Another 90's Insert Set: '93 TSC Beam Team Set

There certainly were insert sets before 1993, but it really wasn't until that year that inserts really exploded. Many companies only had one or maybe two insert sets per product in the late 80's and early 90's like Fleer with its Stickers sets ('87 - '90) and Upper Deck with its Award Winner Holograms ('92). However, as the trading card industry took off in the early 90's, so did the size and scope of its products. Companies started producing smaller sets to insert into base product packs to entice the influx of new consumers that were flooding the hobby and market. Also known as the "Golden Age" of trading cards, the 90's helped spur-on creativity and design in the hobby. As far as the basketball trading card hobby was concerned, a perfect storm was created to coincide with the insert revolution.

Not only were trading cards being designed at a higher level to bring in the "Golden Age", but the NBA was in the midst of an upswing of its own. Collectors wanted cards of players like Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'neal. The sports card industry and NBA could not have been hotter, and one early 90's insert set captured the essence of all that excitement, new creativity in design and insert magic.

The '93 Topps Stadium Club product was a premium product that showcased superb photography and a high gloss surface. Sure laugh now, but take a look at a '91 Hoops card and you'll appreciate what Topps did with its '93 TSC release. To go along with its awesome 400 card base set, TSC also inserted a 21 card set into its series 2 boxes at a rate of 1:36. The TSC Beam Team insert set was truly a masterpiece of its time. The Beam Team set features the great photography found in the base set and combines it with the best stars from a hugely popular NBA and cool design. Some of the action shots Topps came up with for this set are really tremendous. Just look at the Dominique Wilkins card. Simply Awesome!

The list of players found in this set is really mind boggling. From Ewing, Robinson and Olajuwon to Barkley, Stockton and Rodman, this set has just about everyone in it. Unfortunately, two glaring omissions are that of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. I know neither played during the '93 NBA season, but they are in the TSC base set. Otherwise, a checklist for an early 90's set doesn't get much better than this.

Many collectors jumped on this set because of the "Shaq' Attack" craze of the mid 90's and Jordan found in the set. The Jordan Beam Team is considered to be one of his "must have" cards for Jordan collectors. I've seen varying prices for this set, so be cautious if you're looking to build this one. There currently are a number of Buy Now sets up on eBay with exorbitant prices from $199 to $350. That is way too much for this set that has a book value of $120. Yes, in 1993 the set did sell for well over $300, but the calendar reads 2012 today. I've seen this set sell for around $75 on the lower end and $150ish on the high end. I stole mine at $55.00. The set is a nice buy if you can grab it for $100 (click here) or under as the Jordan and O'neal typically sell for around $35 and $40 respectively. The Jordan really is a $25 - $30 card, but we all know those 90's Jordan inserts can get crazy. It's not uncommon to see one of these go over the $50 mark.

I myself built the set the easy way and bought it completed about three years ago. I know that's like cheating, but I saved a lot on shipping charges by not having to pay $2-$3 each to have all 21 cards shipped from different sellers. The Jordan, Clyde Drexler and Dominique Wilkins are certainly favorites of mine, but the Shaq' is where it's at for me. Easily one of my favorite cards in my collection from one of my favorite 90's sets.

Did Shaquille O'neal Maximize His Talent?

To say Shaquille O'neal didn't have a Hall of Fame career is ridiculous. However, did he maximize his talent throughout his 19 year career? Did he really get everything he could have out of that 7'1'' 300 plus frame? I've argued for many years that he did not. Sure, I was a big fan of the Shaqdaddy throughout his illustrious career, but there were certainly times that I questioned if he was fully invested in the happenings on the court.

Reebok Shaq Pump

For someone with the size, strength and athleticism of O'neal, there shouldn't have been anything that stopped him. For the most part, there wasn't a player in the league that could stop him except maybe himself. Shaq has never successfully completed an 82 game NBA regular season in 19 tries. In fact, he averaged only 64.5 games per season. I understand that a man that size wasn't exactly treated like a little baby out there. The term "hack-a-chaq" was created for a reason. The real issue here is conditioning.

We all have our different body types, but it didn't look like O'neal spent the necessary time a professional athlete should have on his body as other great centers did like a David Robinson. I wonder how much more dominant Shaq could have been had he worked to keep his body in peak conditioning. How many more injuries could have been prevented at at what level he could have performed at had he worked to keep his body in better physical condition. Let's face it, that "Shaq Versus" show was entertaining, but it really was the cross-training workout he was touting.

No doubt, O'neal is a top 10 all-time great, but could he have been in the top 5 or even 3? Maybe, but I guess we'll never know. One thing is for certain. I like collecting the early O'neal inserts and auto's. A couple of my favorites from my collection are posted above. Enjoy the NBA Finals and… "Every Bounce of the Ball".

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.

