NBA Trading Cards

[Raz]

For the first time in about 16 years, I ventured into a trading card store. I couldn't give two shits about all the new cards on the market, I mean seriously, who wants to own something called a Panini? Stupidest company name ever - they look cheap as hell.

Anyway, I see that the guy has an unopened box of 1989-90 Hoops cards. I bought it for $20, and what a hilarious session I had later on opening up the box. 15 cards per pack, 36 packs per box, and I don't even have half the set. I landed 5 Michael Jordans, 8 Kevin McHales, 4 Larry Birds, 3 Magic Johnsons, but didn't get one single Uwe Blab, Fennis Dembo or Paul Mokeski.

Did anyone collect these things as a kid? I did, but at 14 I gave away all of my cards when I decided I didn't want to be some fat virgin living in my parents' basement. It's funny buying these things now, they're not as fun. I can buy a whole case of cards if I want to, it takes away the challenge of walking home in the rain because you spent your bus money on cards, or having to pilfer money from your mother's purse.

Anyway, if you need some doubles gimme a shout and I'll post them to you.

[miller-time]

i bought a couple of boxes of 93/94 upper deck cards a few years back, all unopened packets. the smell took me right back to childhood.

but i agree it isn't the same, i managed to fill the set out pretty easily on ebay. got loads of doubles too lol.

[Rake2204]

What a timely thread. I went to a mall in South Bend yesterday and there's a smallish sports store tucked in there near the food court. Inside, there's this small box resting on top of their glass display full of 15-20 year old packs of cards. For a buck a pop, I bought a 53-card 1991 Fleer pack and a 23 card 1995 Fleer pack.

I know the cards are pretty much worthless, but I still get this weird satisfaction and joy from opening a pack and seeing what lies inside. The '91 pack obviously had a ton of stars, as 53 cards is a pretty decent amount. Earvin Johnson, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen and more were all accounted for.

http://millercards.net/im_ib_large/ib511.jpg

http://images.sportscarddatabase.com/0/700000/760000/767000/767761.jpg

In the 1994-95 pack:

http://millercards.net/im_rd_large/rd230.jpg

Just something inherently enjoyable about busting open that pack for me. It's almost like gambling. The problem is, now I don't know what the hell I'm going to do with 74 mostly worthless basketball cards.

[B-Low]

I used to collect but it's just not the same anymore. Not because I'm older but because a simple hobby's gotten too complex.

Used to be every year there was 1-2 lines of cards. When someone says "Michael jordan rookie card" you know they mean this

http://youoffendmeyouoffendmyfamily.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/mj_rookie_card.jpg

Scottie Pippen rookie card ALWAYS means this

http://www.tradecardsnowboards.com/sites/default/files/imagecache/card_med/1988-89-fleer-20-scottie-pippen-uer-rc-rookie-card.jpg


Nowadays you can have 80 rookie cards of a player and each of them will be completely worthless unless its some solid gold, autographed, game worn jersey card numbered 1-20. There's just too many cards every year now and its taken the fun out of it. I was going thru my stuff the other day and i found a Tim Duncan rookie card and i looked it up...its worth 80 cents

[Rake2204]

I was going thru my stuff the other day and i found a Tim Duncan rookie card and i looked it up...its worth 80 cents
S'all good. My David Robinson rookie used to be worth between $32 and $40. It's not going for between $6 and $10 on Ebay.

Once the top dog of my card collection:
http://www.swagbucks.com/content/uploads/prizes-4/image2791.jpg

[Raz]

S'all good. My David Robinson rookie used to be worth between $32 and $40. It's not going for between $6 and $10 on Ebay.

Once the top dog of my card collection:
http://www.swagbucks.com/content/uploads/prizes-4/image2791.jpg

Nice. I haven't pulled a D-Rob card yet - I just ordered a series 2 box on ebay for $5.... LOL

I'm also trying to get 2 series 1 boxes fro ma guy for $30 - I'll just save one of the boxes until I'm about 70.

