Contest Update: Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown #1

The PC Top 25 countdown contest for the Donruss Rated Rookies is over, but the Timeless Treasures giveaway is still going strong! So if you what some free Timeless Treasures auto'd and jersey cards, make sure to enter. Click here to view the rules of the Timeless Treasures giveaway and to enter.

'92 SkyBox Dream Team Plastic Card

I was a little worried that no one would be able to guess what my favorite card is in my PC. I know that was a tough task with all the different players, sports and sets I collect, but Offy over at Sports Syzygy put all the contest clues together. Offy, please make sure to email me your mailing address at Hoopography@yahoo.com, so I can send you the cards. Thanks to Panini and everyone who participated.

My favorite card in my PC is the 1992 SkyBox Plastic Dream Team card. Aside from the fact that the '92 Dream Team is my favorite team of all-time and features many of my favorite players in NBA history, this was one of the first plastic cards ever made. It was a precursor to the acetate technology that I love so much. It's a really great looking card with the red, white and blue of Team USA and was pretty hot back in the early 90's.

The card doesn't have crazy book value at $30.00, but the sentimental value attached to the card for me is invaluable. I added this card to a very early trading card collection on a family road trip to SeaWorld in Ohio during '92. I was just ten years old at the time. In a sense, this is not only the top card in my PC and the Countdown, but it was also the first. Because of the great family memories this card conjures up, the trading card technology used and the players/team featured, the '92 SkyBox Dream Team Plastic card takes the top spot on my countdown.

Thanks for checking out the countdown. It was a lot of fun putting it together over the past couple months. I'll do a post this week with cards I received while I was conducting the countdown that likely would've made the countdown. Congrats again to Offy for guessing my favorite card in my PC. Don't forget to checkout the Timeless Treasures giveaway and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Contest/Giveaway: Can You Guess The #1 Card In My Top 25 Count Down?

Over the past couple months, I've been conducting a Top 25 PC Countdown. I've gone from #25 to #2 and am finally down to my favorite card in my entire collection. If you've been following the countdown, I'm sure you've noticed a pattern. I'm a huge fan of 90's inserts, but can you guess what my favorite PC card is?

To celebrate the conclusion of the countdown and giveaway some of the cards Panini recently sent me, I thought it'd be fun to giveaway some Donruss Rated Rookie cards and a Tyreke Evans Production Line jersey card. Here's what you need to do to enter:

Contest Rules:

• You must be a follower of Hoopography and/or the Hoopography Facebook page
• You must give the year, make and name of the card. Example: 1996 Topps Finest Kevin Garnett RC. Try to be as specific as possible.
• The contest will go on as long as it has to. In other words, the contest is open until someone guesses the #1 card on my Top 25 Countdown. I check the blog a few times a day and will announce a winner within a few hours of the correct guess being posted.
• First participant to guess correctly wins.
• One guess per contestant. However, if you publicize the contest on your blog, you will get a 2nd guess. Make sure to include a link to your "pub" post when guessing.
• Post your guesses in the comments section of this post.
• Please read and adhere to all rules above.

Contest Hints:

• Take a look at the previous Top 25 Countdown posts to get a feel of what and the many players I collect.
• The winning answer comes from the early 90's.
• Many all-time great players are featured on this one card.
• I've had it for almost 20 years
• Take note of some of my favorite card technologies.
• My favorite team of all-time is featured.
• It is not one of the cards from the prize package below.

Contest Prize:

• The prize pack includes 21 Rated Rookie cards (including John Wall) along with a Tyreke Evans Jersey card #'d to 399. My favorite card in my collection and the winning answer is not one of the cards below being offered in the prize package.

Just a few of the 21 Rated Rookie cards included!!!

Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown #2: '93 TSC Shaquille O'neal Beam Team RC

'93 Topps Stadium Club
Shaquille O'neal Beam Team RC

My Top 25 PC Countdown is getting down to the end with the #2 card on the list: 1993 Tops Stadium Club Shaquille O'neal Beam Team RC. I'm sure the appearance of this card so high on the countdown isn't really much of a surprise to readers. I'm a big fan of the early 90's TSC sets with their great photography and early Shaq cards (Orlando Magic and L.A. Lakers). This is also the 7th appearance of an O'neal card on the countdown. What can I say? I was too young to afford any of these cards back in the day. These are like white whales for me.

