The 2022 National Treasures Baseball Card set was released by Panini America on April 6th, 2022. National Treasures is consistently one of the hobby’s most highly anticipated high-end releases each year due to its impeccable craftsmanship and hugely valuable autograph and memorabilia cards inserted at extremely low odds.
The 2022 offering contains 150 cards total inside its jumbo-sized collection. It maintains National Treasures’ tried and true formula of including autographed, swatch, memorabilia, inscription, printing plate, and relic cards of all of baseball’s biggest stars mixed in with extremely low numbered parallel and serial numbered versions of base cards. An enormous amount of care and attention to detail goes into each intricate National Treasures card, making them true works of intricate art that serve as keepsakes for collector’s prized collections.
Perhaps the most notable aspect of 2022 National Treasures is its inclusion of several one-of-one autograph and memorabilia cards of players like Shohei Ohtani, Ronald Acuña Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr. and more. Panini hand-crafts each 1/1 card to feature intricate memorabilia, autographs or inscriptions seemingly pulled straight from a player’s personal collection of career artifacts. They often feature game-used equipment like bats, jerseys or cleats paired with on-card autos. These singular cards regularly fetch thousands, and sometimes tens of thousands of dollars at resale due to their sheer uniqueness.
The base cards in 2022 have also received an upgrade, now featuring intricate player artwork blended seamlessly behind photography on a textured canvas-style background. Each player’s name and team logo is elegantly stamped directly onto the artwork adding an extra layer of premium style. Serial numbered parallels like Gold (#/10), Platinum (#/5) and Black (#/1) versions give collectors rarer options to hunt. The set also boasts printing plates and 1/1 printing plates of stars which are true collector hobby treasures.
When it comes to high-end autographs and memorabilia, National Treasures continues to raise the bar. In addition to an abundance of standard on-card autographs from the game’s biggest names, Panini went all out with one-of-one dual memorabilia cards. A few examples include a 1/1 Ohtani card featuring his game worn jersey paired with a signed bat knob, a similarly crafted Acuña Jr. 1/1, and a gorgeous Tatis Jr. card pairing a signed jersey with a piece of one of his broken bats.
Additionally, Panini’s extensive archives and connections within pro teams allowed them to incorporate true once-in-a-lifetime game relics. A 1/1 card paired a piece of Barry Bonds’ record-setting 756th home run ball with his auto. A stunning 1/1 featured a swatch from Derek Jeter’s famous “Flip Play” in the 2001 ALDS paired with his auto. Also landing in the hands of a lucky collector was a true piece of Cubs World Series history – a 1/1 featuring a swatch from the uniform Kris Bryant was wearing when he made the final putout in the 2016 World Series clinching game paired with his auto. Cards like these will undoubtedly become untouchable centerpieces in the collections of their new owners.
Overall, Panini delivered yet another extraordinary National Treasures release with the 2022 edition. With immaculately crafted designs, low print runs, and true historical artifacts from the game embedded within its cards, National Treasures continues to raise the bar as one of the hobby’s most coveted high-end releases. While only available in highly limited quantities, the cards will keep collectors on the hunt and provide value, enjoyment and appreciation for the game’s history for years to come. Whether collecting the incredible one-of-one treasures or chasing parallels and stars through retail or the secondary market, National Treasures 2022 offers a unifying love and passion for the game across borders that few other releases can match. It’s easy to see why the National Treasures brand has become synonymous with the crême de la crême of the modern sports card collecting hobby.