[senelcoolidge]

My cards include rookies from the 1990 draft. 91-94 seasons. I have a few recent ones from 2009 and 2010. I don't know if anyone remembers back in the early 90's they had college basketball cards..all of the top prospects and best college players at the time. I have those.

[miller-time]

My cards include rookies from the 1990 draft. 91-94 seasons. I have a few recent ones from 2009 and 2010. I don't know if anyone remembers back in the early 90's they had college basketball cards..all of the top prospects and best college players at the time. I have those.

i used to have this card

http://cdn.sulitstatic.com/images/2012/0131/12444139_1242399457636541889708bd70f73fd5b4936b0c0 00ce00db.jpg

there was a shaq one too that some other kid at school had. these were pretty rare in australia, not much from college made it out here.

[bdreason]

Are they really that cheap now I may have to buy me some boxes.

[Raz]

Are they really that cheap now I may have to buy me some boxes.

Yeah, cheap. Well, one guy wont go lower than $36 (he'll include a D-Ron rookie, and a Jordan - I already have 5 or something).

Even at $36, it would be $1 a pack

[miller-time]

Are they really that cheap now I may have to buy me some boxes.

yeah you can buy boxes for like 10 or 20 dollars even. the older ones seem to have more packs and more cards per pack than newer ones. but newer ones have more things like game worn jerseys and actual signature cards in their boxes.

[CarlosBoozer]

My most prized possetion! I'm a fairly new collector, just started this year :)
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk210/DoctorRupert/IMG_1259.jpg

[Kobe 4 The Win]

I have a pretty serious basketball card collection. Late 80's and 90's cards were mass produced so the value is way down especially if they are raw and not graded mint or gem mint.

I agree that the market is too saturated with product right now. I hate the jersey patch cards or what they call "Memorabilia cards". I'm also not a fan of what Panini is doing now that they have the exclusive NBA license. At this point I'm very picky about what I buy.

My primary collection is centered around Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem, Jordan, and Rodman,The only current players that I collect are Kobe, Lebron, and Blake Griffin. I focus on cards from their rookie years all graded in gem mint condition by PSA or BGS. It's still a fun hobby and if you are smart you can make some money with it.

[StroShow4]

I'm still in the process of collecting every Stromile Swift card there is. I'll get it done eventually. It's an inexpensive hobby. :pimp:

[Rake2204]

I'm also not a fan of what Panini is doing now that they have the exclusive NBA license. At this point I'm very picky about what I buy. Wait, Panini is the only card company that can produce NBA Basketball cards right now?


I'm still in the process of collecting every Stromile Swift card there is. I'll get it done eventually. It's an inexpensive hobby. :pimp:In the 90's I wanted to collect every David Robinson card but I never realized how many there really were out there. I reached well over 300 and still felt like I wasn't even half way there.

Hilarious to look back and think about how my brother and I once looked to this card series with wonder, marveling at its "computer graphics":

http://images.craigslist.org/5Nb5Ee5F73n13E43K4c772c2bfe3650101323.jpg

[kNIOKAS]

My most prized possetion! I'm a fairly new collector, just started this year :)
http://i281.photobucket.com/albums/kk210/DoctorRupert/IMG_1259.jpg
Back when Lebron was actually fun to watch... :(

[Kobe 4 The Win]

Panini is the only company licensed to make NBA cards right now. They are still producing cards called "Hoops", "limited", etc. but they are all made by Panini.

[Raz]

Panini is the only company licensed to make NBA cards right now. They are still producing cards called "Hoops", "limited", etc. but they are all made by Panini.

That sucks. Upper Deck make the best cards

[Rake2204]

Panini is the only company licensed to make NBA cards right now. They are still producing cards called "Hoops", "limited", etc. but they are all made by Panini.Dang, that's lame city. No more Fleer, Topps, and Upper Deck? That's too bad. I was always a fan of Upper Deck myself. So clean.

http://s.ecrater.com/stores/129875/4af563c1a90fa_129875n.jpg

[Raz]

Man, Pittsburgh Sports Cards have a great range for CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP!

