The 2025-26 NBA season has officially become the “Year of the Ant.” Anthony Edwards, the 24-year-old face of the Minnesota Timberwolves, has catapulted from a budding superstar into a legitimate MVP frontrunner. As he dominates the hardwood, his presence in the high-end hobby market has reached a fever pitch—none more so than the prestigious 2024-25 Panini National Treasures series.
On the Court: A Career Year in Progress
As of February 2026, Edwards is putting up video-game numbers that have the Timberwolves firmly in the hunt for Western Conference supremacy. Currently averaging 29.4 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, “Ant-Man” has combined his trademark athleticism with elite efficiency.
Shooting Splits: Edwards is flirting with a “50/40/80” season, currently shooting 49.5% from the field and a career-high 40.9% from deep.
Recent Heroics: Just weeks ago, Edwards exploded for 55 points against the San Antonio Spurs, a performance that solidified his fourth consecutive All-Star nod.
Iron Man Status: Despite recent minor scares with back spasms and elbow soreness, Edwards has remained the engine of a Minnesota squad that sits at 30-19, proving he can carry the heavy lifting of a title contender.
In the Hobby: Grading the “Royal” Treasure
For collectors, the surge in Edwards’ play has sent the value of his 2024-25 cards soaring. One of the most coveted items this season is the 2024-25 Panini National Treasures Anthony Edwards /25 (often the Royal Blue or Pink parallel).
If you’ve managed to pull or acquire one of these /25 “short prints,” the question isn’t just about the value—it’s about the grade. Before sending it to PSA or BGS, a rigorous self-grade is essential.
Crescent Vale’s Self-Graded Scores
Surface: After reviewing the card, I did find imperfections on the surface, which can be shown in the video below. This caused the grade to be 9 out of 10.
Edges and Corners: The edges and corners were close to flawless and they received a 9.5.
Centering: The centering on the front and back was close to perfect and received a 9.5 sub grade.
Overall Self-Graded Score: 9.5 Mint+
Grok AI Scores
This is a 2024-25 Panini National Treasures Anthony Edwards base card (No. 46), serial numbered 06/25—likely the Royal parallel based on the design elements (blue/royal accents, numbering to /25 for this tier in the set’s veteran parallels). National Treasures is a high-end product with premium stock, intricate foil patterns, geometric borders, and a glossy, layered finish. The card features Edwards in action (dunking or driving), with a crowd background, team branding, and a stat/fact blurb on the back about his scoring streak tying franchise history.As a simulated professional grader (drawing from PSA and Beckett standards), I’ll evaluate the four key categories: centering, corners, edges, and surface. These modern high-end cards like NT are produced on thick, premium cardstock with precise printing, but handling, cutting, and storage can introduce flaws. Grades are on the standard 1-10 scale (with half-points common at Beckett; PSA uses whole numbers but similar criteria).
Centering: (Front and Back)Front: The image and borders appear well-balanced visually. The white borders look even side-to-side and top-to-bottom—no obvious tilt or heavy bias visible in photos. This looks approximately 55/45 or better (left/right and top/bottom), which is strong for a premium parallel.
Back: The text block, logo, and borders seem evenly placed; no major shift.
Assessment: Excellent centering, qualifying for high-end grades (PSA allows up to ~55/45 front for Gem Mint 10; Beckett requires 50/50 or very close for Pristine 10).
Corners: All four corners show sharp, pointed tips with no visible dings, whitening, fuzz, or wear in the provided close-ups.
The foil/embossed elements around the corners (e.g., geometric patterns) are crisp, with no lifting or damage.
Assessment: Pristine to the naked eye and under scrutiny—no imperfections noted. This supports a top-tier corner grade.
Edges: The card has clean, smooth edges overall. Close-up shots of the sides show consistent white borders with no chipping, roughness, or dents.
The layered/thick stock shows slight natural beveling (common on premium Panini cards), but no wear, fraying, or factory defects like roller marks.
Assessment: Excellent—very minor if any factory variance, but nothing detracting. Edges appear flawless in the images.
Surface: Front: Glossy finish with strong sheen; no scratches, print lines, dimples, or focus issues visible. The photo looks sharp, colors vibrant, no staining or residue.
Back: Clean, no creases, print defects, or handling marks. Foil elements intact.
No obvious print spots, wax residue, or damage from the photos (including angled shots showing the metallic/embossed areas).
Assessment: Strong—no major flaws; minor potential for microscopic issues not visible here, but appears near-perfect.
Overall Grade Estimate 9-10
This card presents exceptionally well from the provided images—premium stock, sharp visuals, no obvious defects across categories. It would likely grade in the PSA 9 – Mint to PSA 10 – Gem Mint range (or BGS 9.5 Gem Mint to BGS Pristine 10 equivalent). Centering and corners/edges look strong enough for a 10, but surface (potential for ultra-minor print or handling not captured in photos) often holds back perfect 10s on modern cards.Conservative (strict PSA/Beckett lens): PSA 9 / BGS 9.5 (near-perfect but allowing for any unseen micro-imperfections common in photography).
Optimistic (based on visible evidence): PSA 10 / BGS Pristine 10 — this looks like a strong candidate for a black label or high subgrades (e.g., 10/10/10/9.5 or similar).
For an official grade, submit to PSA or Beckett—they use higher magnification and lighting that might reveal tiny issues not apparent in user photos.
