After all these years

One fun thing about being an adult with disposable income is picking up cards that I didn't have as a child.

I remember flipping through Beckett or Tuff Stuff and seeing the unattainable cards. They might not have even been that expensive, they just weren't accessible. Not like they are now, where we have a means to pretty much find any card we want. They were from brands that weren't carried at CVS, or from brands that weren't allowed on a budget...like little tiny boxes of Flair. 

Another source of card lust was the collections of friends. I remember being at my friend Chris's house, and not only being envious of the dedicated space he had in his room for cards, but he always managed to pull such cool Upper Deck basketball cards. No matter what I offered, I couldn't get him to part with his 1993-94 Upper Deck 3-D Standouts Triple Double Michael Jordan.

The card was so cool. Triple Double in block letters. Jordan shoot a fadeaway off one foot. A hologram. The card had it all.

I know I offered him a lot, but he just always shook his head "no." I don't blame him.

I'm not sure what took so long, but recently the card popped into my head. After a quick eBay search, I found one. I didn't have to got to all ends of the earth. I didn't have to make a financial sacrifice. It was less than $10 all in.

That's part of the fun of collecting as an adult. I've done it numerous times: picked up a card I never could have as a kid. In some instances, it's a big card, like an original Mantle. In others, it's just a good-looking insert card that I could never bring into my collection.

Cards attached to cards

Recently, Kerry at Cards on Cards held another free card event. 

I feel like every time he does, there's something there that I want. Usually it's a Yankee. But in this instance, it was something else that caught my eye:

Look at that! A full, unperforated set of 1990 McDonald's SI for Kids Michael Jordan cards. I remember seeing these in my friends collection as a kid and being envious of them. The fact that Kerry had two full sets up for grabs was incredibly generous, and I couldn't claim one of them fast enough.

I've been on a bit of an SI for Kids kick lately, as I recently bought and older Jordan and Shaq, as well as a Nastia Liuken and Shawn Johnson. Since around 2014 or so, I've been receiving SI for Kids with unused airline miles. That actually has led to some really great first cards in my collection of people like Collin Morinkawa, Dustin Johnson, Simone Biles, and more. It also led to a recent $700 sale of a Naomi Osaka card from the magazine. Crazy!

However, the Jordans are for me to keep. MJ cards continue to be sought after, and something like this will always have a place in my collection.

Kerry didn't just send the Jordans. He sent me a big brick of Yanks. Along with the Jordans, this was stuck between two pieces of cardboard:

That is cool! It's a box loader card from 2020 Stadium Club. Are we bringing back Fleer Extra Bases?!

There was also a bunch of Yankees Turkey Reds, as well as Allen & Ginter cards, whose set designs are now nearly impossible to tell year over year.

I was happy to find this Jeter from 2020 Topps, as well as a 2021 insert of Gleyber Torres.

Thanks for the awesome package, Kerry!

Return of the King

A few weeks back, The Diamond King ran his own unique twist on the Big Fun Game. The BFG is a Napkin Doon creation that has seen a few iterations, but it is still alive in several forms, and for that, he is always with us.

The DK ran a fun one where he gave every player a balance - 100 DK$ - and you essentially bid on the items he posted. Players could also receive bonus DK$ for answering trivia questions or unlocking hidden moments of the game.

I only one won lot - I was a little too stingy with my DK$ - but I came home with a good one.

I feel bad because I sniped a fellow blogger, but it just so happened I was near my phone as the bidding was coming to a close, so I took care of business.

The item I wanted centered not only around basketball RCs, but had a few MJs as well. Fitting that I won it for 45 DK$, a strategic number I used because one of the Jordans was of him wearing #45:

The real apple of my eye was a RC of this guy:

Dirk was a player I really enjoyed watching, and the chance to score a beautiful Flair RC of him was too much to pass up.

This was the second most interesting card to me, for obvious reasons. Any Kobe adds right now are solid.

I had never seen these M3 rookie cards, They are pretty fun. In doing a little research, the ones with LeBron are obviously the most sought after. I liked the ones with Melo and D-Wade, though.

Next, some RCs of guys in a college product. Fun cards. You've got a beardless James Harden, right before his college career was brutally ended by Syracuse. You've got Derrick Rose, who I saw play for Memphis at MSG and I was convinced OJ Mayo was going to be better. Then you've got Pierce and Duncan. Sweet!

The DK also threw in a few non-auction items, including a signed Tino USA RC and a few others. I asked if he had a story behind the Tino, but just said it came from a cheap box at a show once, The signature looks legit to me though.

This was indeed a fun game. Just wish I didn't keep 62 unused DK$!

Kerr-plunk

Oh man. The Last Dance has ended.

