Hoops Hobby

I’ve been on a string of trades and pickups recently, and while all the cards are from different sets, years, and eras of basketball cards, they do have some things in common.

They’re all Pacers. While I occasionally pickup cards of Duncan and other players, especially now that my two sons are interested in cards and have their own teams, I still mostly stick to Pacers.

None of these cards are from base sets. They’re all either parallels, inserts, or memorabilia sets. Not surprising.

They all have some attribute that I consider interesting, or odd. I realize that’s a vague statement, but I’ll explain.

First up is an insert pickup from a trade on TCDB. Recently I’ve taken an insert in Jermaine O’Neal inserts from the early to mid-2000s, mostly from Fleer products but some others mixed in as well. This one is Hoop Nation from 2004-05 Ultra. The checklist is pretty stellar, with players like LeBron in his second season, Kobe, Yao, Shaq, Vince Carter, Iverson, all the starts from the time are here. What makes this one odd to me, is just how dark the majority of the card is, contrasted with the brightness of the yellow at the top of the card. The other cards in this set have a better contrast between the bottom of the card and the middle and top sections of the card. This JO is just an odd one from an otherwise decent insert set. It does check the box and will eventually go in a binder page of inserts.

Next up, a Jermaine O’Neal memorabilia card with a game worn jersey swatch, not at all unusual for the early-mid 2000s products. What’s odd about this one from 2003-04 Skybox LE is that it’s a set focused on the history of the NBA draft, but it shows the player in a current uniform with a jersey from the current team. JO was part of the elite 1996 NBA Draft class, which includes so many all-stars and all-time great players. Kobe, Iverson, Ray Allen, Marbury, Nash, Peja, and of course, Jermaine O’Neal. Jermaine started his career with the Trailblazers before being traded to the Pacers for Dale Davis following the 1999-00 season.

A memorabilia set that could be been made better by at least showing a supplemental photo of the player with his original team. Even so, it’s a sharp design and I’m glad to have it, especially for the cheap price I bought it for.

It’s another Jermaine relic, this time from 2007-08 Topps Luxury Box, a dual with former Pacer, Al Harrington. At first glance, nothing odd about this card. Taking a closer look at the Jermaine swatch, and it has a different texture than you’d expect from a typical jersey or warm-up swatch.

What part of a game-worn jersey would this be from? The waist of the shorts? Maybe this should be obvious to me but I’m unsure.

For many player and team collectors out there, this parallel won’t seem odd at all. But the MVP promotion cards, supposedly with a print run of 100, were part of a contest that could be redeemed for a special MVP Promotion set if that player won MVP. Seeing and grabbing the Tinsley was huge for me, because I collect Pacers parallel sets and am slowly putting this one together, and I also collect rookie year cards of Tinsley, so this card really has a spot in two of my card binders. What makes it odd to me is seeing the MVP promotion logo on a rookie card. The chances of a rookie winning MVP in the modern era are slim to none, and it’s only happened twice in NBA history (Wilt and Wes Unseld), and twice in ABA history (Spencer Haywood and Artis Gilmore).

Out of the cards I’ve picked up recently, I’m most excited to have this Tinsley. I’m up to four Pacers in my team set chase, and these aren’t the easiest to track down.

And for the oddest non-oddball on the list, it’s an Austin Croshere insert from 1997-98 Fleer Showcase, and it actually has liquid inside of the card. The dimensions of the card are smaller than a normal card, the surface of the card is squishy, and when you push on the front of the card, the glittery gel actually moves around. It’s in a plastic case so that the gel stays inside. There’s no other card set like this one. What’s just as odd is that while it’s a rookie year set, the best rookies from 1997-98 are not included. No Tim Duncan, no TMac, no Keith Van Horn.

Moved the bubble around so Croshere’s face is clearer. Much better.

And here’s the back of the card, more like a tradition card back, except it’s still in its ‘shell’. Honestly it’s one of my favorite Croshere cards. I’m just glad a Pacer is a part of this set so I had an excuse to grab one.

Have you picked up any odd non-oddball cards lately? I’d love to see/hear about them.