and that I should go back to the hotel to see him. When I got there he was apologetic. The first thing the players always say is, ‘I didn’t know you were even coming.’ We start signing and Sportscenter is on, so I asked him about Jeremy Lin. Andre said that it was great that Lin was in a system with Mike D’Antoni because Mike is used to having a guard run his floor. He also said that Amar’e will not have a problem because he played with Nash under Mike’s coaching and he knows what it means to allow your point guard to distribute the ball. I then asked about Carmelo Anthony and he said, ‘I’m not going to touch that. Been there, done that. But when your only concern is scoring and seeing how many points you can get. . . .’ The best part of the signing with Andre is that when it came time to take a picture he said, ‘Now how are you gong to play me like that. I just woke up to sign these cards. You can’t put me on looking this way!’

Avery Bradley
“You never realize how many guys you have deals with on the same team until after they come out of their team meeting and they all ask you about cards. Boston is definitely one of those teams. Panini America has deals with at least six players on that squad and the only one I needed to see on this day was Avery Bradley. He was supposed to sign before his team meeting but came down too late for that, so he took his stickers in the meeting with him. I raised an eye brow at that but he said, ‘Hey I’ll sit in the back and sign.’ He did just that. Afterwards we sat and he signed his Preferred cards, which he thought were hot. When talking about the cards I told him how much the pack costs and he was surprised to see people spending that type of money on cards. I told him that if you pulled a Bill Russell or a Larry Bird autographed card, then that card could usually pay for an entire other box as well. I’m glad to say that he’s more into pasta than hot wings and fries for his pregame meal. He also said he doesn’t listen to Lil Wayne to get him ready for a game, either. Actually, he thinks he’s kinda wack. On rotation on his iPhone are Jeezy and Drake. Interesting fact: Like so many other guys in the league, he loves coming back to Dallas to play (he attended elementary school and junior high in the DFW area) and for this particular game, he had to get a dozen tickets for his family and friends to watch.”

The influx of on-card autographs hitting Panini America headquarters these days is staggering not just in terms of volume but especially in terms of sheer, unadulterated collecting beauty. And for proof, I present the following assortment of images featuring new arrivals from just the last few days alone.

What you’re about to see — including key inclusions from the upcoming 2011 National Treasures Football, 2011 Totally Certified Football, 2011 Prime Signatures Football, 2011-12 Donruss Elite Hockey and 2011 Preferred Basketball — was enough to leave me weak-kneed and enamored.

Here’s hoping these cards have the same mesmerizing effects on you. And be sure to stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for continued updates in the coming days.

Not long after Walt Case retired from IBM in the late 1980s, he returned to the childhood closet of his Texas home to find that the treasure trove of sports cards he’d amassed in his youth had appreciated quite nicely. And just like that, the next chapter in Case’s life — and a proud chapter in the history of card collecting in Central Texas — began.

Case started selling cards on the side at first, through listings in trade publications, phone auctions and at weekend shows. That led to a stint covering weekends at a local card shop, where he met eventual business partner Craig Vernier. Twenty years later, the two men have transformed Card Traders of Austin into a second home for the area’s most passionate collectors.

In honor of the shop’s milestone 20th anniversary this month, we caught up with Case to get his thoughts on his whirlwind last two decades. (And stay tuned to the end of the interview for a special offer from Case for readers of The Knight’s Lance.)

What have been the secrets of your prolonged success?
“The shop is run with honesty and integrity. We value the customers that come in and some of them have been doing so for years. We get new people from time to time with the ever-growing economy here in Austin because of the burgeoning music and technological industries. This influx of new people, and our ‘lifetime customers’ have made for a wonderful mix of clientele. We pride ourselves on customer service. If a customer takes the time to come by or call the shop to request something, we take the time to find it. It is our hope that by being honest and providing customer service that we can stand out with the best shops in the country.

“In an effort to keep up with the changing avenues by which collectors receive information, we launched our website a few years back and have, in the last couple of years, become active on Facebook. We carry all sorts of products from sports cards and sports collectibles to gaming products to non-sports trading card products to memorabilia to supplies and much, much more.”

How has the business changed for you in your 20 years?
“The number of people interested, and their reasoning behind the interest, has changed. There seem to be fewer collectors and more investors in the marketplace. It used to be that we sold more single cards than packs and boxes. Now, it is the complete opposite. More folks want  to pull that special card and sell it, as opposed to place it in their collection. I miss the days of set building being so active. I enjoyed building sets as a kid, and would love to see more of that. In fact, there have been a few folks of late coming in and looking to finish up some sets. I welcome more.”

What have been some of your biggest highlights?
“I would say the biggest highlight is knowing I have been able to help the hobbyists in Central Texas for 20 years now. I have been given the pleasure of remaining in a hobby I so thoroughly enjoyed as a kid for all these years. I still enjoy the interaction with the people that come in. I get a kick out of it.”

