We've lived here now for eight years. Our house has no garage so our unfinished basement is pretty full with boxes of stuff that hasn't ever been unpacked. We've started working on cleaning up the basement this week and this is part of the fun I've found. I have no clue where these 1995-1996 Fleer Ultra basketball cards came from but they are are a fun find and they are in good shape which is never a given. There were three of these Kevin Garnett rookie cards in the lot which is great. I've recently added him as PC guy but honestly don't have many cards of his and this is my first rookie card of his.
The base card design gives plenty of room for the photos but I can't say all the photos are that good. That Payton is a good one but Hakeem does not look like a dream. Seems like they could have zoomed out a bit on many of their pictures. Only thing missing in the design would be the team logo.
Again many of the photos just don't click for me. Eddie Johnson is an all-time favorite of mine so I enjoyed finding him in the stack. I'm sure Glen Rice is about to drain a three. Could you imagine him in today's game? He hit quite a few threes back in the day but I think he'd have quite a few more opportunities today.
The Encore subset are my favorites cards from those I found. While the photos are in the same mode as the base cards these work better for me. Maybe it is the background being muted in black and white. I didn't have the base card for PC guy Detlef Schrempf but I'm happy with this Encore of his.
That Hardaway really sticks out. Camera guy was able to get a full body shot. Whose Hardaway yelling to? Mullin? Richmond? Sprewell?
These were all inserts. I like that USA card. I may chase down more of those. Stackhouse's Scrapbook seemed an odd choice for a insert set to me but I know he was a big name coming out of college. Just don't see him scrapbooking...
The backs have not one, but three different photos from those on the front. They take up a ton of space so the stats are minimized but still I've seen much worse backs. These are colorful and we get a nice logo. Speaking of, we see logos on the fronts of the expansion Toronto Raptors and Vancouver Grizzlies cards which are different in style from the normal set base cards. Not a bad design and I like how they are differentiated within the set. The Damon Stoudamire card I really like showcasing that sweet uni. This was a fun find. I'll show off some other cards I found later. Now I'm excited to get back into the basement. Who knows what else I'll find?
BREAKDOWN:
99 – Total Cards
31 - Encore24 – Rookie
5 – Toronto Raptors
3 – Vancouver Grizzlies
1 – USA
1 – Jam City
1 – Stackhouse’s Scrapbook
I totally agree with you on the photos. I do like the gold on black "nameplate".
ReplyDeleteThat nameplate does work that way I agree. It's a shame they couldn't have done better with the photos. This would have been a much nice set.
DeleteAwesome find in your basement! I rather basketball cards of the stars of 1980s to mid 1990s than today's playrrs except for Lebron. If you are trading any of these cards or from the box, I player collect Bird, McHale, Parish, and Stockton, but would also be interested in one of the Garnett rookie cards.
ReplyDeleteOne is yours!
DeleteDang. Wish my place had a basement. I had fun collecting this set back in the day. I actually purchased a lot of 95/96 basketball in search of Stackhouse and Stoudamire.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't my first look at the set by evidence of having the cards but I don't remember the design at all. I would have right there with you back in the day chasing those dudes.
ReplyDeleteAs someone who still has a lot of unopened boxes from a long ago move, I can appreciate the fun that comes from finding something that has been forgotten about, and these definitely qualify as a fun find! I agree with you about the set design and the greatness of the subsets, the inserts are still pretty great too.
ReplyDeleteSo a great unexpected surprise. So much fun. My next post will have some football cards from the 90's and I really like the photos on the base cards.
DeleteHey, you are up to pick in my contest next. Anything on the contest page that is not marked GONE is available. please send me your mailing address and choice to padrographs at live dot com and I will send you card and some Red Sox
ReplyDeleteUltra is my favorite brand and that was my first exposure to it, but honestly it's not a great set. I've been saying since it was new that they were too closely cropped, though I don't think I knew that term in 1996, lol.
ReplyDeleteToo closely cropped is the best way to say it. I knew there was better way of saying it but couldn't think of it.
DeleteYeah I feel the same way on the 95-96 ultra fleer it is a nice set. That is crazy that I just run into a bunch of these cards found about 5000 thousand cards I been going through some of the boxes what I liked about it all. It took me down memory lane I just about for got about that Year. It all came back to me I had most of this set someone broke in my house and cleaned me out I had about what ever you wanted. I been collecting since I was 14 years old so you just amigine what all I had but yeah I found a glen Rice Gary Payton Base card Kevin Garnett card really I have about every one of those guys name from back then when it was some ball playing going on that was the good old days. But I bought every card they had and got them bad cheap and these cards have been took care of most are in plastic. I am afraid that someone sold a old collection they are 91fleer 89 fleer lots of middle 95 and down I am just getting started for real I have 5 boxes full I am on the first box and done pulling out several nice rookies I am speechless on how good the cards are every thing about the card is in the best shape you can think of I am thinking about sending out some to get graded and I never do that I have a Micheal Jordan to get send out that is flawless. But if anyone needs a card or two trying to make a set or just looking hit me up I have baseball cards to you all have a great day but thinks for the basement story I figured I would tell you mine I feel 14 again I don't know what all I am going to find
ReplyDeleteGreat find. I love going through huge boxes of cards. I've done it a few times. The memories they bring up is crazy fun.
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