Ok its 20 years now from the 86 fleer set. Cards have come along a long way since it was released and the earlier years of card making. In a way basketball has lead most of the sports hobbies in coming up with new ideas and production techniques. While borrowing ideas from the other sports and also the non sports sets.
So since we live in the age of high tech carboard whats the most significant and best advancements in the last 20 years then.
I have a clear favourite and underapreciated one to start it off
UV coating. Simply before that cards were matte and prone to fade and lose surface coating. This one advancement was intially thought to be a gimmick but its simply the most usefull idea the card companies have come up with. No longer have cards had to be stored in dark boxes away from an inch of sunlight and can be appreciated without concern that in years they wont resemble the original form of the card. Sometimes the best ideas are the most simple and go unoticed. Now its basically an afterthought and I'm sure most collectors don't even give it a thought that their cards are UV coated mostly.
What else do you think?
Foiling? Embossing? Stamping? Holograms? Prisms? Die Cut? Acetate? Press plates? Wood cards? Thicker 132pt cardboard? Refractors?
Its a long way away from the hobby of the past starting 57 topps to 88 fleer where little change as far as carboard and final product was achieved. Although printing techniques changed the end product was basically a 32pt piece of cardbord with little flare and player pic on the front and stats on the back.
I count the use of jerseys, floor and ball in a seperate catogory.
I wonder what change we will see in the next 20 years or will we see a more stabel period like we saw in the earlier years of the card hobby?
As a purist I'd like it not to go too far with talking cards and ones with video etc. I'd hate to see the death of the common base card.
I'll put out an idea. Game ticket cards with a barcode that admits fans to actual NBA games and to a lesser extent cards hat give your free items at the NBA store etc. While no use to us they could be a big hit.
Barcodes huh??
So since we live in the age of high tech carboard whats the most significant and best advancements in the last 20 years then.
I have a clear favourite and underapreciated one to start it off
UV coating. Simply before that cards were matte and prone to fade and lose surface coating. This one advancement was intially thought to be a gimmick but its simply the most usefull idea the card companies have come up with. No longer have cards had to be stored in dark boxes away from an inch of sunlight and can be appreciated without concern that in years they wont resemble the original form of the card. Sometimes the best ideas are the most simple and go unoticed. Now its basically an afterthought and I'm sure most collectors don't even give it a thought that their cards are UV coated mostly.
What else do you think?
Foiling? Embossing? Stamping? Holograms? Prisms? Die Cut? Acetate? Press plates? Wood cards? Thicker 132pt cardboard? Refractors?
Its a long way away from the hobby of the past starting 57 topps to 88 fleer where little change as far as carboard and final product was achieved. Although printing techniques changed the end product was basically a 32pt piece of cardbord with little flare and player pic on the front and stats on the back.
I count the use of jerseys, floor and ball in a seperate catogory.
I wonder what change we will see in the next 20 years or will we see a more stabel period like we saw in the earlier years of the card hobby?
As a purist I'd like it not to go too far with talking cards and ones with video etc. I'd hate to see the death of the common base card.
I'll put out an idea. Game ticket cards with a barcode that admits fans to actual NBA games and to a lesser extent cards hat give your free items at the NBA store etc. While no use to us they could be a big hit.
Barcodes huh??