This was easily one of the most sought after cards in the hobby during 1993 and for good reason. The "Shaq Attack" was well underway and TSC was hot. In fact, the entire TSC Beam Team set was on fire (click here). I remember seeing this card, along with the Jordan Beam Team, in cases at card shops for around $150-$175. That's a much different story today (click here). I somehow pulled an eBay miracle out with a $35 winning bid (plus $5 for shipping) for the entire 21 card Beam Team set!

As great as all the other cards in my countdown are, no card symbolises the fingerprint smudges and fogged up showcases than this. That's why it takes the #2 spot on my Top 25 PC Countdown.

Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown #3: '94 Fleer Ultra Scoring Kings Michael Jordan

'94 Michael Jordan Fleer Ultra Scoring Kings

I know it's been over a week since the last installment of my PC countdown, so let's get right to it. This '94 Fleer Ultra Scoring Kings insert is easily one of the most sought after Jordan cards in the hobby and for good reason.

The front of this tremendous looking card is all foil. That means two things. First, the card surface looks great with that lightning image in the background. The second importance of the foiling is the effect the foiling has on the condition of the card. Similar to the '93 Upper Deck SP foiled Derek Jeter RC, chipping and corner wear is prevalent with this card. I was able to find a mint version of the card at a very affordable price, and was very happy to add it to my collection.

This is easily one of my favorite Jordan cards in my collection. I have a number of cards in this set, and will complete it one day. Luckily, I have a strong start to the set with the Jordan. Stay tuned for the final two cards in my PC Countdown and remember to "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball" this holiday season.

Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown #4: '92 Classic 4 Sport Quad Auto

('92 Classic 4 Sport Gold Future Superstars Quad Auto 5,510/9,500:
Phil Nevin, Shaquille O'neal, Roman Hamrlik & Desmond Howard)

The O'neal theme continues in my PC Top 25 with the #4 card in the countdown. This early O'neal auto was a card I bought almost two years ago on eBay and I'm still excited about the purchase. If you've been following this countdown, you'll know I'm obviously an early O'neal collector. This card is certainly a gem in my O'neal collection, but what's really cool is "The Heisman" himself is also featured on this sweet quad auto:

(Third Party and RSS Feed readers, click here to view media/video)

Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown: #5 Shaquille O'neal '93 Hoops Redemption RC

(Shaquille O'neal 1993 NBAHOOPS Redemption RC)

Is there another O'neal RC that was hotter than this 1993 Hoops Redemption RC back in the day? Maybe, but not many. Will I highlight one of those other hot Shaq' RC's in a future Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown post? Absolutely! But more importantly, did anyone every have a bigger and more squared-off hat sitting on their giant head than that Orlando Magic billboard sitting on the top of O'neal's dome? Not that I could find.

The "Shaq' Attack" was pretty hot back in the mid 90's and this Hoops Redemption card was right in the middle of the "Attack". I love this card. It totally screams 90's with the previously mentioned giant square hat and graphically rad necktie. The card once had a huge $100+ book value, but now has a more modest $60 value. Luckily for collectors, this O'neal gem can be had for an eBay price of $25 - $35. Not bad for one of Shaq's most sought after RC's.

Between the 90's feel this card oozes and the amount of time I spent fogging up my local card shop's showcase glass, this '93 Hoops Redemption O'neal RC takes the #5 spot on the Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown. Stay tuned for the top four cards in the countdown and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown #6: 1988 Entenmann's Michael Jordan

With a strong passion for Entenmann's crumb top cheese cake and Michael Jordan cards, this 1988 Entenmann's Michael Jordan SGC graded 96 promo card is number 6 on my Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown. 

