The Great Fakeout

Today I had a doctor's appointment near my Target and since I had a bike pump to return there it only made sense to check out the cards.  I didn't know what cards I was in the mood for but there was a sale on 2015-16 Panini Threads basketball.  The packs were a dollar off so that sealed my fate.

When I reached for a pack out of the box, the first one I picked up felt heavier than normal.  I assure you I was not pack searching and this was literally the first one I touched.  I picked up another pack to see if my hunch was correct and I was right; the second pack felt lighter.  I quickly put down the second pack and moved on because I was irrationally worried that someone would think I was pack searching.  The day before I had watched a Youtube video where some guy explained how he confronted a pack searcher, who was doing things like weighing packs on a scale and amassed about 10 packs worth of probable hits. So while I was not doing anything suspicious, I was still nervous for some reason.

I happily paid for my pack and I even waited until I got home to open it rather than doing it right outside the store.  I wanted to make sure no one would see me get a hit card.  When I got home I went straight for the thick card and this is what I saw:

FOOLED!

Nothing.  It was a darn decoy card!  I should have expected this.  Oh well.  Let's see what I actually got instead.

It's too bad the foil doesn't scan well.

 I ended up with some decent cards.  I'm always glad to get Celtics cards and #36 is my favorite number so I doubly liked getting Smart since his jersey is #36.  Kevin Love may not be earning his pay this NBA Finals but I always liked watching him in college.  Paul Pierce! Another Celtics card, except he's actually in a Clippers uniform reunited with Doc Rivers.  The Celtics former Big 3 (plus Rondo) are still some of my favorite players.

I'd rate the base set as just okay.  Nothing stands out about it and I don't like the silver foil bar.  The front also feels too dark to me.

Back base

The back of the cards look better with some more color.  The backs are also stylized  with some jersey-like look, i.e., the "threads."

Century Greats Insert

My sole insert card from the pack but I really like it.  Panini fully incorporated a threads look into this insert.  The old school photos are also fun to look at.  No information on the back but for an insert I suppose that's a lot to ask for.

I was disappointed about the lack of a relic card.  However, the Smart and Pierce cards, along with the Elgin Baylor insert, help make up the difference.

I doubt I will buy any more Threads packs not because I have a sour taste in my mouth but rather I don't care for the base cards.  At $4.50 a pack, Threads isn't doing itself any favors, either.

I hope your pack hunt this weekend is better than mine!