There can be a lot of confusion about the types of finish on collectible footballs and basketballs. In general, there are two types of finish that dominate the market – embossed and pad-stamped.

A pad-stamped finish is really just about exactly what it sounds like. This is a process by which ink is stamped onto the ball. These graphics can still look very good, but you lose that texture that makes the embossed finish the finish of preference for Nikco Sports exclusive products.

As you can see in the image to the right, the graphics are bright and attractive. However, it's also clear the graphics are flat on the surface of the ball. This is an illustration of "pad-stamped" graphics.

An embossed finish provides a bit of dimension and depth to the collectible. This “3d” effect on the graphics gives the balls a bit richer look and feel.

Here are two examples of the embossed finish on some recent Nikco Sports exclusives.

As the images illustrate, you can see the "3D" effect of the graphics, especially around the Super Bowl logo.

There are many excellent and great collectibles on the market that are pad-stamped. In fact, we sell them, too! But, when we can get an embossed finished on our exclusive products, we try to do so.