1996-97 was a huge year for basketball cards. Huge draft class, first year of Topps Chrome, some other iconic sets like EX-2000, Metal, and I think Skybox Premium goes into that category. It was the only Kobe rookie I actually pulled from a pack in my childhood. It was the first year of Autographics as… Read More Under the Magnifying Glass – 1996-97 Skybox Premium Close-Ups
The Set: 2002-03 Hoops Stars Raising Up Set Odds: 1 in 5 packs Key Cards: Michael Jordan $10.00 Kobe Bryant $8.00 Yao Ming $5.00 Why I Like It: Hoops stars was an exciting set for me to open. The rookie cards are short-printed but not impossible to collect, inserted at 1:4 packs. Serial numbered parallel… Read More Insert Set Flashback: 2002-03 Hoops Stars Raising Up
The Set: 2000-01 Fleer Mystique Player of the Week Set Odds: 1 in 5 packs Key Cards: Kobe Bryant $5.00 Shaquille O’Neal $2.50 Why I Like It: There was a gap between 1997 and 2000 where I stopped collecting. Fleer Mystique was one of the sets that brought me back. The cards were shiny, beatifully… Read More Insert Set Flashback: 2000-01 Fleer Mystique Player of the Week
Hoops Hobby 