Panini National Treasures explained: box and RPAs
How a Panini National Treasures box works, how the set's numbers split into base, rookie signature and RPA blocks, and the RPA versions by print run.
By the Rip.fan Editorial Team.
Published 6 min read
Panini National Treasures is a high-end set sold as a one-pack box, and most of the cards in that pack are signed, hold a piece of memorabilia, or both. For 2025 football, a box holds about eight autograph or memorabilia cards, plus one base card or insert and one parallel. Even the base cards carry a serial number, to 99. The rookie cards collectors call RPAs, short for rookie patch autographs, sit in their own block of card numbers, 156 to 202, and they come in 22 versions, base included, from 99 copies down to 1 of 1.
What is in a National Treasures box?
A single pack. These are the two most recent editions:
| 2025 football | 2024-25 basketball | |
|---|---|---|
| Release date | February 18, 2026 | August 15, 2025 |
| Packs per box | 1 | 1 |
| Cards per box | Not settled; see below | 9 |
| Autograph and memorabilia cards | About 8 | 4 autographs and 4 relics |
| Other cards | 1 base card or insert, 1 parallel | 1 base card or parallel |
| Boxes per case | 4 | 4 |
Box contents are averages, so one box can differ from the next.
Two other formats exist. A 1st Off the Line (FOTL) box, which comes out before the hobby box, includes an exclusive Rookie Patch Autograph: a Stars & Stripes version numbered to 25 or fewer in football, and an FOTL version numbered to 20 or fewer in basketball. Basketball also has a smaller Hobby International box with two autographs and two relics. Our guide to sports card sets by tier shows where these one-pack boxes sit against base-set and chromium boxes.
How are the card numbers organized?
In blocks. In 2025 football, the main numbered run moves from the base cards to the rookies, and each rookie block has its own kind of card:
| Card numbers | Set | Cards | Print run of the main version |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 to 100 | Base, current and retired players | 100 | 99 |
| 101 to 155 | Rookie Signatures | 44, with gaps | 99 or fewer |
| 156 to 202 | Rookie Patch Autographs | 42, with gaps | 99 or fewer |
| 206 to 220 | Rookie Patches, with no signature | 15 | 99 |
Travis Hunter’s RPA is card 156 and his Rookie Patches card is 210. A Base Premium set of 35 cards, numbered to 35, uses numbers from the same 1 to 100 range, but not each player’s base number: Trevor Lawrence is card 45 in the base set and card 36 in Base Premium.
Some rookies have no main version at all. Seven Rookie Signatures cards and one RPA are marked “no base”, meaning the card exists only in its other versions. That one RPA, Derrick Harmon’s, comes only at a run of 2.
Do the same colors carry the same runs?
Not always. The same color name can carry a different print run in each block of the set.
| Version | Base cards (1 to 100) | Rookie Signatures | Rookie Patch Autographs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Purple | 75 | 49 | 49 |
| Holo Silver | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| Holo Gold | 15 | 10 | 10 |
Gold has a run of 35 on base cards and Rookie Signatures; Midnight a run of 20 on base cards and Rookie Patch Autographs; Emerald a run of 10 on base cards and 5 on Rookie Signatures; and Platinum a run of 1 on base cards and Rookie Signatures, with the Platinum NFL Shield at 1 on Rookie Patch Autographs.
The base cards also come in a Stars & Stripes version numbered to 13. A Jersey Number Red version exists too. In practice, “Holo Gold” in a listing means little until you know the block. Our guide to sports card parallels explains how numbered colors work.
How do the RPA versions line up by print run?
This is the 2025 football Rookie Patch Autographs ladder, sorted by run.
| Print run | RPA versions |
|---|---|
| 99 | Base RPA |
| 98 or fewer, by card | Green Jersey Number |
| 49 | Purple |
| 35 | Premium |
| 25 | Holo Silver, Stars & Stripes Holo Silver |
| 20 | Midnight |
| 13 | Stars & Stripes Premium |
| 10 | Holo Gold, Premium Gold, Stars & Stripes Blue |
| 5 | Black |
| 2 | Red Brand Logo, Stars & Stripes Red Brand Logo |
| 1 | Midnight Moon, Platinum NFL Shield, Stars & Stripes Platinum NFL Shield, Premium Gold Vinyl, Red, printing plates |
Two things stand out. First, two versions can share a run and still be different cards, so a “/10” RPA could be a Holo Gold, a Premium Gold or a Stars & Stripes Blue. Second, the Stars & Stripes versions are the ones tied to FOTL boxes.
The Green Jersey Number run changes from card to card. It tops out at 98, and the Jacksonville cards come in runs of 12 and 33. Not every rookie comes in every version.
What the patch piece itself should be, a logo, a tag or a shield, is covered in our guide to patch cards and RPAs. For basketball, the 2024-25 RPAs add a Logoman version.
What else is in the set?
A great deal. In 2025 football, beyond the main numbered run there are 55 autograph sets, 2 cut signature sets, 19 memorabilia sets and 5 insert sets, plus an update list of autographs from earlier products. A few of the larger ones:
- Century Materials, 100 memorabilia cards numbered to 99, with colored versions running from a Gold numbered to 49 down to a Platinum 1 of 1.
- Colossal Signatures, 21 signed memorabilia cards numbered to 49, whose Prime versions include a Prime Logos (2) and a Prime NFL Shield (1).
- NFL Shields, 70 cards, and NFL Shields Dual, 30 cards, every one a 1 of 1.
- Rookie Jumbo Prime Signatures Booklet, 25 booklet cards numbered to 99, and Rookie First Edition Signatures Booklet, 15 numbered to 99.
The memorabilia card and autograph card entries have the short definitions, and our guide to autographs, patches and short prints covers how these cards fit into products generally.
How to check a National Treasures card before you buy
- Find the card number. In 2025 football, an RPA should sit between 156 and 202.
- Name the version, then match the serial number to that version’s run in the table above. Remember that several versions share a run.
- Match the patch piece to the version’s name: a logo in a logo version, a shield in a shield version.
- Check whether the signature is on the card or on a sticker, as our guide to sticker and on-card autographs explains, and see how to check an autograph card for the rest.
- Price the exact version from recent sales, as our guide to finding what a card sold for explains.
Rip.fan’s card price lookup covers English Pokémon cards only, so sold listings are where to price these cards. If you plan to grade a thick card, the grading cost calculator lists service levels, prices and estimated waits. Our guide to reading a sports card checklist explains the codes, our guide to Panini Select covers a Panini set built in tiers, and the sports cards hub lists the rest.
Frequently asked questions
Which rookies lead 2025 National Treasures football?
Travis Hunter, Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan and Matthew Golden head the first-year list. Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes II, Josh Allen and Justin Jefferson lead the veterans.
Which inserts are in 2025 National Treasures football?
Rookie Triple Booklet, Elevated Ink, Tremendous Treasures, Super Bowl Immortality and Gridiron Graphs. Legends appear in the last two.
What is a Base Royal card?
Base Royal made its debut in 2024-25 National Treasures basketball, with each card stamped out of 25.
Does National Treasures basketball have retro rookie patch autographs?
Yes. 2024-25 basketball brought Retro 2007 Rookie Patch Autographs and Retro 2014 Rookie Patch Autographs, both sets in their first year.
Which sets joined 2024-25 National Treasures basketball?
Autograph sets Hometown Heroes, Gladiators, International Treasure Autographs, Hardwood Graphs and Treasures Autographs Booklet, and memorabilia sets Franchise Treasures, Rookie Patches 2010, Matchups and Treasured Tag Logoman.