[senelcoolidge]

i used to have this card

http://cdn.sulitstatic.com/images/2012/0131/12444139_1242399457636541889708bd70f73fd5b4936b0c0 00ce00db.jpg

there was a shaq one too that some other kid at school had. these were pretty rare in australia, not much from college made it out here.

I got that LSU Shaq card. Practically the whole 92 draft class. Nice cards. College stats in the back with a little scouting report on each player. There used to be so many different brands and types of cards back than. I guess not anymore. The college cards are Front Row and Star Picks. I also have Fleer, Upper deck, Skybox, Topps, and Hoops.

[Raz]

So an update.... I found a terrific website selling cards:
http://www.pittsburghsportscards.com

I bought:
2 x 1989-90 Hoops Basketball Series 1 box ($11.95)
1 x 1990-91 Hoops Basketball Series 1 box ($9.95)
1 x 1990-91 Hoops Basketball Series 2 box ($10.95)
1 x 1993-94 Upper Deck SE ($24.95)

They are arriving here in Toronto on Monday - they even let me ship on my work UPS account - 62% off shipping!! I figured, I may as well make a video of me opening these, and I'll share with you guys. I feel like the world's biggest nerd right now, what 30 year old man buys boxes of cards? Oh well, I couldn't afford to do stupid shit like this as a kid. I think this will be my last purchase of cards, I should have it all out of mys system.

By the way, that haul of boxes cost me about $70. Cheaper than a night out with the guys!

[magic chiongson]

why did these things lose their value? back in the early-mid 90s beckett magazine have the rookie cards of top draft picks & allstars at as much as $40 each.

i prolly still have rookie cards of shaq, c-webb, grant hill, kobe, nash, duncan, tmac at my parent's basement.

[Raz]

why did these things lose their value? back in the early-mid 90s beckett magazine have the rookie cards of top draft picks & allstars at as much as $40 each.

i prolly still have rookie cards of shaq, c-webb, grant hill, kobe, nash, duncan, tmac at my parent's basement.

Such a bummer, eh?

My friend had a Michael Jordan gold signature Collector's Choice baseball card - he was a basketball card collector like me, and this was his first ever pack of baseball cards. The card was valued at about $400 at the time. Jammiest bastard ever - a few years ago he won a trip to England through Coke.

[sirkeelma]

Anyone has a copy of Basketball Beckett January 2015?

[D-FENS]

Anyone has a copy of Basketball Beckett January 2015?

Yes, come get it.

[sirkeelma]

Yes, come get it.
I mean PDF format

[Timmy D for MVP]

I've got thousands of cards. My grandpa gave me the collection, and I kept adding on to it as a kid, a whole bunch of baseball, football, basketball, even soccer.

I stopped collecting for years, but in the last 4 years or so I pick up an odd pack or two here or there, along with a Chuck Hayes Rockets card I found at a card shop and a Chris Bosh rookie from a garage sale. I know they are not the high collectors items but I buy exclusively basketball cards these days. I love the new Panini cards.

[JebronLames]

stopped collecting around the time Lebron was a rookie. Wish i had some of his rookie cards. Some people started investing in his cards since he came in the league, and theyre gonna get paid when Lebron becomes the GOAT.

[imdaman99]

If you guys bought enough (I know I did back in the day), every now and than you would get a crazy pack of nothing but inserts. I remember I bought some 90s Upper Deck pack and every single card was a Michael Jordan card :lol I hated MJ but knew he had the most value in the sets :oldlol: It's like the company would mess with us/random rewards.

Also, I remember my friend used to know where certain inserts were located once you open a box (in which pack). I tried it and it didn't work and I was disappointed :roll: I think I would see the store owner mix up the packs in the boxes for this purpose but he was cool with me so if it was a fresh opened box, he would let me pick :lol

Good times, but ultimately also a big money waste. I don't regret it at all.

[ihatetimthomas]

I collected in the 90's a lot. Have a ton of worthless cards but I pulled one of the rarest Wilt Chamberlain autos. Upper deck epic signatures #'d out of 100. I still have it and it's in perfect condition. After that pull, I kind of stopped bc I basically hit the jackpot.

