Panini Diamond Kings · MLB pitcher insert · Niche but strong · about two years
This is the inserts entry for Aces / Diamond Kings Aces — one of 75 card types rated on appreciation, liquidity, accessibility and risk instead of being given one vague grade.
Appreciation 65, liquidity 55 — a middling, workable profile. Nothing about the shape of it forces a decision, which means the price you pay decides whether it was a good idea.
Accessibility of 50 means you'll pay somewhat over the sensible number but not absurdly so. Worth watching, because this score moves faster than any of the other three.
Set against the 14 insert card types scored here, its appreciation of 65 ranks 14th of 14, liquidity 55 ranks 13th, accessibility 50 ranks 3rd, and risk 40 is the 8th-lowest. The closest thing to it on the numbers is Sunday Best, which scores 70 and 60 on the same two axes — if you're weighing one against the other, the difference is in the reasoning rather than the scores.
Two years gives the situation time to develop past its first impression, which is usually when the price is set by whoever shouted loudest. It also means two years of not touching it, including through the stretch where it looks wrong.
Risk at 40 is the middle of the range: real ways to fail, none of them exotic. A role change, a slow start, or the hobby simply deciding to care about something else for a while.
Every entry gets four separate scores instead of one grade, because a single grade hides the thing you needed. Full explanation in the guide: what Kabooms, Downtowns and Color Blasts are worth.
Or browse all card types · how these scores are built