Hawks Collectors, Know Your Lanes: 2024 Hoops vs. 2024 Obsidian
Two Very Different Products, Same Team
If you're building around the Hawks right now, you're really choosing between two philosophies. 2024 Hoops is the flagship-level product — accessible, high-volume, the kind of set where the base card is the point and you're not paying a premium to open a pack. 2024 Obsidian is the opposite instinct: textured, numbered, built for collectors who want scarcity baked in from the jump rather than chased down later. Having both in stock means you can decide whether you want volume or you want a card that's already scarce on arrival.
Base Isn't the Enemy Here
With Hoops specifically, don't overthink the base card. It's cheap to acquire, it's liquid, and it's the easiest way to get a Hawks player's rookie-year cardboard into your hands without paying a premium for a numbered chase piece. If you're new to collecting this team, start there. It's the on-ramp, not the destination.
Pink and Gold: The Parallel Decision
Both parallels in circulation — pink and gold — are where the actual collecting decisions get made. Gold, across Panini's hierarchy, is typically the tighter print and the one that trades at a premium when it's numbered low; pink tends to sit a notch below it in scarcity but still separates itself clearly from unnumbered base. If you're choosing one to chase, gold is the stronger long-term hold, but pink is the more attainable "I actually own a real parallel" entry point for a Hawks set-builder who isn't trying to break the bank.
Serial Numbers Change the Math
The fact that serial-numbered cards are in the mix — likely running through the Obsidian side — matters more than any base card in this lineup. A numbered Hawks card isn't just rarer, it's provably rarer; the number on the card is the whole argument for why it's worth more than the parallel next to it. If you find a low-numbered Obsidian piece, that's the card you hold, not flip on impulse.
The Verdict
For a Hawks collector building smart: grab the Hoops base to have a foothold, aim for a gold parallel if you want a real step up in scarcity, and treat any serial-numbered Obsidian card as the actual prize in this run. Pink is a fine middle ground if gold isn't in reach. This isn't a set where you need every parallel — it's a set where the numbered card does the talking.