30 Day Baseball Card Challenge

Friday, August 13, 2010

Cheap Cool Cards #1: 1996 SPx Hardaway Tribute


Card: 1996 SPx #T1 Anfernee Hardaway Tribute
Beckett Value: $3
COMC Price: $1.20

This was the last box of cards I purchased before I quit collecting in 1996, which is a shame because I missed out on investing on one of the best draft classes in the history of the NBA. I remember buying this box in hopes of pulling either a Michael Jordan Record Breaker card (1:75 packs), a Jordan Holoview Heroes card (1:24 packs, so the odds of pulling the Jordan was actually 1:240 packs), or the Hardaway Tribute card (1:96 packs). As luck would have it, I pulled none of these. Instead I pulled a Joe Smith Holoview Heroes, which (if I recall correctly) I traded back to the shop for a few more packs of cards.

Honestly, I had forgotten about this tribute card until I stumbled across it in somebody's bucket on SCF. I immediately knew I wanted it, and was pleasantly surprised when I saw that it booked for only $3. I eventually made a trade with the guy and he threw this card in for free.

The die-cut card offers an amazing design with the left side featuring a picture of Penny. On the right side of the card is a dual hologram. The lower half is a close up shot (looks like a close up of Hardaway about to take a free throw). The rest of the hologram is an action shot of Penny driving to the basket. On the back is a brief writeup about how he has become a young force in the NBA.

I'm not sure why, but I'm still amazed at how much cards have dropped in value over the years. I guess as collectors we can look at it from a positive or negative point of view. On one hand, we can reminisce how much money we spent on pieces of cardboard that are now worth only a fraction of what we paid. Or we can look at it as an opportunity to pick up cool cards at cheap prices. I'm not sure about you, but I have enough problems in my life... I don't need anymore negativity. In my mind, this is a chance of a lifetime.

Which leads me to today's question of the day... What is a cheap (let's say $10 or less), cool card that you own or want to own?

Since I'm not closing the Sports Card Bust PC question of the day quite yet... I don't have an updated points total for today. I'll probably close both questions at the same time... later on this evening (around 10pm PST).

Today's the last day to promote the contest on your blog for 5 bonus points.

Thank you to everyone who has been participating in this contest... This is a huge success and I love reading everyone's responses.

Have a good day,

Fuji

11 comments:

Unknown said...

That's easy. As a kid, aside from MJ, I was a huge fan of Karl Malone. I had a poster of him on my wall. It was a Mailman poster that had a caption "neither rain nor sleet nor snow". It was awesome.

But he had a card in 93/94 that has part of the Holojam inserts. It's prett sweet. I never pulled one, but it's listed for a buck on ebay right now. In fact, I'll probably just go ahead and pick that up.

Sal said...

Since I only really know hockey, I have to go with a hockey card for my answer.

For some reason, I've always liked the 1991-92 Pro Set "The Mask" insert, which showed Montreal Canadiens goalie Patrick Roy's mask against a black background. I think this was the first-ever insert card to highlight "just" a goalie mask, and would set a trend of goalie mask insert cards that remain to this day.

ALSO, I mentioned your contest on my blog in today's post:

http://puckjunk.blogspot.com/2010/08/beckett-craig-ferguson-conspiracy.html

Tony Mc said...

This contest is great!
I have two cards that I think are cool and they were both under $10, in fact they cost $9.75 altogether, not including shipping.
First is a 2010 Finest Adam Lind gold refractor numbered out of 50. I'm attempting the rainbow, I have all the variations except the red and 1/1.
Secondly a 2010 A&G NNO mini of Lind. I'll be chasing down the other variations of that too, except for the wood.

SpastikMooss said...

Fred McGriff's 2001 SP Piece of the Game Game Used Bat Card: http://www.beckett.com/items/2602074/?N=4294967277%204294906049

I see it a lot online, but it's always a little more than I want to spend. One of these days I'll just break down and buy it though. I just love the color scheme, and the huge bat piece.

Anonymous said...

I'm a big fan of the UD-X cards, and I recently saw an '08 Upper Deck X Die Cut Pujols card that I would love to add to my PC.

Steve D said...

I picked up a Derek Jeter 2004 Donruss Classic Clippings insert last yr. I love it because it has the box score of his major league debut, which I remember watching on tv. It's also serial numbered. It cost me/it books for under $10.

http://www.sportsbuy.com/book.do?bookID=3701131&queryString=derek%20jeter%20classic%20clipping

BA Benny said...

It's hard to say what my favorite card under $10 dollars is as there are so many different lower priced cards I love so I will go with one I got recently and is fresh in my mind (and still not put away in it's proper book).
2005 Absolute Memorabelia Team Tandoms Mike Piazza / Al Leiter dual game used jerseys sn'd 023/125.

Jeremy said...

I don't own any cards over $10.00, so any of my cards fit the bill. But one card that I really liked that was my most expensive card was a David Wright relic from 2009 A&G.

Fuji said...

Thanks for everyone's responses... I think I'm going to hunt down "The Mask" set... I remember those from back in the day.

Contest entries (for this question) & contest promotions are officially closed: Feel free to continue commenting, but it won't count for points.

I'll have the next question of the day & an updated point total tomorrow.

Charles @ Hoopography said...

I've always wanted an '84 Topps RC of Don Mattingly. Many sell for well under $10 and a couple PSA Graded 9's just sold for $8 - $9.50 on eBay. I wish I would have seen those. I would have bought one for my PC. Oh well… the eBay "watch list" can only hold so many cards.

CamHartman said...

I wanna own a Hunter Pence 2010 Topps Gold Parallel