Lower Case 'o' Mailday...

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Hey fam, hoep the long weekend was a good one for you...

As some of you may be aware, my main PC guy is Oscar Robertson, aka, the Big O, Reneowned for averagigna triple doubles or near to it for a long, long time (probably longer than we remember becuase he was doign it before they recorded assists!).

Anyhoo, this is not a BIg O mailday, but more so of a lower case o mailday. Oscar Robertson light or ultra light you might say. A 6'10 point forward who had all the skills....the Candyman himself- Lamar Odom - LIttle o!

So without further ado, let;s see what I picked up in the last couple of years or so... if you want to see the good stuff just skip to the end, if you want to see ti all, strap yourselves in for the long haul...

The Cheapies (but Goodies!)

2000-01 SP Authentic - Special Forces - Just wanted to see what this was like in hand, not too shabby at all....

2000-01 Fleer Premium - Sole Train - Premium ALWAYS made nice stuff, this card had so much potential to play around with he colour shceme

1999-00 Topps Finest RC - Just a humble base RC but nice etched finish and protective coating makres it feel special.

1999-00 Upper Deck HoloGrFX RC - Sooo shiny, nice finish to it as well.

2000-01 Fleer Legacy - arguably the base cards with the white background are cleaner than their legacy coutnerparts from that era. Not too many copies floating about either...

2008-09 Topps Chrome - not sure why exactly, but this particualr base set in this design has quite the following...

2000-01 EX - Generation E-X - Just another good looking 'chrome-like' card (Darius Miles pictured on the reverse)

2000-01 Fleer Mystique - NBAwesome - The artwork, the colours, the font, the holofoil, the finish - - - really sexy bit of cardbaord.

1999-00 Skybox Premium (Action) - This is the much rarer action shot parallel RC with the motion blur effect. I don't know why but the green foil seems like a fantastic choice to finish this card off, not sure why it wasn't used more often.

Some Die Cuts

1999-00 Fleer Ultra - World Premiere - For such a cheap card, there was no shortage of die-cutting and that pinnacle museum effect

1999-00 Upper Deck Black Diamond - Diamond Cut RC - A heck of a lot going on with this card but it all seems to work together for the good. Great looking card.

2000-01 Fleer Genuine - Smooth Operators - the old hole punch effect to the diagonal corners, but for some reason in rather short supply.

2000-01 NBA Hoops Hot Prospects - Hoops Originals - Love the background finish on these, star -ruby-ish. Another set chase contender.

Some Nicer Inserts....
2000-01 Fleer Ultra - Thrillinium - Holofoil - need I say more...

1999-00 Skybox Metal - Heavy Metal - really need to get these in hand to appreciate the finish on these. Quality cardboard. Metal ftw!

2000-01 Fleer Showcase - Elementary - The only way I can describe the background of this card is 'Dr Strange' - get it in the right light and holy smokes - game over! OFc my photography skills do it no justice whatsoever.

....next we'll move on to some serial numbered little o's

 

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1999-00 Upper Deck Gold Reserve RC #/3500 - I never understand why they add all the polish to a card only to add the serial numbering in plain black print. Centering on these is notoriously bad...

2006-07 Topps Trademark Moves - Foil #/299 - hate to ssay it, but the foil / chrome finish actually makes the card look worse...bit of a lazy effort you might say.

2001-02 Fleer Force - Special Forces #/250 - Nothing really special about these, even he numbering is 'stickered'.

2002-03 Fleer Authentix - Balcony #/250 - they got the ticket look and feel down pretty well imho.

1999-00 Flair Showcase #/2000 RC - This card is all about the artwork, cassy looking card and finish.

2005-06 Topps Chrome - Refractor #/999 - Take chrome and make a a refractor out of it = winning!

2005-06 SPx - Spxcitement Veterans - Spectrum #/99 - These cards are quite well designed and look lik they belong on the top shelf alongside the big boys...

2006-07 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection #/225 - Been a while since we seen some NBA licensed Exquisite - the true Rolls Royce of basketball cards.

