Then and Now: 1993-94 Hoops Magic's All-Rookie Team

Back in college, I was lucky enough to pull the Webber issue from a pack from my local card shop (remember those?). It was THE rookie card from THE set of THE player of that year. Now you can find the card for super cheap online.

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.

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.