I love great photography and this card certainly features an awesome action shot of the Greatest Of All Time (G.O.A.T.). Plus, checkout those sweet Nike Air Jordan II's "His Airness" is rockin'. It doesn't get better than a rare 80's Jordan promo card, or does it? Stay tuned for the next card in the Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Hoopography Top 25 Countdown: # 7

(1994 Michael Jordan Fleer Ultra Power In The Key)

The 90's was filled with great Michael Jordan inserts and this '94 Fleer Ultra Power In The Key insert is one of the best. Sure there are Jordan inserts that dwarf the $30.00 book value, but not many that look better than this foil covered gem. I know card perfection is subjective, but this is as close to perfection that I've seen. That's why this '94 Michael Jordan Fleer Ultra Power In The Key insert is # 7 on my Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown.

Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown: #8

(1994 Shaquille O'neal Fleer Ultra Jam City)

The Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown continues with this 1994 Shaquille O'neal Fleer Ultra Jam City foil insert card. This masterpiece of foiling combines many of my favorite card attributes including being a 90's insert as well as an Orlando Magic era O'neal card. This was a hot item back in the day and commanded a pretty solid price of $30 - $40. I never could afford a card anywhere near that when I was a younger collector, but I remember admiring this card behind the glass in the local card shops. Today the O'neal Jam City card sells for a much more affordable $10 - $15. However, buyer beware! Foil cards are notorious for edge chipping and soft corners, and these Jam City cards are no different. It took me some time to find a mint version.

I've had a lot of fun with this countdown, and hopefully everyone else has enjoyed it as well. There're only seven cards left in the countdown, and I'm sure you'll pickup on a common theme. For now, stay tuned for the next Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown post and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown: #9

Hi collectors! We're finally in the top 10 of the Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown with this 1996 Upper Deck SP Holoview Michael Jordan. This isn't the rarest card ever. The SP Holoviews were inserted into packs at a rate of 1:7. This isn't even the most expensive Jordan insert ever either. It has a modest book value of only $25. So why is this card in my PC Top 25 Countdown? Three simple points: 

1. Checkout those Nike Air Jordan XI's. The Jordan XI's might not only be the best Jordan kicks ever, but they might just be the best basketball sneakers of all time.
2. The 90's featured some great trading card technologies, but UD mastered the art of the hologram and subsequent holoview. The background on this card is truly awesome.
3. That's one cool picture of "His Airness"!

Trading cards really don't get too much better than this Jordan Holoview for me. Ok, maybe there are eight or so other cards that might be a little better. I have a few more Jordan Holoviews from the 90's that I'll post sometime this week. Stay tuned for those and the next Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown post.

Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown: #10

(1985 Star Co. Slam Dunk Supers Group Photo/Checklist)

The top 10 of the Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown is finally here with a gem from the mid 80's! This 1985 Star Co. Slam Dunk Supers Group Photo/Checklist card is a Star Co. card from Michael Jordan's rookie year. It also includes some of the best high flyers of the 80's including Clyde Drexler, Julius Erving and Dominique Wilkins. Oh, and the card is also a giant 5 x 7 inch goliath. Total Awesomeness!

The Star Co. cards are some of my personal favorites, just not my wallet's favorites. They feature bold colors and some pretty decent photography. The Slam Dunk Supers set had a total of nine singles player cards of the participants from the '85 NBA Slam Dunk Contest plus this group photo for a total of ten cards. The set has a book value of $200. Much of that value is tied up in the Jordan, but the group photo card that occupies the #10 spot on the countdown has a respectable $40 book value. I've seen these group photo cards all over the price spectrum on the secondary markets like eBay, but here's a crazy Buy Now eBay auction (click here).

So what do you think, does this '85 Star Co. Slam Dunk Supers Group Photo/Checklist card deserve the #10 spot on the Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown? Stay tuned to future posts for the rest of the top 10 in the countdown!

