Ranking The Best Panini Mosaic Basketball Stained Glass Inserts of All Time
Mosaic Basketball is one of Panini’s best products, both from a price perspective and the overall card design that comes along with it. When it comes to the latter, though, there’s only one offering from the set that stands out among collectors - Stained Glass.
Although the card has been present before Mosaic Basketball was first introduced as a standalone set for the 2019-20 NBA season, the Stained Glass insert reached new heights as the product’s case hit. Since then, there have been six versions of it released under this Panini product.
As the name suggests, the insert’s look revolves around the use of stained glass pieces being illuminated by different colors and arranged into a visual masterpiece. It also features the hottest names in the NBA for each season since 2019, such as LeBron James, Stephen Curry, and Luka Doncic, among others.
As seen in a post by Card Hedger on Instagram, there have been varying designs of Stained Glass since Mosaic Basketball was released in 2020. While there are similarities to the design, each edition offers a unique take on the concept used by Panini for this insert.
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With Panini set to lose its NBA license to Topps soon, the latest Mosaic Basketball set and Stained Glass insert may potentially be the last collectors will get for the foreseeable future. We take a look below at these six variations and rank them according to how good they look.
6. 2021
Starting off our list is the Stained Glass insert design from Panini’s 2021 Mosaic Basketball set. It features a colorful look that has a window-type element in the background and the insert’s name above. The player is found dead center with his name and team right below.
The 2021 Stained Glass is right at the bottom of this list due to a lackluster design that really doesn’t pop out of the card. The placement of the insert’s name at the top also takes away from the card’s overall look.
5. 2020
The 2020 Stained Glass stands out from its peers, thanks to basketball-centric look paired with a green and blue color theme. The Mosaic logo is found above and the player’s name and team adorn the bottom portion of the card.
However, only the colored pieces can be attributed to the Stained Glass concept of this variation. If that was taken away, collectors will be left with a generic card design. Nevertheless, Panini gets bonus points for attempting to a new design in this particular edition.
4. 2019
The 2019 edition of this insert was the first introduced under the Mosaic banner. It featured an eye-catching window design set against a striking silver background. The overall look highlighted the player in the center and made him seem like an actual piece of art.
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The thing is, the insert’s design doesn’t necessarily elevate anything at all. Unlike other variations, its simplicity doesn’t fare well with other editions of the card. Fortunately, this comes from the first standalone Mosaic Basketball set, making it a must-have for those collecting the product.
3.2024
The latest Stained Glass release from Panini’s 2024-25 Mosaic set comes with a design that leans more on straight lines than angular elements. The logo, player name, and team are down at the bottom, which helps drive focus on the NBA star on the center.
While the overall design looks good, Panini’s use of a dual color scheme instead of a multicolor approach somehow dulls the insert. Even if that’s the case, the last Stained Glass from this Panini product is sure to have a lot of collectors chasing it in the weeks to come.
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2. 2022
2022’s Stained Glass uses a flower-like design in the back of the player with circular elements highlighting him. The Mosaic logo is back on top while the name is down at the bottom. Interestingly, Panini chose to use a team logo instead of writing it near the NBA star’s name.
The end result is a striking look that manages to capture the attention of anyone holding the card. It gets even better if a collector ends up with a jersey color match, such as that of Luka Doncic in a blue Dallas Mavericks jersey.
1. 2023
Topping the list is the 2023 edition of Mosaic’s Stained Glass. Like the 2020 variant, the player comes in a full body profile. This year, though, features a complex angular design that boasts multiple colors to achieve a stunning stained glass look.
With big names featured in the set, such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Nikola Jokic, LeBron James, and Giannis Antetokounmpo, collectors will get their money’s worth chasing cards from this year’s Stained Glass.Add the chance to get rookie cards of Victor Wembanyama here, and there’s no reason not to splurge on this insert.
With the lates Mosaic product set to be the last featuring players in the respective NBA jerseys, it’s going to be hard finding a replacement for this insert. In any case, just getting a good player out of any edition is a big win for collectors already.
Julio Munar is a sports and culture writer. His expertise revolves around the NBA, but his passion is sports cards and collectibles. He has written for ClutchPoints and The Manila Times, among other outlets.