KICKS: NIKE AIR FORCE MAX AND THE FAB FIVE

              Image Courtesy of NKETLK.com                                          '93 Classic Four Sport Tri-Card (Hardaway, O'neal, Webber)

The Air Force Max Nikes are one of the most iconic kicks of the mid 90's. These hardcore baller kicks were originally released in 1993 for Sir Charles himself. No, not me. Actually, they were released for Sir Charles Barkley. There's no denying Barkley's influence as a spokesperson for Nike, but it was Michigan's Fab Five that shot this sneaker into the pop culture stratispher.

These were cool kicks that an all freshmen, baggy shorts, black socks wearing starting five wore while they took the collegiate basketball ranks by storm. Truth be told, the Fab didn't actually start wearing these as freshmen. Actually, it was the Nike Air Flight Huaraches that the Five first started rockin' that fateful freshman year, but they did wear the Air Force Max Nikes during their sophmore seasons. Checkout the '93 Classic Four Sport Tri-Card featuring Anfernee Hardaway, Shaquille O'neal and Chris Webber. First, this is a really cool card and I'm excited that this KICKS series post allows me to show this card off. Second, checkout what Webber is got on his feet. It might be a little tough to tell, but those are the AF Max sneakers. Sure, those Converse kicks Hardaway was breakin' ankles in are cool, but the Nikes are iconic.

The Air Force Max sneakers were rereleased as retro's a year or two ago. They're a pair I would have loved to add to my collection, but it just wasn't in the cards. How's that for a play on words? I know a number of people who bought a pair and they love 'em. The unquestioned best design feature is the visible heel air sole. The mostly all black color scheme with a pair of black Nike socks is a nice look too.

In honor of the Tri-Card and the fact that the three players featured are some of my favorites to collect, here are the videos of their NBA Draft selections:

Anfernee Hardaway '93 Draft	Shaquille O'neal '92 Draft	Chris Webber '93 Draft

(Third party site and RSS readers, click here to view media/videos)

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".

Yet Another 90's Insert Set: '97 Ultra Court Masters

As I'm sure you're all well aware of, I love 90's inserts sets. The quality of design and creativity was at its peak during that time. Whether it was holograms, die cuts, acetate or the early jersey and auto'd cards, 90's card companies had it going on. I have about five separate 90's insert set collections going right now between basketball and football products, but none is more exciting to me than the '97 Ultra Court Masters acetate basketball set.

I've been working on putting the 15 card set together for sometime now, but it seems there are also a number of other collectors assembling the set. Many of these cards sell for above their book values. Not by much, but enough to make it difficult to put the set together quickly. I'm used to the half priced cards on eBay, so $5 or $10 over book value is expensive to me.

The set has all the usual 90's suspects including Grant Hill, David Robinson, Charles Barkley and John Stockton. Of Course, the Michael Jordan is the most sought after card and fetches the highest price tag of $100 to $125 (checkout this overpriced BIN Jordan Court Masters). The Hardaway is the gem of the set for me. His cards are easily my favorite to collect (click here), and the Court Masters PSA Graded 10 is a very nice addition to my "Penny" Hardaway collection.

The other three cards in the set I've been able to secure are of Juwan Howard, Reggie Miller and Shaquille O'neal. I'm not a huge fan of graded cards. Basically, I only search out graded cards if I'm looking for a vintage card. The reason I have three graded cards in the start of this set is solely due to price. Most of the time there are 3 or 4 cards from the set listed at the same time by one seller. In order to keep shipping costs down or to get a jump on completing the set, collectors are driving the bid prices up by zeroing in on the multiple listings. I bought all four of these cards from sellers who only listed one Court Masters card at a time. Three of them just happen to be graded.

Either way, these cards are fairly rare with an insertion ratio of 1:180. The set isn't cheap either at $450. So I'll try to grab these awesome acetate cards anyway possible, graded/ungraded, trade/buy, whatever. I have a ways to go with 11 more cards in the set, but hopefully I'll be able to update any progress soon.

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".

Yet Another 90's Insert Set: 1993 TSC Beam Team

There certainly were insert sets before 1993, but it really wasn't until that year that inserts really exploded. Many companies only had one or maybe two insert sets per product in the late 80's and early 90's like Fleer with its Stickers sets ('87 - '90) and Upper Deck with its Award Winner Holograms ('92). However, as the trading card industry took off in the early 90's, so did the size and scope of its products. Companies started producing smaller sets to insert into base product packs to entice the influx of new consumers that were flooding the hobby and market. Also known as the "Golden Age" of trading cards, the 90's helped spur-on creativity and design in the hobby. As far as the basketball trading card hobby was concerned, a perfect storm was created to coincide with the insert revolution.

Not only were trading cards being designed at a higher level to bring in the "Golden Age", but the NBA was in the midst of an upswing of its own. Collectors wanted cards of players like Michael Jordan and Shaquille O'neal. The sports card industry and NBA could not have been hotter, and one early 90's insert set captured the essence of all that excitement, new creativity in design and insert magic.

The '93 Topps Stadium Club product was a premium product that showcased superb photography and a high gloss surface. Sure laugh now, but take a look at a '91 Hoops card and you'll appreciate what Topps did with its '93 TSC release. To go along with its awesome 400 card base set, TSC also inserted a 21 card set into its series 2 boxes at a rate of 1:36. The TSC Beam Team insert set was truly a masterpiece of its time. The Beam Team set features the great photography found in the base set and combines it with the best stars from a hugely popular NBA and cool design. Some of the action shots Topps came up with for this set are really tremendous. Just look at the Dominique Wilkins card. Simply Awesome!