Hoopography Top 25 Countdown: #11

The top 10 in my Hoopography Top 25 PC countdown is in sight, but for now, number 11 sure is a good one. My favorite New York Yankee is Mr. Paul O'neill. He was a glue guy on those World Championship teams of the mid and late 90's. He could do everything from driving in runs and playing a great right field to scaring Gatorade coolers around the Majors. O'neill's intensity is legendary. Yankees' YES Network announcer, Michael Kay, razzes O'neill from time to time in the both about his outbursts and cooler incidents. I loved that fiery attitude O'neill brought to the diamond every day. That's why he's my favorite all-time Yankee.

There aren't a ton of O'neill inserts or auto's out there, but there are a couple nice ones that I'm currently chasing. This 2000 Upper Deck SP Buy Back auto is one of the best O'neill cards out there and is numbered 70 of 142. This is also the second O'neill card on the Top 25 countdown. I'm a huge fan of buy back auto's. I love getting the separate UD matching Holo COA that comes with these. It's almost like two cards in one.

I apologize for the scan being a little fuzzy, but I didn't want to take the cards out of the case. The foiling on the left side is notorious for easily chipping. I know O'neill is not the most sought after Yankee to collect, but I thought the $15.25 including shipping I paid was a steal. In truth, I would have paid a lot more for this card. I think every collector has a player or two they're willing to over pay for and O'neill is mine (along with like 5 others).

I had a tough time not ranking this card in the top 10 of the countdown, but there was some tough competition. Stay tuned for my favorite top 10 cards in my collection and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Hoopography Top 25: #12

Here's the number 12 card in my personal collection Top 25 countdown. This 1993 Shaquille O'neal Classic Future #NNO is really a no brainier for me at the number 12 spot in this countdown. It's an extra large acetate early Shaq' card. As many of you know, I love the acetate plastic cards. This Classic Futures card is translucent, but it's tough to tell from the scan. It's really one of those cards that looks better in hand than on scans. Checkout the basketball Shaq' is dunking. He truly had the world in his hands when he came into the Association.

These cards are not terribly scarce, and usually pop up on eBay every couple weeks. The book value is $30.00, but typically sells for right around $10 - $15 (click here). This is just a really neat card that I'm excited to have in my collection and at the number 12 spot in the Hoopography Top 25 countdown.

Happy collecting and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Hoopography Top 25: 13

This spot in the countdown of my favorite 25 cards in my personal collection features a New York Yankee and a 90's insert. If you've been following Hoopography for any amount of time now either here on Blogger.com or the previous Apple iWeb blog, you certainly know my affinity for the New York Yankees and the design of 90's inserts. This 1997 Derek Jeter Flair Hot Gloves card is an excellent combination of the two. The Hot Gloves cards were inserted in the Flair Showcase packs at a rate of 1:90 which doesn't make this the rarest Jeter card ever. They actually pop up on eBay relatively frequently a couple times a month. The die-cut flames are what make this card great, but just think about how Flair was able to incorporate a full bodied silhouette on that smaller die cut card. Sure, you can shrink any image down to fit whatever background, but the finished product doesn't always look this great. Pretty cool stuff.

This may not be the most valuable card in my collection, nor the rarest, but it just might be the hottest. Ok sorry, but I just couldn't resist that one. Stay tuned for numbers twelve through one in the Hoopography Top 25 countdown and remember… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball".

Hoopography Top 25: #14

Shaquille O'neal was the biggest name in basketball trading cards when I was growing up. It was the time of the "Shaq' Attack". Sure, "His Airness" was also at the peak of his collectibility, but O'neal took the NBA by storm in 1993 and never looked back. It didn't matter what type of card or which company produced it, his RC's were hot!

I could remember going to the local sports card shops and looking at all the O'neal RC's in the glass cases. There were a lot of sports card shops back then, so I saw a lot of his RC's. One of those cards that I gawked at happens to be the #14 card in my Hoopography Top 25 countdown. This '93 Fleer Ultra All-Rookies O'neal insert was one of the most sought after basketball cards of '93.

Fleer had been in the trading card business for quite some time by '93, but the Ultra set was the first premium basketball set Fleer had ever released. To say they did a great job with the 'Ultra release is an understatement. From the on-card Scottie Pippen Career Highlights Auto's to the Ultra Rejectors and Ultra All-NBA inserts, the '93 Fleer Ultra product had it all.

