Show Reviews: Who Knew?!

Who knew that a show at an american legion would be one of the better shows I've attended in a long time (either that, or I've been going to a loooooong string of bad shows). No I didn't buy anything, but there was a lot of vendors that either I've never seen or haven't seen in a while. A friend of mine bought a couple Stocktons she's been hunting for, but nothing for me.

This Week's Worst: Week 6

1998-99 SkyBox Premium That's Jam

The only comfort that could be provided to keep J. M. Smucker from completely rolling over in his grave, is that no one will admit to liking this set. Consisting of 15 of once-promising, young NBA stars, (most of which you couldn't remember what team they're on now, much less if they're still in the league) this theme was probably conceived by a once-promising, young Art Director (who no one could say what company they're employed with now, much less if they're still in the industry) who forgot about his marketing meeting that morning and had to come up with something. But there is one positive, the plastic stock is great for those grading hounds.

This Week's Best: Week 6

1998-99 SkyBox Molten Metal Fusion

This huge insert set (50 cards) features plenty of stars and a very cool die-cut design that follows that "less is more" motto. Inserted in packs that were very unique, the regular Fusion issue (left) had the first 30 cards inserted in packs, but the last 20 are serial numbered. There is also a "Titanium" version (right) that features the same ratio. But there was a printing problem. 15 of the 20 numbered cards from each set were printed wrong (essentially, the Fusions were numbered to the Titanium's numbering, and the Titaniums were numbered to the Fusion's numbering). Cool set with a cool story.

Name That Name: Answer

Here's the answer to yesterday's question. Tim Duncan has won 2 League MVPs, 4 championships, 3 Finals MVPs, has been to 11 All-Star games, is considered by many as the best power forward ever, and a shoe-in for the Hall of Fame.

Name That Name

This player has made the playoffs every year of his career. He is the seventh-highest payed player in the NBA, but has won as many championships as players 1-6, combined.

Then and Now: 2003-04 Exquisite Collection

With the quality of the inserts you might overlook the base set singles. But coming from a $500 pack it would've been smart to hold onto them (that's until the $1,000 packs come out). Now these singles (numbered to 225) are more pricier than other over-produced parallels with half their print-run. You can click on the image to enlarge.

If I Only Had The Money...

1996 NBA 50th Anniversary Autograph Lithograph

Sure the design isn't all that great, but for the NBA collector, this is the "holy grail" of any collection. Signed by 49 of the 50 players (minus Maravich who passed away in 1988) this lithograph was limited to 250 copies with the first 50 going to the players. A majority of the remaining 200 were distributed to league officials with the few remaining copies offered to the anyone willing to cough-up $25,000. But there was a cheaper option with an unsigned version numbered to 500 copies which sell for $50-$75 each.

This Week's Worst: Week 5

1997-98 SkyBox Silky Smooth

There's no better way to cover up a unimaginative card design better than... a spiderweb? With a decent player selection, SkyBox decided to massacre the set (and probably their printing budget) by die-cutting a basketball net over the disappointingly-basic design. Not only do condition problems plague the set, but it was inserted in every 360 packs. So you might get one out of the 10 boxes you bought. Sure, they carry a heavy price tag, but it's more likely for the set's rarity than the cards themselves (hopefully).

This Week's Best: Week 5

1999-00 Upper Deck HoloGrFX Shoetime

Released in the early days of memorabilia, this 19 card insert was the one bright spot in a very heavy retail set. The set features some of the few memorabilia cards of some big names like Iverson, Barkley, Ewing, and Pippen. Plus there were autographed copies of the Karl Malone and Michael Jordan cards. Not only did the full-bleed design cause condition (chipping) problems, but if you were lucky enough to pull one (1 in every 431 packs) you had issues locating a case that it would even fit into. Still the unique memorabilia and all the big names are enough to consider this set one of my favorites.

Name That Name: Answer

Bob Cousy played for the Boston Celtics and Cincinnati Royals, won the 1956-57 MVP, played in 13 all-star games, and ranks 14th (funny, his jersey number) in career assists.

Name That Name

This auto is from one of the NBA's best-ever point guards. It shouldn't be too much of a mystery since there aren't a lot of players that can claim that label. I'll post one of his cards tomorrow.

Then and Now: Ultra Award Winners

At this time, some of the big trends were Chris Webber, Anfernee Hardaway, and inserts that were inserted into found in either hobby or retail packs. At the time of release, these sets were often overlooked. But as time went on, "completests" went searching for their player's insert card that they couldn't find, and paying more for it when they finally found it. This drove-up prices and sellers started searching for those unique inserts only found in certain packs (because it obviously wasn't for the card's design).  Near the peak of it's popularity, the O'Neal version of the 1993-94 Ultra Award Winners set was selling between $35 and $60. Now you could probably find it in a $1 box (but still priced at $5-$12) at a show.

If I Only Had The Money...

1996 SPx Michael Jordan Autograph

This is one of the first (and, in my opinion, the best) certified Jordan autographs. A nearly impossible trade card to pull from packs (1 in 34,560 packs) and rumored to be given-out at his basketball camp, this holographic card that has a design that was perfect for an autograph and is valued at about $1,400. Still seems pricey in comparison to some of his current autograph issues which are now an Upper Deck staple (and you'd think nearly everyone should have at least one in their collection by now). But with a combination of time and Jordan-auto-overpopulation, one of these sold on Ebay recently for just under $300. There are two versions that are different only in an alternate card number (BAC and BAD).

This Week's Worst: Week 4

1997-98 Z-Force Fast Track

Meant to highlight some of the NBA's future stars, these 12 neon-yellow cards feature a unique characteristic that fortunately has never been reproduced. At the top and bottom of each card, the areas in black have a felt or slightly rough texture. What connection this mystery texture has to the set's theme, I don't know. But it might have made more sense with a rubber finish. But the combination of poor player selection (only 2 or 3 out of the 12 might make the Hall of Fame) and the odd texture makes this a classic worst.

This Week's Best: Week 4

1995-96 SkyBox Meltdown Exchange

As awesome as the regular Meltdown insert is, SkyBox decided to offer two of the cards with a lenticular (3-D) effect available only with two series 2 wrappers and $9.99. These are now a little tough to find since 1: When's the last time you read the back of the wrapper? and 2: $9.99 was a little much for one card you knew very little about. Sure, it would've been cool to get a Jordan or Robinson version, but it makes sense that it was only the company's spokespersons (at the time).