What a ride it was. I'm sure film buffs will probably critique the format of the docu-series and how the timeline jumped around. However, I thought it really worked well and actually appreciated the road it took to get to that final sixth title, with Jordan hitting the shot over Russell.

I knew there would be a heavy focus on Pippen, Rodman, and Kukoc. What I wasn't expecting was Steve Kerr to be featured so heavily on his own in Episode 9.

I guess it makes sense. Kerr hit that huge shot in 1997's Game 6 that led to the Bulls first title over the Jazz. Watching those title runs during my childhood, I didn't appreciate the role players as much. Or maybe I did and just have forgotten about then. I definitely knew Kerr was an important part of the squad, but I really didn''t remember much about guys like Scott Burrell.

I can't quite remember when I got these - probably in the 1997-range, but Steve Kerr signed two cards for me TTM waaaay back. They both came out pretty well, I'd say.

Kerr has obviously gone on to have a ton of success as the head coach of the Warriors. I remember he was the front-runner for the Knicks job, and when he took the Warriors job instead, I remember thinking that was a slap in the face. Shows what I know. I guess Kerr knew what he was doing.

The Last Dance was awesome, and best of all, provided something to look forward to for five straight Sundays. Yesterday with golf, NASCAR, and then The Last Dance...it almost felt like a real sports Sunday!

One of my favorite collectibles

Back in 2008, the Sports Museum of America opened in New York City. It only lasted until February of 2009, as the number of visitors were vastly over-projected. Frankly, the museum had an awareness problem. Not a lot of people knew about it.

I visited with a co-worker during that quiet time between Christmas and New Years in December of 2008.

While 12 years ago, I do remember it being cool, and it's sad more people didn't visit it. It's before I had a smart phone, so I have no photos. I do remember there being a lot of cards and memorabilia on display.

I guess that was one problem. It had a lot of cool stuff, sure. But no real direction. Just a collection of stuff and they called it a museum.

One other item I remember seeing was boxed Kenner Starting Lineup set of then 1992 Olympic Dream Team. Well, at least 10 of the players. I remember how cool I thought the set was back when it came out, and the trip down memory lane at the museum really hit home.

I wanted to have that set.

The one on display wasn't even in good condition, as I remember the box being pretty beat up.

I went home and search eBay, and to my surprise there were a lot available, for fairly modest prices as well. I believe I paid somewhere between $20-25 for mine:

I still have it to this day, and it remains surprisingly affordable as a boxed set. Many are in the $75 range. Not bad.

Some of the figures are great, and MJ is front and center, of course.

To my knowledge, these didn't come with loose cards like the individuals, but had cards you could cut off the back. That never goes well.

Such a cool set. Now if I could only find an affordable set of the McDonald's Dream Team cups...

The Croatian Sensation

I knew it was coming. Episode 5 of The Last Dance on ESPN featured quite a bit of Toni Kukoc, mostly while he was playing in international basketball competitions. He was the star of the 1992 Olympic Silver Medalist Croatia National Team, but it's been pretty well-documented that Jordan and Pippen chose to shut him down defensively to send a message to their GM, Jerry Krause, who had visions of Kukoc one day playing alongside of, and perhaps eventually replacing, the two.

For me, it's always been hard to not feel bad for Kukoc. By all measures, he was a good dude, and it wasn't his fault Krause wanted him. He was a very good player. This was before much of an influx of international talent into the NBA, so for years he was a mysterious draft pick who had never made it stateside.

The documentary showed that he had chosen to stay overseas because of the political turmoil in his home. He was also making more money than he would as an NBA rookie.

He also had no real way of knowing that Jordan and Pippen were annoyed by management's view of him. That wasn't his fault. He didn't ask for it.

Eventually, he did make it to the U.S. after Jordan retired the first time, and was a critical part of the second Bulls 3-peat. I hope future episodes show that instead of just him getting dunked on in the Olympics.

Being that I collected basketball mostly while MJ was retired, I ended up with a few Kukoc cards over the years. It felt like he has a lot of RCs in '93-94.

I hope the remaining episodes help shed some light on his time as an NBA player. He was a good one, albeit under appreciated.

The Worm

One of the highlights for me in episodes 3 & 4 of The Last Dance on ESPN was the focus on Dennis "The Worm" Rodman. I can't think of too many more fitting nicknames for a player like him.

I really liked watching him play growing up. I didn't look at him as a role model. I knew he wasn't someone to look up to as a heroic figure. But I loved how he played. His job was to be pull down rebounds and be a defensive pest. And he performed both admirably. Who knows if we'll see another player like him ever again?