The All-Rookies inserts were really hot when they first came out. The O'neal had a solid $40 - $50 price tag originally, but that didn't last very long when collectors realized the set was not very rare. The odds of pulling an All-Rookies card was one in every thirteen packs. With ten cards in the entire set, it wasn't too long until the market was flooded with these cards. The O'neal RC from the set has fallen in value to $25 since the days of the "Shaq' Attack". You can actually go on to eBay today and pick one up for less than $10 (click here).

Regardless of book value, I still really like this card. It reminds me of the days when I first got into the hobby as an eager young sports fan, and couldn't afford this ultra cool O'neal RC. Plus, checkout the first Shaq' Reebok Pumps O'neal is Rockin' in the card. Those are classic.

Hoopography Top 25 Countdown: #15

I love acetate cards. It's easily my favorite trading card technology even though I've been cheating on it with refractor cards lately. Acetate is basically the name given to cards that are produced by encasing or printing an image on a translucent piece of plastic. The heyday for acetate cards was in the mid 90's. Unfortunately, trading card companies have gotten away from this technology which really is a shame. No doubt, I'd love to see a company come out with some acetate inserts featuring some of the modern day superstars, but I'll continue to also hunt down some of the better acetate cards of the past.

One of my favorite acetate cards also happens to be #15 on my PC Top 25 Countdown. The '98 Metal Universe Titanium Anfernee Hardaway is really a tremendous card. It not only features Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway, but Michael Jordan as well. Actually, many collectors pick this guy up because of MJ's presence. That's made the modestly valued card sell for almost double its $15 book value. It's not uncommon for this card to sell for $20-$25 dollars. That's pretty good during a time in the hobby when most cards fail to even reach their book values on the secondary markets.

For me, the Hardaway (with Jordan) is the gem of the set. I'm a huge Hardaway fan and collector, and consider this Metal Universe Titanium one of his best inserts. As many of you know, I'm a huge 90's insert nut as well. That means I'm currently attempting to put this awesome looking set together along with every other 90's insert set (or at least it seems like that).

I recently doubled my ’98 Metal Universe Titanium collection by adding the Antoine Walker, Juwan Howard (K. Garnett in background) and Kerry Kittles (A. Hardaway in background). I also have the Marcus Camby and Ray "Jesus Shuttlesworth" Allen cards from the set. I really like the J. Howard, but the Hardaway with MJ in the background is still my favorite of the six in my collection.

With six down, I have fourteen more to go. If I really concentrated my time and funds on putting the set together, I could probably put the rest of it together relatively quickly with the exception of the pricey Jordan and Kobe cards. I have too many sets I'm putting together right now though, so this one might take me some time. These Metal Titanium cards are fairly common. They were inserted into packs at a rate of 1:72. That’s really not too bad, and there usually are a few different auctions featuring these cards every week. Unfortunately, A few of the cards can get a little expensive (’98 Pippen Titanium completed eBay auction,’98 Jordan Titanium completed eBay auction, ’98 Rodman Titanium completed auction).

Although it's going to take me a while to put the entire '98 Metal Universe set together, I'm pretty happy to have what I consider the gem of the set in my collection. That's why this "Penny" Hardaway Metal Universe Titanium acetate card is #15 on the Hoopography Top 25 Countdown.

Hoopography Top 25 Countdown: #16

Sometimes a card just comes together perfectly. This 1993 Upper Deck 15,000 Point Club Michael Jordan insert isn't the most valuable 90's insert. It also doesn't feature an auto or swatch of jersey fabric. It does however feature a great action photo and a simple, but solid design. That's why this Jordan insert makes it to number 16 on my favorite PC Top 25 Countdown.

I think any basketball card collector has a number of Jordan cards that they consider must haves. This is one of those cards for me. Although not terribly expensive, it took me quite a bit of time to add this one to my collection. It typically sells for right around $10 - $12. You can occasionally find it for under $10 on secondary markets like eBay. Right now there're a couple Buy It Now auctions up for the individual card and the entire 15,000 Point Club Set. Although the book value is $30, the individual card for sale on eBay is a bit high. Lets face it, we all know what book value really means…nothing.

