Here’s some news about a rare find that collectors of 1990s era basketball cards will appreciate.
Dealer/collector Peter Kiefor passed along photos of two cards that were part of a group created by Skybox in 1990 featuring NBC-TV broadcasters who were part of the network’s NBA team back then.
His discovery of the Bob Costas and Pat Riley cards bumps up what’s a very small population of what’s believed to be a four-card set. The others showcase Ahmad Rashad and Julie Moran. The cards were never inserted in packs, but rather intended for the broadcasters themselves.
Only a few of the Rashad and Moran cards have surfaced in the past and copies of the Costas and Riley cards have never been publicly offered. Production quantities aren’t known but PSA has graded only seven total between the four cards.
Kiefor says he obtained the Costas and Riley from a former Skybox employee. After a lengthy stint with the Lakers, Riley was out of coaching during the 1990-91 season and took the job as an NBC analyst.
“You can search the deepest depths of the internet and you won’t even be able to find an image of either of these cards,” Kiefor told us. “Set collectors wondered if (they) even existed. That’s how rare they are.”
Topps opened membership in its 582 Montgomery Club to collectors on Wednesday, adding a few newcomers to the roster at a cost of $600. Demand was strong. Many of those who entered an online queue never got through and memberships were gone in a matter of minutes.
Those who had originally signed up for the program had the opportunity to renew their memberships on Tuesday for $300.
The Montgomery Club offers some free exclusive cards and early access to Topps’ online offerings throughout the year.
StarStock will launch its own auction platform next Tuesday. The format will be live stream auctions each weekday evening, with bidding on each lot lasting “no longer than 1-3 minutes,” according to the company. Extended bidding will be part of the concept, though.
The platform will include live chat and the ability to instantly transfer a card won via auction into the user’s StarStock vault.
At first it’ll only be open to current StarStock vault users, but the company says they plan to eventually make it available for all users to submit cards to auctions.
If you appreciate NFL history, you’ll like this story about a couple of photographs from the Green Bay Packers’ first season in the NFL 100 years ago that are now up for auction.
The JP Sports Thanksgiving weekend show has a new location. This year’s event, set for November 27 and 28 will be at the Westchester Marriott on White Plains Road in Tarrytown, NY.
It’s a 150-table event with autograph guests that include Lenny Wilkens, John Starks, Juan Gonzalez, Mookie Wilson and Jesse Orosco.
Speaking of the 1986 Mets…they now have their own line of FOCO bobbleheads honoring the 35th anniversary of the World Series championship.
When it comes to cards and anything else sports collecting related, knowing the story is part of the fun. It’s also important if you’re buying or selling. I chatted with Collectable Daily about that topic this week. Listen below.
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