2022-23 Panini Donruss: Banchero's Original Rated Rookie

2022-23 Panini Donruss is where Banchero’s rookie run begins for most collectors. It’s the paper base set that carries the classic Rated Rookie designation — the rookie banner Panini has stamped on incoming stars for decades — and it’s almost always the most affordable way to own a genuine Banchero rookie card. It’s the entry point that the chrome flagships build up from.

Why this set matters for Banchero collectors

• It delivered the paper Rated Rookie during the 2022-23 rookie season — the single most recognizable rookie designation in the hobby, and the card most new Banchero collectors buy first.
• It’s the accessible true rookie: a raw or lightly graded base Rated Rookie is the budget entry into his rookie cards, sitting well below the chrome and auto tiers.
• The Press Proof parallels add a numbered rainbow above the base card without leaving the paper set.
• The Rated Rookie Signature delivers an on-card rookie autograph inside base Donruss — a premium chase that doesn’t require stepping up to Contenders or National Treasures.
• Popular inserts like Rookie Kings give the set a design-driven chase beyond the base rookie.

We don’t publish print runs or fixed prices — the live eBay links below and across the site show exactly what these cards are trading for right now.

The parallel structure, quickly

• Base Rated Rookie — the accessible paper rookie and the natural first copy.
• Press Proof parallels — the numbered paper rainbow (silver/gold-style Press Proof variants) that climbs above the base card to the scarcest one-of-one.
• Rated Rookie Signature — the on-card rookie autograph; the set’s premium rookie chase.
• Rookie Kings — a marquee insert with its own parallel ladder, chased for the design as much as the rookie tag.

Confirm which parallel a listing actually is before you buy — a plain base Rated Rookie and a numbered Press Proof can look similar in a thumbnail but sit far apart in value.

Donruss vs. Donruss Optic

Base Donruss is paper; Donruss Optic is the chrome sibling on Optichrome stock, where the Holo plays the role of a Silver Prizm. If you want the cheapest unmistakable Banchero rookie, the paper Rated Rookie here is it; if you want the shine, cross over to Optic. Plenty of collectors own both — the paper original and the chrome upgrade.

Buying it safely

The base Rated Rookie is inexpensive enough that raw copies are common, but for anything you plan to keep, buy graded so authenticity and condition are locked in — paper rookies live and die by centering and corner wear. For the Press Proofs and the Rated Rookie Signature, always compare sold comps rather than asking prices, and make sure the slab label matches the exact parallel or auto you think you’re buying.

New to his rookies? Start with the collecting guide for how to pick a card and spot altered slabs, use the rookie card checklist to see every 2022-23 brand at a glance, then browse the rookie-cards top list to open live eBay listings for every Banchero rookie. Chasing the auto? The autographs guide covers the Rated Rookie Signature alongside his other on-card rookie signatures.