What are some tips that you would pass on to other store owners?
“Never turn away a sale. Treat every person as the best customer. And answer the question, ‘Are you buying?’ with the same answer every time. ‘Yes.’ Every shop should be buying every day. Make an offer you feel comfortable with and be honest about how you came about that offer. If the person declines, then wish them the very best. Ultimately, you must be open to receiving offers to continue to breathe new life into your inventory.”

What specific promotion have you found to be most successful with your customers?
“Midnight Madness is held twice annually, usually once in the spring and once in the fall. All goods in the shop are on sale from 10 percent to 50 percent off. We offer a program whereby students can earn up to $10 in store credit by bringing in their most current report card. We offer $2 for each ‘A’ in a core course. Being as teachers help those students, we reward them with 10 percent off any purchase any time. They simply need to show their teacher credentials. We support our armed forces and police by offering them 10 percent discounts, again with proper identification.

“And the most famous promotion we have, and one that is present every day that we’re open, is ‘The Wheel.’ The wheel is famous in Austin. The cost of a spin is $1, and each and every item on the wheel is valued at $1 or more, so it is not gambling. The highest-value prize on the wheel is $10 in single cards, but I would say the most popular prizes are the grab bags. Wheel spinners of all ages have enjoyed the wheel, and some folks come by and ask, ‘Yeah, a friend of mine told me about some wheel? Where is that?’ Like I said, it’s famous around these parts.”

How do you feel out the future of your business?
“I would have thought the downturn in the economy would have been more than what this hobby could support. Fortunately for us, there is still enough interest in the hobby for us to remain open and thrive. We’ve been here for 20 years, and have had so much fun at it. We want to be here another 20 at least.

“To your readers, if you want to come by and have a spin on the Wheel? Bring in a copy of this article, and you get one spin on the house, compliments of the fine folks at Card Traders of Austin.”

It started way back in April, almost 10 months ago, with a simple post: “Collectors’ Choice: You Make the Call for a Special Insert in 2011-12 Hoops Basketball.” It was a post spurred by Panini America NBA Brand Manager David Porter, who asked whether or not readers of “The Knight’s Lance” might be interested in selecting an insert set for the product.

My response, quicker than electricity, was an adamant, over-the-top “absolutely.” In fact, I contended that you would be so interested that we should give you — the collective “Knight’s Lance” audience — complete autonomy over the set. And from there, “A Night to Remember” took on a life of its own.

Through a series of unique polls conducted right here, you selected the theme of the insert, the name of the insert, the checklist for the insert and even the design of the insert. From start to finish, the passion-packed polling process took just more than a month and included some of the most intense and inspiring collector interaction we’ve seen in quite some time. And for that, we thank you.

Now, almost eight months later, everyone at Panini America is proud to say that your insert set — the one you hand-picked from start to finish — is completed and will be live in packs of 2011-12 NBA Hoops beginning next week. To be sure, the 20-card set is a history-maker for it represents likely the first time a major trading card manufacturer has turned over the Product Development reins directly to collectors.

So, from us to you: Kudos for a job extremely well done.

Below you’ll find exclusive images of every card in the set — front and back. But before you do that, know that Porter just hand-delivered to me a complete 20-card “A Night to Remember” set. And we’re going to give it away as a “thank you” to one lucky reader who participated in the polling process.

Thanks again for your participation and stay tuned to “The Knight’s Lance” for more opportunities just like this.

The sudden onset of Linsanity has sent fans and collectors all over the globe scurrying back to last season’’s NBA-licensed products from Panini America looking for Jeremy Lin gems that as recently as last month were little more than hobby afterthoughts.

And that international hunt has brought back to the surface a printing error that occurred in 2010-11 Prestige Basketball, the first product from Panini America’’s second season as the exclusive NBA trading card manufacturer.

Released in September of 2010, 2010-11 Prestige Basketball included a wrong-back printing error that inadvertently placed autograph authentication copy on the backs of every base Rookie Card in the set. None of the base RCs were intended to be autographed and none of the base RCs were autographed.

The autograph authentication copy wrongly placed on those card backs was intended for the Bonus Shots autographed RC parallels.

It was pretty big news at the time and Panini America Customer Service officials have communicated the mistake directly with collectors in the months since. But with Lin driving interest in all of last season’’s NBA releases (including 2010-11 Prestige Basketball), we felt it necessary to bring it up again. Now as then, Panini America regrets the error.

Most passionate baseball fans would have a difficult time determining exactly which of the following developments is more exciting: Pitchers and catchers from around the majors reporting to spring training or the release of 2011 Playoff Contenders Baseball.

The former happened over the weekend. The latter arrives later this week. Both, however, are sure to be met with open arms by baseball fans and collectors across the country. We got our first intimate look at 2011 Playoff Contenders Baseball this morning — and we liked what we saw.

