If we’re being kind, we might refer to Topps’ 1979-80 basketball set as “unspectacular”. The product failed to resonate with collectors at the time of its release. More than four decades on, not much has changed. Despite a attractive design and some sharp action shots, a rookie crop of Alex English, Mychal Thompson and Reggie Theus and, well, not much else, isn’t the stuff … [Read more...]
Khris Middleton – Superstar Role Player, or Unsung Superstar in His Own Right?
If you’re not completely and hopelessly immersed in the minutiae of graduate-level NBA Discourse, then you’ve probably not borne witness to The Khris Middleton Debate. In this scenario, chances are you think of Middleton as an excellent basketball player on a series of excellent Milwaukee Bucks teams built on a generational foundation. If this is you, kudos on you … [Read more...]
One Last Year in the Wilderness – Basketball Cards in 1982-83
That major sports card manufacturers have historically made a habit of taking hiatuses from basketball is well-trodden ground. That proclivity for punting on hoops meant that the decades of the 1950s and 1960s – or nearly 30% of NBA history – saw the release of just two mainstream sets. On the bright side, as a result of having to make up for lost time, these issues – … [Read more...]
Official Scoresheet from Larry Bird’s 60-Point Game in New Orleans Set to Close at Auction
Sports fandom – I mean real sports fandom – is a funny beast. To those who are not the least bit inclined to overinvestment in the outcome of strangers exercising, it’s unfathomable. To the “casual fan” (in my book an odder breed of duck), there’s no reason to care this deeply. I mean, “we’re just watching for fun, right?” Sure… We’re drawn to sports for a variety of … [Read more...]
The ABA Story, Part II – Rookie Cards of Eight ABA-Only Greats
Several weeks back, we strolled down memory lane, reliving the delightful – and delightfully weird – heyday of the ABA. Anyone truly familiar with basketball history will recognize a common thread among those highlighted in that piece. Not only were these among the most accomplished of ABA alumni, but NBA success also lay in their future. Julius Erving, Rick Barry, Artis … [Read more...]
Anthony Edwards – A North Star Rising
For a variety of reasons, most of the #1 overall picks in the NBA drafts between 2013 and 2018 are not the signature stars of their rookies classes. Anthony Bennett is simply one of the worst top-of-the-draft misfires in history. Andrew Wiggins, the #1 overall pick and Rookie of the Year in 2014, has underwhelmed. He is now, at best, the fifth-best player from his class, … [Read more...]
Rare, Relevant and… Anonymous?? Michael Jordan’s 1985-86 Star Card
Stop me if you’ve heard this before… The title of “most hilariously stacked basketball set of the twentieth century” comes down to three names: 1961-62 Fleer (Wilt, West, Oscar, Elgin rookies, plus those of seven other Hall of Famers), 1969-70 Topps (99 cards, 15 Hall of Fame RCs, led by Lew Alcindor’s), and 1986-87 Fleer (Jordan, Barkley, Ewing, Olajuwon, Isiah, Dominique, … [Read more...]
Topps and the Stock Market – A Closer Look at the Deal
One of the most iconic names in sports cards is returning to the ranks of the publicly traded. Again. Earlier this week, Topps struck a deal with Mudrick Capital (most recently of “meme stock fame”) that will result in the listing of Topps shares on the Nasdaq exchange. It’s a path the Company has trod before. Topps: What’s Old is New Founded in 1938, and incorporated … [Read more...]
Jewels in the Junk – 1990s NBA Sleepers
We’ve written, at some length, about the formative and transformative periods in the history of basketball cards. We all know the drill by now: star-studded 1961-62 Fleer gives way to, well, nothing for the better part of a decade. Topps redefines the hobby, first with its legendary 1969-70 set, then as the only game in town until early 1980s. Topps makes for the exit, again, … [Read more...]
1986-87 Fleer Basketball and “Rightful” Rookie Cards
In terms of the sheer depth and quality of their rookie cards, three basketball card sets forever stand alone. Why “forever”? Because, these days, it's unlikely that all major card manufacturers will simply bail on basketball for several years. The gorgeous 1961-62 Fleer set, for instance, is hilariously stacked, featuring rookie cards of inner-most circle legends Wilt … [Read more...]