The Awesome-osity of Basketball Cards

[lukesicari]

Here is a great read and I'm sure we can all somehow relate.

http://hardwoodparoxysm.com/2014/08/03/basketball-cards-dope/

Leads to the question--what awesome stories or memories do you guys have of basketball cards?

Mines gotta be walking out of the news agency yearssss ago with a pack and opening it to see a Shaq GU jersey. It was the first GU I had ever got and was buzzing!! Still have that card to this day and it means a lot to me then what it's market value would suggest.

 

[1s1ah]

Nice read. Thanks for sharing. Brings back a lot of my own personal memories of collecting.

 

[West Oz Cards]

Yes, thanks for that read!

My first memories were 93-94 UD when I pulled a Shaq Famous Nicknames, screamed with joy so loud in the shopping centre and then put it in my top pocket, no penny sleeve or nothing.

Took it to school and everyone thought I'd pulled a monster as it was the first of those Shaq's in school... haha Great times. I was king of the basketball card world for a while until some kid with the rich parents came in and had 3 different MJ MrJunes... s.o.b.

Man those times were sweet.

 

[bjho852]

Quite a few:

(1) Pulled some Autographics cards myself (even though all low-end ones)
(2) Saw someone pull a Kobe Topps autograph card before my very eyes
(3) One of the store owners in Hong Kong back in 90's pulled 2 MJ autograph game-jersey cards (1998-99)
(4) STILL love finding 90's boxes with chances to pull Autographics, MJ Bulls autograph cards, and/or other sets that I am going after

 

[araiee]

some highlights of my card busting career would be:

1)...first pack I ever bought after my brother got me into collecting was a pack of 94/95 fleer, and pulled a karl Malone career achievements foil card, I think at the time it was a 1:36 pull and that got me hooked onto collecting, never looked back since...lol...
2)..big pull in the mid to later nineties was a couple of packs of 95/96 topps, where I defied the odds and pulled two mystery finest black peel cards, these were refractor and non refractor versions, normal was 1:36 I think and refractor was like 1:216 or something like that, in four packs from the same box I pulled the Drexler and the mj refractor versions...the down side is I traded them both for bits and pieces of shaq cards for my pc...
3)...2007 bought some mixed boxes and from the 06/07 ud trilogy pulled a lebron glass auto and from the 06/07 bowmans elevation pulled a ben Wallace sick patch 2/2 and a shaq auto average looking patch 1/1, pretty awesome from a few boxes!
4)...2009 few boxes of 08/09 skybox, pulled green pmgs of mayo rookie and Jason kidd as well as a emerald rookie auto of kevin love in which it went cheap and wanted to hang onto that one...
5)...2011 went on a gold standard binge, which is one of my fav products ever from the 10/11 series, one case I bought was pretty hot yielding--kobe 24kt auto /24, kobe 24ky jersey auto /24, westbrook patch auto /25, kobe/magic dual auto /10, Durant gold crown auto /5, paul George rookie auto and a redemption derrick rose gold stars jersey auto /5...one of my best cases ever...
6) one of flukiest was at the Caribbean market and I was unsure on this product but Harry had told me it was the last box out of the case he had opened 5 and another guy had opened the others and they all pulled nothing, and he said he was about to open the last box, so I bought it and I was certainly glad I did...gold rookie of john Jenkins /10, Anthony davis rookie auto and -- kyrie irving prizm rookie auto /25...which at the time kyrie autos were fetching huge dollars, I stuck it on ebay with a BIN of $2500 and it sold the next day...

 

[WoobieZarz]

Thanks for the share, quite an enjoyable read. Very much similar to my story, only I discovered ebay after "giving in" collecting, which sparked my interests again, and for a while, I was buying EVERYTHING! I'd buy $3 packs that had cardboard backing and about 50 cards in them, which were all shit! lol.