We could attempt to wax poetic about the myriad niceties of the product that follows closely on the heels of the popular 2011 Donruss Elite Extra Edition release, but we figured we’d let the following 40 images do our talking for us.

Enjoy this extended look at the product and stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for additional information.

Last Friday we tipped the weekend off right with a smashing sneak peek at 2011-12 NBA Hoops Basketball and promised an expanded examination of the first NBA card set since last September’s release of 2010-11 Elite Black Box. Today we make good on that promise.

Above you’ll find a splendid and revealing video shot Friday at the Panini America printing facility that includes exclusive footage straight from the production line and from the quality control room, where Panini America NBA brand developers Keith Hower and Wes Elliott provide more insight on 2011-12 NBA Hoops. Below, you’ll find 34 additional images that we didn’t show you on Friday.

Enjoy this extended sneak peek and stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for additional coverage.

(Oh, and thanks as always to the deft cinematic stylings of Tom “The Ripper” Key for his work on the video.)

Through an informal Facebook and Twitter poll Saturday night, we asked Panini America fans what they would rather see today: A behind-the-scenes video and additional images from 2011-12 NBA Hoops packout or a sneak peek of the upcoming 2011-12 Panini Titanium Hockey.

Although voting was close as hoops and hockey fans weighed in feverishly, it appears that additional NBA Hoops coverage will have to wait until Monday. This Sunday will be devoted to exclusive glimpses of the first Titanium Hockey release in seven years.

Titanium as we know it burst onto the hockey scene just after the Y2K scare did, the brainchild of now-defunct Pacific Trading Cards that delivered Rookie Cards limited to the featured players’ jersey numbers. The brand took scarce RCs to an entirely new level and created tremendous buzz every step of the way.

That buzz will return in a big way with the early April release of Panini America’s 2011-12 Titanium Hockey, a re-imagined remake of a hobby classic that delivers an autograph or memorabilia card in every four-card pack and one scarce RC limited to the featured player’s sweater number in every case. So Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, for example, will have a Rookie Card limited to a maximum of just 93 copies.

Titanium packs carry a $20 SRP and will be packaged five to a box, with each case delivering two eight-box mini cases.

To be sure, the product highlights are many and include:

• Home Sweaters Autographs featuring signatures and a pair of game-worn jersey swatches
• Hat Tricks memorabilia cards injected with three pieces of game-worn memorabilia
• Four Star and Six Star memorabilia cards featuring either four or six pieces of game-worn memorabilia
• Quad Memorabilia Autos including superstar signatures and four pieces of game-worn or game-used memorabilia
• Game-Worn Gear Patches injected with some of the thickest, sickest patches of the season

Enjoy this exclusive sneak peek at the product and stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for additional information on the product as the April 4 release date approaches.

For those countless passionate collectors out there who’ve waited way too long for some new NBA trading cards to consume, we’ve got terrific news: Panini America’s 2011-12 NBA Hoops Basketball is coming — and it is spectacular.

That’s my quick assessment of the product after spending most of the morning with Keith Hower and Wes Elliott – two of Panini America’s NBA Product Development folks — at the company printing facility across town packing out the throwback juggernaut and quality controlling it.

From the updated photography to the Glossy parallels to the two autographs per box to the bevy of inserts to the price point ($1 per pack at retail; $2 per pack at hobby), 2011-12 NBA Hoops has the look of an instant classic. Oh, and it also has the first base cards and autographs of global sensation Jeremy Lin as a member of the New York Knicks.

Simply there’s something to love in this product from the first pack to the last. The product begins shipping Monday, so collectors everywhere will start discovering that firsthand soon. But until then, the following images taken this morning should provide a jubilant crash course in what collectors can expect.

Enjoy it, and stay tuned to The Knight’s Lance for tons more coverage of the first NBA product of the new season, including more images and exclusive video from the printing facility floor.

All this talk about Jeremy Lin (which we absolutely love, by the way) has served to swipe some of the spotlight away from another young player enjoying a spectacular season in his own right: Cleveland Cavaliers No. 1 overall pick Kyrie Irving.

Panini America signed Irving — a player Dime Magazine recently called Cleveland’s “New King” — to an exclusive agreement in late June. And earlier this week, Panini Authentic point man Brian Bayne traveled to Cleveland to conduct the company’s first signing with the NBA’s leading rookie scorer (18.2 ppg).

To be sure, Bayne made the most of his time with Irving, securing the standout’s distinctive signature on several new items that will be available for sale on the Panini Authentic Website in the coming days. Bayne also brought the ultimate Irving souvenir back to Panini America HQ — a pair of signed and game-worn sneakers that Irving wore for several games in early January.

And before you ask, yes, those shoes will be available on the site, too. So check Panini Authentic often and enjoy the following glimpses of Irving’s first Panini America signing. Trust us, there will be more.