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
Looking at cards not only brings back memories of specific seasons, games, or plays, it can also remind us of different times in our lives. Three cards made their way to my mailbox recently, each from different eras in my collecting history, and also three different eras in my life. Arena Vision is a set… Read More Three Cards, Three Eras
In the ‘ultra-modern’ collecting period we’re in now, as it’s being called, most products, even the lower end products, have a seemingly endless number of parallels, along with numerous insert sets that usually have several parallel versions of those inserts. It can be overwhelming to keep up with, at times, for the team and player,… Read More Keeping It Simple
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
A couple things I miss since the pandemic began, going to the movies, and going to professional sporting events. I enjoy seeing the coming attractions as I walk up to the theater, the movie posters and cardboard cutouts inside, and the previews before the movies. On the sports side, and in particular, going to NBA… Read More It’s Showtime: 2009-10 Upper Deck Now Appearing
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
Jalen Rose became a starter with the Indiana Pacers for the 1999-00 season, ended up leading the Pacers in scoring that year, and helping guide the Pacers to their only NBA Finals appearance. Rose’s scoring jumped from 11 points a game to over 18, he shot over 39% from 3 point range, and he ended… Read More Most Improved Player… and Cards – 2000-01 Jalen Rose Cards
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