Some early highlights from the collection

I think this may be my favorite card so far. It's not an actual game used net relic, but it is a piece of net embedded in the card. Sort of an early manufactured relic, I guess. With the net being white, I had to scan it with the lid open so it wouldn't just be a white square in the middle.  Here's the back:

This was a really unique concept, especially from 2000-01. I didn't really get to experience Pacific- they didn't have the NBA license, and they only made a couple of promo sets for NASCAR which I didn't get until more than a decade after they were issued. But this is certainly unique!

There were actual relics, too:

My first board relic! There are some others waiting scans too.

 There's not much non-sport yet, but the 1991 Pacific Remember Pearl Harbor set is new to my collection.

 The majority of the collection is NBA, and I'm adding lots of new inserts from the 1990s. That's a very good thing!

 1996-97 Ultra is my all-time favorite set, and this is only my second card from this insert set!

 These Pick-Up Game cards are exceptionally hard to find. There's multiple versions of each player (Upper Deck, like this one, Stadium Club, Metal, and possibly one other I'm forgetting now) and this only my second UD example. I pulled the first when the set was new! This is Benoit Benjamin, by the way.

 This is a promotional sample. I had no idea this one existed, it wasn't even listed on the Database. By the way, that's not overcropped. The top of his head really is not included on the card.

 Refractor! The basic Chrome version was also new to me. Due to my love of the refractor technology, I actually have more of them than the non-refractor basic Season's Best inserts from 1998-99 Topps.

Die cut in the shape of a stop sign.

 The collection seems to trail off during the 2006-07 season, which is coincidentally when I trailed off as well, something I now regret. I'm not adding too many new base cards, but I am adding some. This is from 2005-06 SPx.

 I have a lot of Ron Mercer cards, but I've added two rookies of his already- this one, from Finest, and his Upper Deck flagship base card, which is one of the relatively few I needed from the set.

 I've stated a few times that getting every card from the 1995-96 season is something I'd like to do- it's mostly attainable, other than the Electric Court Gold parallels from Upper Deck which were one per box. I've added a few inserts from 1995-96 including this one from Skybox.

 A die-cut, etched foil insert from 1999-00 Ultra.

 1999-00 was the last year of Metal, a set I always liked. I enjoy etched foil. I completed the base set years ago, this is the Emerald parallel, which fell one per pack, but I still need about 3/4ths of them. I don't remember what year I most recently added one before this, it's been a few.

 An insert from 1996-97 Metal, my 2nd favorite set. I have completed the base set but the inserts are pretty low in my collection. This is I believe only my 4th from the 20 card Cyber-Metal set. Latrell Sprewell has always been a favorite of mine as well. The Cyber-Metal set appears to feature flying robot referees and big metal prongs over the court...for some reason. The flying robot referees may be a good idea, actually...

There are some serially numbered cards popping up as well! This is the lowest level parallel from 1998-99 Black Diamond, Double Diamond, numbered to 3000. A Triple Diamond, numbered to 1500 and featuring a yellow theme, has also shown up but scanned poorly so I didn't post it. It was of Chris Webber.

 An autographed phone card. That's a first! Martin Hohenberger only has 8 cards, and doesn't appear to have made the NHL. I think this is a USA national team jersey but I am not 100% sure on what team this card depicts yet.

That's all I've got scanned right now...there's lots more to come. I have not even finished the first square box yet and I'm already at 478 new cards, and more than a dozen new people for my hockey collection.

NBA 20th Anniversary Countdown #8: 1997-98 Stadium Club

I know a lot of people go nuts for Stadium Club. While I wouldn't say I'm one of them, they had a couple a REALLY good years in the 1990s that rank among my set favorites.

#8: 1997-98 Stadium Club

Why I like it: The photography. Topps really stepped up the effort on photography for Stadium Club over the other brands they produced, and they stepped that effort up beginning with 1997-98. The cards also have an interesting coating on them that makes them feel slippery without being sticky or greasy feeling. Unfortunately the coating scratches easily.

Set size/Completion: 240, I have 209 of them, 87.1% according to the Database

Just look at that photo. Look at the depth of field. It looks like you are right there watching. And most of the set is like this! That would also be true of the 1998-99 set, which was under consideration but missed the cut for the Top 20. It was still there somewhat in 1999-00 and 2000-01, but by then mostly it was just another set; the depth and "you're right there" aspect gradually went away.

Although it doesn't really scan well, each card also featured a hologram Stadium Club logo. The blue box the player name appears in is also holofoil.

This set is unique in all of NBA history- series 1 was odd numbers, series 2 were even. Every other set that had more than one series was numbered in the usual manner of 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. Not here.

Card backs are mostly purple and blue. One thing I like, but was kind of blundered- the ranking in the stats. That's great but they blundered it...NR, not ranked, is unacceptable. And for full career they went only with active instead of all time, which is disappointing as well. And so much space was wasted on averages when a few more real stats could have been included. It was a great concept that was executed poorly.

This set was the first ever to include printing plates. (I don't have any). They would become a staple but at this time they were incredibly rare. There are also Members Only and the standard First Day Issue parallels, but they were hobby only, and most of my cards came from retail...I don't have any of them either.

Inserts included several multi-level sets, including Triumvirate and Bowman's Best Previews, which had basic, Refractor and Atomic Refractor versions.

 Bowman's Best Preview. Note for the veterans the background is different than Bowman's Best base cards.

 Bowman's Best Preview Atomic Refractor. The rookies in the Preview set look like the normal Bowman's Best Rookies.

 Hardcourt Heroics, this card's background is all hologram. My favorite insert in the set.

 HoopScreams, mirror foil.

Royal Court.

Hardwood Hopefuls, printed on clear plastic.

The inserts here are pretty good actually, but it's the base cards that once again are the main focus for me.

• #20: 2002-03 Topps 10
• #19: 2004-05 Topps Total
• #18: 2002-03 Topps Pristene
• #17: 1992-93 Ultra
• #16: 1975-76 Topps
• #15 1996-97 SP
• #14 1992-93 Upper Deck
• #13 2012-13 Hoops
• #12 1997-98 Ultra
• #11 1992-93 Fleer
• #10 1994-95 Fleer
• #9 1996-97 Upper Deck
• #8 1997-98 Stadium Club