One thing that gets lost in his zaniness was how intelligent of a player he was. It's easy to chalk him up to being a weirdo, but he was very bright on the court. You don't lead the league in rebounds per game 7(!) straight years by not having a high basketball IQ. Especially at 6'8". He knew how to position himself, and his body, to put him in the best spot possible to pull down a board. From knowing angles to tipping the ball to keep it alive, he was a beast on the glass. It was interesting hearing him talking about the spin on a player's shot, and how that helped to position him for the rebound.

His antics and famous hair also lead to some great cards. When you think of 1995-96 Fleer (and 1995 Fleer baseball), does any player fit better on these cards than Rodman? This set design was made for him.

My favorite card of him is probably this EX-2000 with the transparent background. Look at The Work pulling down that board with two hands.

I've mentioned my love of the Bulls black jerseys, and Rodman always wore them well. They made his hair stand out even more.

I used to love when he'd do something good and run down the court with his fist up.

Some of his non-Bulls cards are classics as well.

He was a hell of a player, and the Bulls don't 3-peat for a second time without him.

Great Scott!

For those who cared to watch it, I hope you enjoyed episodes 1 & 2 of The Last Dance on ESPN. I thought it was great. Not only did I enjoy seeing the old footage of Michael Jordan and co., but there was a lot I just didn't remember. I was actually surprised by how little I did recall!

While I followed the NBA heavily in 1997-98 (I would have been in 8th grade), there was so much I just didn't remember. I don't remember Scottie Pippen's drama with ownership, and him deciding right before the season to have foot surgery. I don't remember the Bulls sluggish start that year. I don't remember the vitriol geared at Jerry Krause.

I'm sure I knew about it at the time, but 23 years ago (ha! 23!) was a long time ago. A lot has happened since then to my cloud my brain.

As for Pippen, he definitely deserved to be paid more. On one hand, he dug his own grave by signing a long-term contract in order for security - 7 years and $18mil. On the other, toward the end of the deal, he was grossly underpaid as league revenue - and player salaries - soared.

I have a fairly lot of Pippen cards in my remaining stack of basketball cards I saved. Nothing fancy, but a nice assortment. As I mentioned in my last post, most of my basketball collecting was while Jordan was out, so naturally I ended up with a lot of Pippens.

My favorite is probably the SkyBox Air Raid, which seems a bit like a knock off of Upper Deck's Skylights. It kind of looks more like a Nike shoe ad.

A pretty sweet Provisions card from Fleer, although I'm not so sure of the background. Are those bullet holes?

SkyBox Z-Force is the equivalent of Circa Thunder, I think. I could be wrong. Still, a neat card in a '90s kind of way.

These two inserts from Fleer Ultra would have come from the box I got for Christmas in 1995.

This Hoops Block Party is a really fun card, although not sure I'd say Pippen was known for his shot-blocking. Still, he could do it all, so I get it.

Here's the rest of my Pippen stash:

The next 8 episodes can't come soon enough!

The Last Dance

Michael Jordan - and his basketball cards - are sweeping the internet.

I can't log on to Twitter without seeing several people showing off some MJ's, whether it's a stroll down memory lane, or to try and take advantage of the hot card market and make some money.

I love it and am totally fine with it. It'll pass eventually, but it's cool to see. The majority of the reason for Jordan's resurrection right now is not only the fact that there is no NBA (the Playoffs would have started yesterday), but it's in anticipation of the 10-part documenarty series The Last Dance, airing on ESPN over the next 5-weeks.

The docuseries will follow the 1997-98 Chicago Bulls during the final season of their second three-peat. As a child of the '90s, the Bulls might have been the most popular team in a decade that saw the Cowboys and Yankees both have sustained success. It was a decade of dynasties, but none more popular than Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, and the Bulls.

I collected basketball cards more than baseball from about 1994-1997. It was different though and you didn't have baseball year round. You come collect by season. It was basically buy baseball cards in the spring/summer, and buy basketball in fall/winter. Now we have year-round releases for all sports, and it's hard with so much overlap to collect multiple sports.

Sadly, the middle years of my collecting were while Jordan was away from the game, but I still managed to collect and hang on to a few Jordan cards. In honor of The Last Dance, here are 23 of my favorite Jordan cards that still reside in my collection from my childhood:

1. 1995-96 Ultra Gold Medallion #25

To me, this is the greatest parallel set of all time. Like baseball, they fell one per pack. My "big" present for Christmas in 1995 was a box of these, and luckily I pulled the Jordan.

2. 1993-94 Fleer Sharp Shooter #3

Growing up, this was one of my most valuable MJ's according Beckett. I pulled it during the spring of 1994, when he has already been out of the game. I love the look of it, from the graffiti in the background to the Sharp Shooter logo.

