I took my whole family to a local card show at a mall earlier this year (my wife is a good sport). I was going through the inventory of a regular dealer who typically has 90s cards, often including several Reggie Miller refractors. I’ve purchased cards from him on several occasions, and on this one, a 1997-98 Refractor out of 1090 stood out to me. I didn’t recognize it as one I had in my collection, and the price was reasonable, so I purchased it, my only purchase of the day.
Bluey, Bingo, and Bandit (the kids and dad, for those not familiar) go to the pool after joking about how mom makes them do too many boring things, like pack everything they need for the pool. Dad’s way more fun, more spontaneous, they think. They just head on to the pool, not worrying about the things they may or may not have.
It was around my birthday a few years ago, and I decided I wanted to stop by a trade night at my local LCS. I picked up a blaster box of the newly released Optic basketball, and I browsed a few boxes of those there for trading. I brought only 1 card with me though, a 1997-98 Z-Force Boss Michael Jordan. Good card, yes, but just one card, just in case I found something to trade for, I thought.
At home post card show, I was ready to add my new 1997-98 Reggie Miller Silver Refractor /1090 to my box of Reggie cards. I browsed to the refractor section, and my mood dipped a bit. I already owned this refractor, and a nicer, less green version, in fact. If only I was prepared and had my TCDB inventory of Reggie Miller cards, I could have saved those funds for a comparable card for my collection. My memory of cards in my collection doesn’t always line up with what I actually have in my collection, making preparation and access to my TCDB checklist that much more important.
And while a spontaneous trip to the card show is fun, to make the most of the experience, preparation can go a long way, whether it’s knowing the value of the cards you have with you or that you’re looking for, or simply being sure of the cards you already have in your collection.
When Bluey, Bingo and Dad arrive at the pool, they realize they’re woefully unprepared for an extended time at the pool. They’re missing their favorite pool toys and have to make due without. Bingo has to stay in the shallow end of the pool. They don’t have sunscreen and have to stay in the shade, with the sun decreasing the amount of shade fairly quickly. And possibly most importantly, they don’t have any snacks when they’re hungry.
A pool trip is fun, but taking some time to prep with the essentials makes it an enjoyable outing.
Back to the trade night. I quickly browsed the room, looking through a few trade boxes. Realistically though, I had a single card with a trade value of about $50-75 at the time. That would require 1) Finding cards I’m interested in for about that amount 2) The trade partner would have to actually be interested in the card, at that valuation.
If I’d been a bit more prepared and brought a small box of cards with values ranging a bit, I might have found some cards for my collection. Ultimately I walked away empty handed.
With pool time seemingly at it’s end to due lack of the necessary supplies, Chili (mom) arrives with the goods. I’m guessing the next time the family went to the pool, they didn’t forgo sunscreen.
A big part of my latest collecting project involves selectively picking up the right Haliburton cards, not just the latest released or the ones I just happen to come across. And this involves some research and keeping an inventory as that project grows.
As soon as I saw the Big Box Ballers set from the Costco packs of 2025-26 Topps, I knew I wanted to add the Haliburton. It has a design element that looks different from the parallels from Panini. I know this card isn’t rare, but the aesthetics of the card made it a must-add.
My other Haliburton pickup is this 2025-26 Topps Attax In Motion insert, a lenticular card that has a photo within the larger card border. Again, a pretty interesting design, on a card from a set with rounded corners. These Attax cards look pretty great and with it being the first licensed Topps NBA product, getting a Pacers insert from it felt pretty significant. I am unsure how or if this card fits into the collectible card game aspect.
As I continue to add Haliburton inserts to my most recent binder project, taking an intentional approach to the pickups with some research behind them will make look at those binder pages more special.
And the next time I come across a nice Reggie Miller card at a card show, you better believe I am going to pull up my TCDB inventory. I might even bring cards for trade and a snack, or wear sunscreen if it’s sunny that day.
Hoops Hobby 
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