Some of my highlights as a kid collector;
* Busting Hot Packs - did this a couple of times
* Pulling Player Collection cards (Charles Barkley Silver Signatures, and Emotion Ntense come to mind)
* Pulling not 1, but 2 Autographic's cards of Tim Hardaway and Latrell Sprewell
* Foil Tech Magic's All Rookies from 94-95 Hoops S2
* 94-95 Ultra Scoring Kings and Defensive Gems
* First ever Collectors Choice Gold Signature - I think it was Eric Mobley
* Grant Hill Emotion RC from a $10 pack
* Jordan Emotion base (#45) from a $1 "hot pack" - my local store made these up with 1 "good card" in them
* Grant Hill RC from $1 Jam Session "hot pack"

I never pulled anything massive as such as a kid, and that's probably due to what I collected (cheap stuff - Hoops, Fleer, Ultra, Collectors Choice), but it was always fun getting those 1 inserts per pack, and trying to complete the insert sets.

If anyone ever wants to relive their childhood memories of collecting, they've only gotta jump on COMC.com and check out the prices of them now!!!

 

[exzibit3]

- Can't believe no one remembers trading card vending machines you'd have beaten the odds if your cards ended up with no dinged corners as it fell down the dispenser. I got a MJ Fleer Hardwood Leader from a few packs and was stoked!

- Topps Finest 93-94. Was amazing to see the base cards, first time a premium product was released.
- Topps Finest 96-97. Allen Iverson RC pulled BV$30 at the time. Boo-yah!
- Stadium Club 97-98. Pulled a Chris Webber/Kerry Kittles dual Co-signers from a box. Boom shakalaka!

 

[xavierty]

liking this thread.... i wand one of these in office lol. but instaed of packs my boxs...

- Can't believe no one remembers trading card vending machines you'd have beaten the odds if your cards ended up with no dinged corners as it fell down the dispenser. I got a MJ Fleer Hardwood Leader from a few packs and was stoked!

- Topps Finest 93-94. Was amazing to see the base cards, first time a premium product was released.
- Topps Finest 96-97. Allen Iverson RC pulled BV$30 at the time. Boo-yah!
- Stadium Club 97-98. Pulled a Chris Webber/Kerry Kittles dual Co-signers from a box. Boom shakalaka!

 

[WoobieZarz]

- Can't believe no one remembers trading card vending machines you'd have beaten the odds if your cards ended up with no dinged corners as it fell down the dispenser. I got a MJ Fleer Hardwood Leader from a few packs and was stoked!

- Topps Finest 93-94. Was amazing to see the base cards, first time a premium product was released.
- Topps Finest 96-97. Allen Iverson RC pulled BV$30 at the time. Boo-yah!
- Stadium Club 97-98. Pulled a Chris Webber/Kerry Kittles dual Co-signers from a box. Boom shakalaka!

WOW, absolutely NEVER saw these before!!! Mind you, I AM in Tassie... lol.

Speaking of BV back in the day, did anyone ever "double the high" for AUD Exchange Rate? We did, always, never knew why, but the local shop dude said we had to double it, so... we did!! lol.

 

[xavierty]

yep so did i ..

WOW, absolutely NEVER saw these before!!! Mind you, I AM in Tassie... lol.

Speaking of BV back in the day, did anyone ever "double the high" for AUD Exchange Rate? We did, always, never knew why, but the local shop dude said we had to double it, so... we did!! lol.

....

 

[West Oz Cards]

Yess, back when US was killing the AUD, it was double the high column!!

 

[911_Turbo]

- Can't believe no one remembers trading card vending machines you'd have beaten the odds if your cards ended up with no dinged corners as it fell down the dispenser. I got a MJ Fleer Hardwood Leader from a few packs and was stoked!

- Topps Finest 93-94. Was amazing to see the base cards, first time a premium product was released.
- Topps Finest 96-97. Allen Iverson RC pulled BV$30 at the time. Boo-yah!
- Stadium Club 97-98. Pulled a Chris Webber/Kerry Kittles dual Co-signers from a box. Boom shakalaka!

Can't say I remember seeing them back in the day, however there is one at Fountain Gate Shopping Centre currently. Have never had the urge to buy a pack from it though...

 

[MattWasGF4L]

- Can't believe no one remembers trading card vending machines you'd have beaten the odds if your cards ended up with no dinged corners as it fell down the dispenser. I got a MJ Fleer Hardwood Leader from a few packs and was stoked!