[GimmeThat]

tell me they make those when the images move as you tilt the card into different angels.

[SCdac]

Alot of my favorites are not necessarily valuable. But loved collecting them in the 90's, growing up

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/adrumaddict/IMG_3637.jpg

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y147/adrumaddict/LarryJohnsonDreamscape5.jpg

[JebronLames]

If you guys bought enough (I know I did back in the day), every now and than you would get a crazy pack of nothing but inserts. I remember I bought some 90s Upper Deck pack and every single card was a Michael Jordan card :lol I hated MJ but knew he had the most value in the sets :oldlol: It's like the company would mess with us/random rewards.

Also, I remember my friend used to know where certain inserts were located once you open a box (in which pack). I tried it and it didn't work and I was disappointed :roll: I think I would see the store owner mix up the packs in the boxes for this purpose but he was cool with me so if it was a fresh opened box, he would let me pick :lol

Good times, but ultimately also a big money waste. I don't regret it at all.
I once got 4 jersey cards in one pack.

[tmacattack33]

It was great collecting those as a kid...and then other kids at school would bring their binders in and try to one up everyone else.

I definitely don't regret the money spent on it...cuz we also spent a lot of money on other sh*t that's worth about 2 cents right now too.

[Goon Time]

I mean PDF format


here ya go

Basketball Beckett January 2015 (http://www.lovethispic.com/uploaded_images/68723-I-Got-You-.jpg)

[imdaman99]

I once got 4 jersey cards in one pack.
Damn, but that sounds recent. I don't know when they started the jersey cards, but I know I was done buying random packs every week by the time those started coming out. I'm thinking early 00s.

Who's jersey cards were they?

[JebronLames]

Damn, but that sounds recent. I don't know when they started the jersey cards, but I know I was done buying random packs every week by the time those started coming out. I'm thinking early 00s.

Who's jersey cards were they?
I think they started in the early 2000's. Nene, drew gooden, and i forgot the other two but they were scrubs. Jersey cards used to be so easy to get back when they first started cuz the pack was usually thicker than the others. Then, they started putting duds (just a thick blank card) in them. People can still find the packs with auto's and jersey cards even with the duds because there is a slight difference in weight. Ive seen some of these people weighing packs with a weighing device at walmart and target. And if you check on ebay, people sell "hot packs", which are unopened packs with an autograph or jersey in them.

[ErhnamDjinn]

I stopped collecting cards after I went into magic cards. Had lots of j kidd rookie cards. Magic cards have exploded in price. Actually sold some of them recentlly and they paid for the birth of my kid. Not sure if ill sell the rest of them since i still plan on playing again.

[Lebron23]

I had Penny Hardaway, and Michael Jordan Cards. Rookie Kobe Bryant, and Rookie Tracy Mcgrady.

[Cleverness]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vyeEghpyVtQ

the new cards are super expensive today

https://www.ebay.com/itm/2019-20-PANINI-PRIZM-CHOICE-BASKETBALL-HOBBY-BOX/373026154351?hash=item56da17676f:g:K-kAAOSwe-henD08

$580 for 1 pack with 8 cards in it. sure, it comes with 1 auto and "prizms" but wow


the question is, what do you even do with all these cards? just store them in a closet? seems like a waste

[Overdrive]

Still have my cards. Used to collect alot in the 90s during my school days. Basically everybody did.
In the late 2000s I started buying packs for some time and hit some good cards.

Recently I did a beckett suscription to check their value. Kobe rookie cards exploded. I had all of them but Topps Chrome and Bowman's back in the day. Even the shitty products like Hoops are 20$ now. Traded them away for Shaq inserts. E-X was 8$ when I traed it, Finest 12..

I remember back in 2008 when I pulled the Topps Chrome KD rookie it was like 20 dollars. It's 500 now. Some 90s inserts also went up like crazy. I had a schoolmate who had an awesome Jordan 90s inerts collection. Wonder if he kept it. Biggest problem these days is you can't sell them over here. Even if you have crazy good cards there's nobody to buy them.