3. 1991 Upper Deck Baseball #SP1

Probably the most famous Jordan baseball card, before Jordan playing baseball was a thing. My cousin owned this card and I lusted after it for years. When he was a little older and was moving away, he finally gave me his old cards, including this one.

4. 1995-96 Collector's Choice You Crash The Game Gold Set #C30

I loved You Crash The Game. LOVED IT. In all sports. Jordan appears twice in the set, but the final card of the set is one of my favorites. He looks so badass in the Bulls black uniform and in his Air Jordan 11s.

5. 1995-96 Fleer Metal Nuts & Bolts #212

I'm still surprised this isn't an insert, as it's part of the base set. Fleer Metal was cool, and the Jordans in this set are now very sought after.

6. 1993-94 Upper Deck Skylights #466

This card is so freakin' great. The whole subset was.

7. 1993-94 Ultra Inside Outside #4

This card coms with memories. I pulled it from a gas station somewhere between Binghamton, NY and Mansfield, OH while traveling with my dad. The gas station had jumbo packs of Fleer Ultra, and this was in that pack.

8. 1995-96 Hoops Number Crunchers #1

For my 12th birthday, I got a box of Hoops. The main inserts were Number Crunchers and Block Party. It's a damn cool-looking card.

9. 1995-96 Ultra Double Trouble Gold Medallion #3

I had to "re-buy" this card a couple years ago. I originally pulled it in that same box as the Gold Medallion shown above. But I stupidly traded it as a kid for a big box of Tinos, most of which we all dupes from 1991. That was dumb. I should have stayed away from those AOL trading forums.

10. 1992 SkyBox USA Basketball #534

I always had trouble with the fact that MJ didn't wear #23 on the Olympic Team. But those Dream Team Uniforms were so cool. So was SkyBox.

11. 1994-95 Collector's Choice #204

I mentioned above that several of my core collecting years were Jordan-less, so it was always cool to pull a card of his during that time, even if it was him on the golf course in giant pants.

12. 1993-94 Fleer #28

I absolutely loved the design of this set. It's perfect. Solid MJ base card here.

13. 1995-96 Upper Deck #23

I love how often Jordan was #23 in a base card set. While very simple for both baseball and basketball in 1995, Upper Deck gave awesome photos plenty of space to shine. This is one of the best, with MJ going in for the dunk, once again donning the Jordan 11s. This would have been during the 1995 Playoffs.

14. 1993-94 Upper Deck #23

Once again, MJ appearing as number 23 in a UD set. I always like this design. Simple, clean, and reads basketball.

15. 1994 Collector's Choice Baseball #661

This card is too fun. MJ, in a baseball uniform, in his shooting stance. His performance wasn't great on the diamond, but he always looked good.

16. 1995-96 Collector's Choice Jordan Collection #JC4

There were a lot of Jordan cards and collections from Upper Deck the year after he came back from retirement #1. While this card is about 50% foil, I always thought the foil Jordan, pointing in his #45, was very cool.

17. 1994 Collector's Choice Baseball #23

I believe this is one of MJ's true baseball RCs. Solid shot of him reading a fly ball. The back has a picture of him golfing and his basketball stats.

18. 1996-97 Topps #139

Classic shot of MJ taking on Alonzo Mourning. He was never afraid to go after a 7-footer - Zo, Mutombo, Ewing. This is a solid design by Topps.

19. 1993-94 Ultra #30

I always liked the look of Jordan rising above everyone, including Barkley, in this photo. The bunting in the background makes me think this was from the '93 Finals. Classic card design, as well.

20. 1992-93 Upper Deck #204

These Upper Deck sets had a ton of MJs because they chronicled the post-season from the year before. Collectors now would be annoyed. Gotta love the famous shot of MJ holding up 3 fingers to signify the Bulls' 3-peat.

21. 1995 Upper Deck Baseball #200

Perhaps Jordan's second most famous baseball card behind the 1991 Upper Deck, MJ is seen here mid-interview with Harry Caray.

22. 1996-97 Collector's Choice #370

Great shot of Jordan and Scottie Pippen here. I'm curious to see how the relationship between these two comes across in The Last Dance. It's obviously been stated many times how instrumental Pippen was to the Bulls winning 6 titles.

23. 1995 Upper Deck Collector's Edition Oversized Card

I have no idea where I got this. I assume it came in some sort of boxed set with some other packs that I would have gotten for Christmas. The term "He's Back" is so iconic, and I love all the shots of Jordan in #45.

There you have it. I really don't have anything super high end. No Precious Metal Gems. No Beam Teams. No Rookies. But I can't tell you how glad I am I kept my Jordan cards after all these years.

Are you going to watch the The Last Dance? Do you have any favorite Jordan cards?