Hoops Hobby

The Set:
1994-95 Flair Series 1
24 packs, 10 cards per pack
Base set contains 158 base cards, 14 USA cards, 3 checklists
Hot Numbers 1 in 5 packs
Scoring Power 1 in 8 packs
Center Spotlight 1 in 25 packs

Our Break:

163 out of 175 base cards, 73 duplicates

Hot Numbers (5): Dikembe Mutombo, Hakeem Olajuwon x2, Scottie Pippen, Isaiah Rider

Scoring Power (3): Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Karl Malone

Center Spotlight (2): Hakeem Olajuwon, Chris Webber

Impressions:

Opening this box was the most fun I’d had on a break in a good while, and it’s likely led me to open a box of Series 2 and to complete the insert sets from Series 1 and 2.  I think it’s partly because of the current NBA lockout, which has inspired me to go back and watch some games from the mid-nineties, making pulling some of the players from those games pretty awesome.

I remember opening a single pack of 94-95 Flair Series 2 when I was younger (around 8 years old when the set first came out).  I was in awe of the packaging.  Each pack comes in a little golden cardboard box, which is wrapped in clear plastic.  Then the cards themselves are wrapped in clear plastic.  While it takes a bit of effort to get to the actual cards, the effort is worth it.

The base cards have something that I miss in modern cards, and that’s player action shots filling the entire card.  The fronts feature multiple shots of the player and script text with the player name, with team name below.  The back of the card lists the player’s entire career stats, which I always appreciate.  What’s different about this set though is that the stats don’t hog the space on the back of the card, as an action photo serves as the background with the stats overlaid.  The USA cards show a game by game account for the player during the 1994 World Championship.

The inserts look fantastic.  I would have liked to have opened more than 10 out of 24 packs, but their rarity is part of what makes 90s inserts so appealing.  Shaq inserts are the most sought after from this Flair set, but I was pretty pumped to pull multiple Center Spotlight cards, beating the odds there.  The Chris Webber Center Spotlight and the Scottie Pippen Hot Numbers were the top cards in the box.

Recap:

Base Set: 5/5 Stars
Inserts: 4/5 Stars
Value: 5/5 Stars
Overall: 4.67/5 Stars

The beautiful design on the base set, the high card quality, and the nostalgia factor made 1994-95 Flair Series 1 a great buy.  You should be able to find a box online for under $30 including shipping.