We’ve recently emerged from a week or so of extremely cold weather, as has a good part of the country. Temperatures were in the single digits with wind chills in the negatives, very rare for South Carolina. We had several days of highs below freezing, and it was tough to feel good about doing anything… Read More Ice in the Veins
What elements make a great insert set? It’s a question with many answers that come down to personal preference. My collecting focus might shift every so often as players move from team to team, new eras of cards emerge, new brands debut, etc… but my preferences in general stay the same. Let’s go through design… Read More What Elements Make a Great Insert?
I find myself over and over again being drawn to card designs that look like older cards, the Heritage products, the Retros, the current players on throwback designs, so it’s no surprise that I am a fan of the 1997-98 Fleer Goudey Greats insert set. These are inserted in 1:4 series 2 packs, they are… Read More Nate Tiny Archibald says… 1997-98 Fleer Goudey Greats
I have two clear memories of watching film strips, and although I likely viewed them during school growing up, but can I only recall two specific times. The first is being at my grandmother’s house seeing pictures of my dad’s family growing up. I treasure what I remember from that afternoon, and I snapped some… Read More Filmstrips on Cards Not Going Out of Style
I enjoy a good insert set focused on basketball big men, especially those from the 90s. Tower of Power, Power in the Key, Rejectors, they are all great. 1995-96 Metal Steel Tower is no exception. It has all the best centers from the mid-90s. If you can name them, they’re here. Hakeem, Ewing, Robinson, Mourning,… Read More Men of Steel: 1995-96 Metal Steel Tower
The 1996-97 rookie class was completely loaded with talent, and rates among the best of all-time. Iverson, Marbury, Allen, Kobe, Nash, O’Neal, Abdur-Rahim, Stojakovic, Camby, Walker, the list goes on and on. You’ve got players who made big impacts on contending and championship teams, Derek Fisher, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, Kerry Kittles, Shandon Anderson, Erick Dampier, Malik… Read More Best Rookie Class Ever? 1996-97 Ultra All-Rookie
I started collecting cards in the mid-90s with my dad, traded cards with friends in the late 90s, and really solidified my NBA fandom during that time as well. I know there are folks who agree that the 90s have the best inserts, and while I like to think I have pretty good knowledge about… Read More Grape Jelly Never Looked this Good: That’s Jam Pickup
Interested in seeing art and basketball cards intertwined? @marbury3collector on Instagram collects Stephon Marbury and is working on series of abstract art pieces featuring cards from his impressive card collection. The combination of the Marbury cards and the color coordinated backgrounds is stunning. I reached out to marbury3collector to get some background and find out… Read More Starbury and Abstract Art Intersect: Interview with marbury3collector on Instagram
Parallels of all different colors and types have come and gone over the years, and they are more prevalent today than ever before. A popular parallel in many Panini products is Cracked Ice, and they are stunning parallels, for sure. When we look back at similar parallels from other companies, the Topps Atomic Refractors definitely… Read More Cracked Ice Before There Was Cracked Ice: 1999-00 Flair Showcase Elevators
Taking a look back at the Big Shots insert set from 1997-98 Ultra basketball.… Read More Who Wants the Ball? 1997-98 Ultra Big Shots
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