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Gold Standard is mainly known for it's premium look, creative inserts and rookie autographs, all of which include a heavy dosage of gold. However, the most intriguing element might be the variation treatment given to various base cards. Continuing the tradition that started with the inaugural release in 2010-11, 2013-14 Gold Standard again offers collectors a chance to chase different cards from players that have spent time with multiple NBA teams.

Six players are featured in the current batch of 25 total variations, and each player also has a base card. There is a specific player image variation for every NBA stop during their career. For example, Ray Allen has played for four teams in his career. His base card shows him on his current team, the Miami Heat, and his three variations show him during his time spent with the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics and Boston Celtics.

This year the variations are easily distinguished from the base cards because the base cards are numbered to 199 and the variations are numbered to 225. While 225 seems like a high amount, and even more than the actual base card, the real chase is due to the distribution of those 225 cards. Regardless of how many different stops each player made in his career, the total number of cards is still only 225.

This is where the uncertainty comes into play. Panini did not reveal the specific print runs last year, but the number of cards per player with any particular team was directly related to their tenure with that team. So this means that the shorter the time spent with that particular team, the less there are of that particular variation.

Assuming that is still the case this year and to make things simple and help collectors approximate the number of cards for each player, a comprehensive guide is shown below, including the time spent with each team. For consistency, when a player was on multiple teams in one season, each team is credited with half the season.