So I've come to the decision that when I complete a set, I'm going to celebrate it with a post. I don't know how often I will get a chance to post in this series- that will be determined based on what ends up getting completed. There are some sets that I am pretty close on, so it may be soon, or it may be months before the next post in this series arrives. Who knows?
Set: 1993-94 Hoops
Size: 421 cards
Began collecting: sometime in 1996
How completed: via trade, with The Collector on the Trading Card Database
Full Checklist and Gallery: 1993-94 Hoops
Thoughts: The 1993-94 Hoops set has never been my favorite for the brand. It's certainly solid, but it can't compare to the 1990-91 and 1994-95 sets, which both rank in my top 3 favorites of all time. This was the first Hoops set to have a parallel, and the only one to have a full length parallel until 1998-99. (1996-97 had a partial parallel) It also featured, I believe, the first pack-pulled autographs of Larry Bird, which I do not have. It is the only NBA set to be exactly 421 cards. This post is the first time I've tagged it in the Labels section.
Best memory of the set: At my birthday party in 1996, the last birthday party I had, one of my friends from school gave me a big box of these cards. Unfortunately I cannot recall his name, but I do remember that I knew him only for that year- the school system routed us to a school for one year and then to a different one after that, and there were people I never saw again because of it. I was in 6th grade at the time, and that's the year my health problems really began...but I remember that box of cards. Unfortunately I didn't keep track of when I got what back then so I don't know exactly which cards I added that day.
Last card needed: #23, Alonzo Mourning of the Charlotte Hornets
I don't think you could have pulled A Larry Bird auto from the packs. Hoops did have some sort of contest at the card stores. I won a Magic Johnson Auto through the card store contest.
ReplyDeleteBasketball cards are very tough to get, how could I say, perfectly aligned action pictures. The above is a good action picture but there is not enough player on the card and too much black space. Topps had a great run in the late 1970s with perfectly aligned pictures and Fleer was also fine until the 1990-91 set. Since that time you get not enough player and too much background space.
They do have a history of cropping too closely.
DeleteCongratulations on finishing the set! I can imagine how nice it is after all this time.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to knock down one of the big sets. With this one I've now completed all Hoops from 1989-90 through 1995-96, I think. Have to double check 1992-93.
DeleteThanks for the trade, happy I could help you finish this set (finally). Since this card obviously didn't come from you I must have either pulled it from a repack or Jon (Penny Sleeves) sent it to me. If that's the case, I'm sure he doesn't mind me passing it along to you.
ReplyDeleteI do appreciate it...another card from the trade will appear in the November card of the day post.
DeleteCongratulations on completing this set. I struggle to complete sets too. My main issue is paying 18¢ for commons and covering the insane shipping fees.
ReplyDeleteAs for this particular set... I've stumbled across stacks of this set a few times in flea market/Craigslist collection purchases over the years. Never considered building it. I've always either given them away to my students, donated them to Goodwill, or flipped them in bulk sales. I did keep a nice stack of the 5th Anniversary parallels. They're buried in a box somewhere.
I tend to mostly buy parallels and oddballs, and try and trade for base cards I need. Sometimes it actually works!
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