2004-05 Topps Pristine - Refractor #/25 - clean, simple and elegant, emphaiss on the image and the team colours really make it pop. Factory seal is the cherry on top!

2005-06 Topps Finest Gold Refractor #/39 - the gold on gold refractor combination - *chef's kiss*

...up next - memorabilia

 

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2000-01 Fleer Tradition Feel the Game Jersey (Game Worn) - Action shot, game worn - checks all the boxes!

2003-04 Upper Deck Sweet Shot - Sweet Swatches Jersey (Game Worn) - Sweet swatches have only been known for one thing only...

2000-01 EX - Generation E-X - Jerseys (Game Worn) - Sensational looking cards, not very often you see old school jersey cards with a 'glittery finish' - thee were way ahead of their time.

2004-05 Skybox L.E. - L.E.gends of the Draft - Jersey #/50 (Game Worn) - Classic vintage look to this jersey card which gives it a completely different vibe.

2004-05 Fleer Authentix - Jersey Authentix Patch #/50 (Game Worn) - Peopel tend to forget about his Miami days, but this is a ripper patch. Why'd they have to stick the Lakers logo on it?!

2006-07 Fleer Hot Prospects - White Hot Materials #/10 (Game Worn) - Can never go wrong with a big chunky patch! Several team colours, big stitching, SSP, onto a winner.

Next up - the autos and something REALLY good!

 

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2021-22 Panini Donruss Optic - Retro Series Signatures #/99 - Compare this modern card and auto with what is to follow - sums up the hobby journey really.

1999-00 Flair Showcase - Fresh Ink Auto (On Card) - Amazing what a big on card auto can do to a card...

2004-05 SPx - Winning Materials Autographs #/100 (On Card) - This is my true Frankenstein card. Miami picture, lakers team name and colours and warm up shorts and jacket jersey pieces from his time on the Clippers. Say what?!

2004-05 Upper Deck Hardcourt - Clear Commemoratives Auto - On ard acette auto - classy!

and the big boy of the lot.....

2003-04 Upper Deck Exquisite Collection - Autograph Exquisite Patches #/100

Well that;s it for now folks, at least there's some decent stuff to look at this time around...

As alwasy, thanks for having a looka dnd a read. Likes and comments alwasy appreciated,

 

[Dodgydave]

So much good stuff here!

The 99-00 Finest is one of my favourite sets so even a base RC is great.

Sole Train is a great looking card and cool name. However, it appears to have nothing to do with soles, souls or shoes?!

The mid to late '90s and early '00s were so good at combining colour, die cut and shininess without looking too garish.

04-05 UD Hardcourt is one of my favourite sets. The wooden theme continuing from base cards to inserts, memorabilia to autograph cards is pretty cool.

And, finally, it is certainly hard to top the SPX "Frankencard" - what a combination of teams, colours and materials!

Thanks for sharing.

 

[skip20]

So much good stuff here!

The 99-00 Finest is one of my favourite sets so even a base RC is great.

Sole Train is a great looking card and cool name. However, it appears to have nothing to do with soles, souls or shoes?!

The mid to late '90s and early '00s were so good at combining colour, die cut and shininess without looking too garish.

04-05 UD Hardcourt is one of my favourite sets. The wooden theme continuing from base cards to inserts, memorabilia to autograph cards is pretty cool.

And, finally, it is certainly hard to top the SPX "Frankencard" - what a combination of teams, colours and materials!

Thanks for sharing.

Cheers Dave,

Early days Finest are among my favourites too, those first reractors will always have a special place in my collection.

As for sole-train Beckett says: 15-card set features players who carry their teams, night in and night out. I guess they are the heart and soul of their team carryign them along like a train? In which case the spelling on the card makes no sense whatsoever...

Late 90s and early 00s were the peak of the hobby imho. Innovators, not replicators... There was only one Panin era card in this whole mailday, and even then it was used as an example of how the hobby has gone downhill - lol

I know a few guys who like the hardcourt finish on cards, when you stop and think about it, it just makes sense. Wooden finish is always a classic and makes it basketball specific.

Frankencard - how hard is it to just match the team with a picture. These days we should just be glad that the material is at least associated with somwthing of relevance!