Who Remembers Those "Cool" Laser Backgrounds For The School Year Book Photo?

1993 Topps Beam Team Miller/Barkley/Drexler (Front)

1993 Topps Beam Team Miller/Barkley/Miller (Back)

By "Cool"… I really mean cool with no parenthesis. That laser background was awesome back in the day for those oh so important yearbook photos and it's still pretty sweet today. Sure, that's only one blogger's not so humble opinion, but Topps liked the design as well. The Beam Team inserts were popular in both the higher-end Stadium Club and base Topps sets during the mid-90's.

The above card is from the '93 Topps set and features Clyde Drexler, Charles Barkley and Reggie Miller. That's not too shabby of a trio. These Beam Team cards were inserted into Series 2 packs at a modest ratio of 1:18. So they're not the most rare cards in the hobby, but they are fun. All of the usual suspects are included in this set: Jordan, Ewing, O'neal, Robinson, etc, and many of these cards can be added to collections for right around $.99. So not only is this a fun set with a totally rad design, it's also affordable.

Happy collecting 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.

Which Notable Nickname Would You Want?

Panini's upcoming National Treasures Basketball product will be released August 4th and features some really great looking cards. This'll be Panini's most highend basketball product to date with a $400 price tag. That $400 dollars does not give you much in quantity, but from the looks of the press released images, it will get you plenty of quality. Actually, each box will contain six auto'd and/or memorabilia cards, one insert or rookie card and one less than 99 serial numbered cards in every box.

As of July 13th, Panini has posted 33 images on their Facebook Page of cards that will be included in the National Treasures product. Every card features either an on-card auto, inscription auto, massive multi-colored jersey patch or some awesome combination of auto and patch. It looks like there are some great cards to be had for sure, but I'm really excited for the Notable Nicknames inscription cards. These look great and feature some of the greatest players in NBA history. So the Notable Nicknames cards look great, but which card would you want to add to your collection and maybe more importantly, which nickname would you want to have? Here are your choices:

The "Iceman" was the master of the finger roll during the 70's and 80's. He was also a dangerous offensive player and was really the first star for a fledgling San Antonio Spurs franchise. No doubt, this would be a nice addition to anyones collection and there aren't too many nicknames cooler than "Iceman".

"Mr. Clutch", there really isn't a better nickname for a basketball player that wants to be known for winning and knocking down big shots, but the truth is that Jerry West actually only won one NBA Title. With a nickname like that, you would think "The Logo" would've won a few more titles. Actually, I like "The Logo" nickname even better. I have Mr. West in my all-time top 10 players of NBA and basketball history. He's truly a legend and an inscription auto'd card of his would be the centerpiece of many collectors collections.

Here's my vote for the card I would want out of the set if I had to pick one, and the same goes for the nickname. I love Dominique Wilkins cards. There're so many great inserts of Wilkins from the 90's and great recent auto's (click here). "The Human Highlight Film" certainly earned his name. I don't know of any other NBA players that had as many great in-game dunks as Wilkins (click here). This is a great looking card. The auto and inscription are awesome, but don't overlook Wilkins' classic 80's hightop fade haircut.

Although brief with glimpses of greatness, "The Big Redhead's" place in basketball history is secure. From his time at UCLA to his time as an NBA anaylist, Bill Walton's influence on the game can be felt throughout. This is a really cool inscription.

I really like that Dominique Wilkins card, but this Clyde "The Glide" Drexler card would be my second choice. It's just a fantastic card of an all-time great. I love that Panini used an older picture of Drexler from his time with the Portland Trailblazers. He won an NBA Title with the Houston Rockets, but he became "The Glide" in Portland. If you need a little refresher of when Drexler ruled the Great Northwest skies, (click here).

So there you go. My pick form out of the five cards and nicknames is both Dominique Wilkins. I love the card and "Human Highlight Film" nickname, but I don't think you can go wrong with any of the choices. So which card would you most like to add to your collection and witch is your favorite nickname?