The list of players found in this set is really mind boggling. From Ewing, Robinson and Olajuwon to Barkley, Stockton and Rodman, this set has just about everyone in it. Unfortunately, two glaring omissions are that of Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. I know neither played during the '93 NBA season, but they are in the TSC base set. Otherwise, a checklist for an early 90's set doesn't get much better than this.

Many collectors jumped on this set because of the "Shaq' Attack" craze of the mid 90's and Jordan found in the set. The Jordan Beam Team is considered to be one of his "must have" cards for Jordan collectors. I've seen varying prices for this set, so be cautious if you're looking to build this one. There currently are a number of Buy Now sets up on eBay with exorbitant prices from $199 to $250. That is way too much for this set that has a book value of $120. Yes, in 1993 the set did sell for upwards of $300, but the calendar reads 2010 today. I did find this Buy Now auction for $75 (click here). That's actually a pretty good price as the Jordan and O'neal typically sell for around $30 (click here) and $35 (click here) respectively.

I myself built the set the easy way and bought it completed about two years ago. I know that's like cheating, but I saved a lot on shipping charges by not having to pay $2-$3 each to have all 21 cards shipped from different sellers. The Jordan, Clyde Drexler and Dominique Wilkins are certainly favorites of mine, but the Shaq' is where it's at for me. Let's just say, if you've been following my blog, you'll see it soon in the Hoopography Top 25 PC Countdown.

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".

Kicks: Who Remembers the Reebok Pump?

Sneakers, or kicks as the kids call them these days, are a collectors item in themselves. New releases and custom artist designed kicks can sell for big money (click here). For something as simple as the rubber and leather that covers our feet, the sneaker head obsession does seem a bit ridiculous. However, as with any other collectible, the beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I myself collect sneakers. More importantly, I also wear them so as to get the full use and enjoyment out of each pair. I'll highlight some of the kicks in my collection as well as some of the more iconic footwear from the past 30 or so years in a series of "Kicks:" posts right here on Hoopography.

The first installment of "Kicks:" features the ultra rad Reebok Pumps. I love the old school Reebok Pumps from the late 80's and early 90's. It seemed that Nike had every great NBA superstar signed up to the Swoosh, but Reebok had it going on for a while too with spokesman like Dominique "Human Highlight Film Wilkins, Doc Rivers and Shaquille O'neal. Plus, they put together one heck of a cool marketing campaign to go head to head with Nike.

The Pump technology was truly innovative. The air pockets inflated to allow for a highly desired tighter fit. Whether tying ones shoelaces tighter couldn't also accomplish this same feat is another topic entirely and it didn't really matter to consumers weather the air pockets really made that much of a difference or not. Between the cool factor and creative TV commercials like the one to the left, Reebok had found a winner with the Pump.

My favorite Pump sneaker was the original Shaq Attack kicks. Shaq was the hot commodity of the early and mid 90's for sporting apparel giants like Reebok and Starter. You could even get a small pressurized tube of air called the Insta Pump for the Reebok Shaq Attacks. The Insta Pump filled the air pockets automatically. Although the Reebok Shaq Attack line did not sustain the same longevity as the Nike Air Jordans, they were just as hot at their brief pinnacle.

Did anyone have a pair of Reebok Pumps back in the day? If so, how do you think they compare to modern day kicks of today like these Nike Zoom Kobe V's?

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.

Remember When These Guys Where The New Guys on The Court?

While riffling through a box of cards, I came across this gem. I'm not sure what company produced this card, but I know its from '90 or '91. Check it out. The card features a young Shaquille O'neal, Kenny Anderson, Stacey Augmon and Larry Johnson. At onetime, these players were the future of the NBA. Certainly, O'neal fulfilled all the predictions of his potential and then some. I was a huge Larry "Grand Ma Ma" Johnson fan back in the day. I thought he was simply a beast during his time with the Charlotte Hornets earlier in his career. He also knocked down a four-point play for my Knicks during the '99 NBA Playoffs (click here). Augmon had a solid 15 year career with five teams. Also known as "The Plastic man", Augmon was a standout defensive player. Kenny Anderson was a basketball prodigy from his days in grade school. By the time the Queens, N.Y. native attended Archbishop Molloy High School, he was one of the heaviest recruited amateur athletes of all-time. Although the speedy left-handed point guard never achieved the unrealistic expectations placed upon him since he was in the sixth grade, he did make the '94 NBA All-Star Team.

This is really a fun card. I love the 90's font on the top lettering of the card. It's really cool to have a card with three separate pics of these players on it. I also like the back of the card. The rad font continues on the back with the top lettering. There's also some really cool descriptions and predictions for each player featured on the card. I blew the card up so you can read them for yourself. Enjoy this little gem and… "Every Bounce of the Ball".