- Topps Finest 93-94. Was amazing to see the base cards, first time a premium product was released.
- Topps Finest 96-97. Allen Iverson RC pulled BV$30 at the time. Boo-yah!
- Stadium Club 97-98. Pulled a Chris Webber/Kerry Kittles dual Co-signers from a box. Boom shakalaka!

Was just about to post about that! I think it was at Westfield Campbelltown (NSW) and happened upon a machine, got some 95-96 Topps around the time they were released and pulled a Shaq Power Booster. Not the hugest of hits but I was awestruck at the prizmatic technology of it lol. Doesn't always have to be a massive $$ hit to make me happy that's for sure!!

 

[MattWasGF4L]

I've posted this in another thread but might fit in here! Card ratios/odds always interested me so I kept some packs (some of the prices tells you how desperate I was to bust a pack haha):

 

[MattWasGF4L]

(if you want to read better, get on an ipad and zoom in it's easier)

 

[bas]

Finally getting my hands on skybox thun & light 92 Malone/stockton for my pc they were so rare back then, in Australia anyway
First pack ever 91 hoops got magic Johnson common thought I struck gold
Just seeing 93 ultra scoring kings for the first time think was l.j in a shop, holy mac best looking cards around back then and to this day still one of the most stunning designs ever
pulling zo/ewing skybox showdown series from pack I bought at donut king

 

[Charles Way]

I have one......

About 20 years ago when i was in high school, growing up in a country town, my mum went and bought a few packets i think of the 93-94 UD. She opened them when she go thome and there was about 4 of the MJ Heroes cards. She was so excited she came to my school, and the principal called my name over the loud speaker to go to his office, and there was my mum, screaming with joy with the MJ cards.

Man i was embarrased, but today it makes me laugh and she still gets me a couple of packs every know and then when they're avialible at the newsagent

 

[sgt_pepper]

when i was a kid my mates older brother gave me a 91-92 hoops larry johnson draft pick card (he was my fave.player at the time) and it got me hooked.
big pulls for me back then were the 92-93 UD shaq rookie and the 93-94 (i think) fleer ultra chris webber power in the key.
was so excited both times. couldnt wait to go brag to my friends.
also remember waking my mate up early morning knocking on his window to show him the ricky stuart gold card i just pulled. '94 i guess it was...

 

[wjrwebber]

Back 18-20 years ago there was a toy shop in Taree which had a collectables portion up the back. It was pretty much all NBA stuff back then and I remember the 5c bin, then better singles in the glass cabinet and then all the boxes of packs. I'd usually only be able to afford packs of Hoops or Collectors Choice with the funds I had back then. I do remember getting some money for my 11th birthday and spent up big on a pack of 96/97 SP which was like $7 or $8, which was absurd back then for me. Pulled an Allen Iverson rc which was worth a bit back then too.

Gradually as the 90's run out, so did what was left of the NBA card supplies, but I remember in 99 when Hoops was about the only thing left, I pulled a Chris Anstey autographics which was mind blowing back then.

Can't really remember any other big pulls of anything substantial. I just remember getting ripped off something chronic from older kids at school whenever I had something worth while...

Funny thing is, the chic who was running it in the 90's was still there when I went in for a gander a couple years ago and it was like she never aged and was the same person, crazy...

 

[Charles Way]

Back 18-20 years ago there was a toy shop in Taree which had a collectables portion up the back. It was pretty much all NBA stuff back then and I remember the 5c bin, then better singles in the glass cabinet and then all the boxes of packs. I'd usually only be able to afford packs of Hoops or Collectors Choice with the funds I had back then. I do remember getting some money for my 11th birthday and spent up big on a pack of 96/97 SP which was like $7 or $8, which was absurd back then for me. Pulled an Allen Iverson rc which was worth a bit back then too.

Gradually as the 90's run out, so did what was left of the NBA card supplies, but I remember in 99 when Hoops was about the only thing left, I pulled a Chris Anstey autographics which was mind blowing back then.

Can't really remember any other big pulls of anything substantial. I just remember getting ripped off something chronic from older kids at school whenever I had something worth while...

Funny thing is, the chic who was running it in the 90's was still there when I went in for a gander a couple years ago and it was like she never aged and was the same person, crazy...