If you're a patient collector, you can add this card to your collection at a very reasonable price. I think it's one of the best overall looking cards in my collection, especially considering there's no auto, foiling, die cut, refractor or relic to rely on. Stay tuned for the next installment of my Top 25 Countdown and… "Enjoy Every Bounce of the Ball"

Hoopography Top 25 Countdown: #17

I'm finally back from being out of town for the past week. I had several posts that I scheduled to be published while I was gone that I hope you enjoyed. It was nice to see a few manila envelops in the mailbox when I got home. I'll certainly try to get those new additions to the collection up here on Hoopography as soon as possible. Actually, one of those new additions might have even broken into my Top 25 if I hadn't ranked the countdown already.

I updated everyone on the Top 25 Countdown as I had recently made the switch from Apple's iWeb to Blogger.com (click here for 25 - 18) with a post last week. Today I'm continuing the countdown with number 17 in my Top 25 collection countdown.

My all-time favorite NY Yankee is Paul O'neil. There aren't a ton of great O'neal cards to collect, but there are a couple fun auto's, inserts and refractors. This '93 Topps Finest Refractor is undoubtedly one of those cards, and is easily one of his most sought after for O'neill and Yankee collectors alike.

I've been looking to add this card to my collection for a long time now. I actually thought I had won one of these refractors several months ago, but the card was not actually a refractor. The seller described the card incorrectly as a refractor when it really wasn't. Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed when I opened the manila envelope and pulled a non-refractor out, but the seller did refund my money in full.

So after a few months of searching for just the right one, and making sure the seller knew what a refractor was, I put in the winning bid for this card. I paid just under $10 with shipping which was a pretty good deal. I've certainly seen these O'neill cards go for much much more as many collectors are attempting to put this refractor set together. An extremely difficult and expensive undertaking.

The card looks beautiful and hits ever color in the spectrum. It's really hard for a refractor not to look great though. The '93 Topps Finest Refractor set truly is an iconic set in the card collecting hobby. It's loaded with stars and I think was the first set to feature the refractor technology from Topps in any sport. Here's a few of the other refractors I would like to add to my collection from that set: Bo Jackson (All-Star), Don Mattingly (All-Star), Doc Gooden (All-Star) and Darryl Strawberry (All-Star).

Hoopography Top 25

Just before I made the switch from iWeb over here to Blooger.com, I started a little series of posts counting down my favorite 25 cards I've been luck enough to add to my collection called, "Hoopography Top 25". I started the countdown off with an honorable mention post, consisting of cards that just missed being in the top 25. Those honorable mention cards can be seen in the image to the left. Most of those cards are Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'neal 90's inserts with an Iverson RC refractor thrown in for good measure.

It's really fun going through a countdown like this because it gets collectors to really appreciate the cards they have, instead of the cards they wish they had. I've been lucky enough to add a number of really great cards with a limited budget. No card in my entire collection has cost over $35 and no card you see in this post cost me more than the one outlier at $23. In fact, many of the cards in the countdown I purchased for right around $7 - $12.

I got all the way to number 18 in the countdown before I made the switch over to Blogger.com. The first third of the countdown is pretty diverse. There're some cool old school basketball auto's (early 90's is old school to me), some NY Yankees cards and a few of my hometown Buffalo Bills cards. With some of these cards it's really about the player like the Hoops Dreams co-star, Arthur Agee, but it's also about the card design for a few of the others. I love the '97 SPx Cornerstones Jeter/A-Rod design. It's basically the same as the '97 SPx ProMotion basketball and football sets that I'm currently attempting to put together. The '98 EX-2000 Credentials card of Andy Petite also features one of my all-time favorite card design. All-in-all, these are some great cards and they were really fun to add to the collection.

So these are some of my favorite cards, what are some of your own favorites that you've been able to add to your collection? Stay tuned for a post on number 17 in my "Hoopography Top 25" countdown!