I love uncut sheets of sports cards. They make awesome display pieces, they’re often scarce, they provide set education, finish “master” collections, and provide hobby integrity. So, despite the storage problem, they continue to be really popular. But how did these sheets make their way to the market if cards were meant to be cut up and put in boxes for sale? The conventional wisdom is that they came from Topps employees or out the backdoor of printing facilities. But the reality is a bit more complicated than that, particularly in more modern times, as Topps provided uncut sheets via direct sales, instant winner programs, marketing add-ons, and a few other planned/legitimate means.
You can see the code #945-84 sell sheet for Topps 1984 Uncut Baseball Card Sheets when it comes to direct sales. Topps offered six different sheets of 132 cards (132 * 6 = a complete 792 card set). Topps realized there was a market for uncut sheets and responded as any business would.
1984 Topps Baseball Uncut Card Sheets Sell Sheet
One collector on a forum had written that they had bought some sheets in the mid-1980s from local stores (not card stores), and the sheets came wrapped in plastic. So Topps sold some of these, though perhaps not through hobby stores. Another collector responded that as early as 1982, they bought sheets like this from ToysRUs. They were in a large box with the top cut off, left in the aisle for display, and sold for around $6. Others surmise this sales method may have happened as early as 1981
There are also examples of complete boxed sets of 6 uncut sheets of 1987 Topps that are still widely available. Whether they were sold by Topps or a 3rd party is less clear.
1987 Topps Uncut Sheets Complete Box Set
1987 Topps Uncut Sheets Complete Boxed Set Zoomed In
3 Boxes of 1987 Topps Uncut Sheets Baseball Card Collections
Topps also used to provide sheets to collectors through add-ons. In 1989, as the code #325 sell sheet indicates (courtesy of 4192Cards), if any store purchased a case of Bazooka Gum, they got two uncut sheets of Topps baseball cards. It’s believed this happened between 1986 and 1990.
1989 Topps Uncut Sheet Promotion
In 1984, OPC inserted instant winner cards into packs, and one of the prizes was the three sheets that made up a complete set.
1984 OPC Instant Winner Card
Earlier in the 1980s, for $4 ($5 in 1982), collectors could receive a full-sized uncut sheet of 1981 or 1982 Topps baseball and 1981 Topps football cards through a promotion with Coca-Cola (through the header card packed with team sets). Many of the sheets the distributor sent to collectors had errors. So, this tactic may have been a way for Topps to make some money rather than throwing away printer errors or allowing staff to walk off with them.
1981 Topps Baseball Press Sheet Offer
1981 Topps Football Press Sheet Offer
1982 Topps Baseball Press Sheet Offer
The distributor in Connecticut included an additional offer to get every sheet from 1981 for $4 a sheet or $24 for an entire print run.
1981 Topps Uncut Sheet Offer
There’s another example of acquiring uncut sheets as far back as 1972 for Topps basketball in partnership with Wheaties. The Topps Archives wrote about getting 132 player sheets for $2 plus two Wheaties proof of purchase panels. I’ve included the photos from the Topps Archives blog post below, just in case that site ever goes down and we lose access to its incredible history of articles.
Wheaties Box with 1972 Topps Basketball Uncut Sheet Offer
1972 Topps Basketball Uncut Sheet
I’m sure there are dozens of more legitimate examples of how Topps distributed uncut sheets of cards in addition to the methods discussed in this post. If you know of any others, share the details in the comments below.
Happy collecting, and don’t forget to check out the Uncut Sheet Archive, too!
The 1991 Upper Deck Jerry West Heroes autograph card is a hobby classic. West signed and numbered 2,500 of card #9, but unopened cases surfaced late in the release cycle with shocking clusters of autos—one in Texas had 23!
Sold by 4SharpCorners on eBay for $308 in October 2024
I discovered the tale of these loaded Upper Deck high series boxes from the September 1992 issue of Sports Collectors Digest’s Sports Card Price Guide Monthly, which had a few paragraphs of basketball commentary. The story begins with the last sentence of the first image below and continues through the start of the text in the second image.
Here’s the text from the article in case the images are a bit too small for you to read on your device:
Some of the later cases of Upper Deck high series cards contained pleasant surprises. One case that turned up in Texas in May wielded 23 autographed Jerry West cards, including six in one box. Another sent to a drugstore in North Carolina in mid-May included six autographed cards. In each case, the cards were numbered either sequentially or within one or two numbers of each other. It’s believed that when the final cases were prepared, an overrun of autographed West cards was discovered and the cards were simply packed close together.
Happy hunting, and I hope someone picks up one of these hot boxes someday soon! Happy collecting!
I’m a big fan of the Kahn’s Wieners series of basketball cards, printed each year from 1957 through 1965, and I’ve highlighted Jerry West’s Kahn’s Wieners cards in a dedicated article. But the 1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas card has piqued my curiosity lately.
1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas
You see, PSA’s checklist says there are windows open and no windows visible versions of the Lucas card. And in their article about the series of Kahn’s Wieners cards, regarding the 1964 Jerry Lucas cards, PSA writes that “There are also two variations of the Lucas card. One pictures him in a shot with windows open in the background, while a second doesn’t have the windows. The “no windows” version is so rare that there hasn’t been an example submitted for grading to PSA and it’s not part of the Master Set on the PSA Set Registry.”
But here’s the thing: I don’t think the card exists; I’ve never seen one.
The hobby hasn’t written much about vintage basketball cards, particularly oddball ones. One guide I’ve used for research showed two Lucas cards, but they listed one version as Three Windows Showing and the other as Four Windows Showing. This makes sense to me, given that all the cards that have been on the market for the last few years are cropped a little differently. Here are a few examples of the 1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas card, each showing the windows a little differently in the background.
1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas
1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas
1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas
1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas
1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas
You can see that each card has at least some windows open as if the photographer snapped two photos from slightly different distances that were then each “miscut” a little when printed. When you compare the two raw images above, in the one with four windows visible, Lucas’ left arm appears higher (even with his chin), and his left arm is lower than his chin in the three windows visible raw copy; however, that’s not a consistent fact when you look at the graded copies (the second graded card has a partial fourth window with a lower left arm).
Another collector described the cards as follows: “There are clearly two different shots here: the ball is positioned differently in each, along with Lucas’ eyeline and chin. Different croppings result in 4 windows vs. 3, but the real variation is in the ball position.”
It’s also possible vintage catalogers mixed up a few Kahn’s sets. As I said earlier, there hasn’t been a lot of vintage basketball card documentation like there has been for baseball. That has led to a few mistakes by the major third-party graders. A few Kahn’s Wieners basketball cards have the wrong year printed on the flip since, many times, Kahn’s only made subtle changes to their design year to year. And, if you look at the 1965 Kahn’s Wiener Jerry Lucas card, you can see that no windows are visible (however, the 1965 card is slightly smaller and has red text, instead of black, on the back).
1965 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas
A photographer could have shot the photos for the two cards (1964 and 1965) on the same day. They have a similar general appearance, so perhaps someone making a price guide or catalog mistakenly thought they were part of the same set.
There is also the possibility that a card cataloger meant that the No Windows version of the 1964 card was really a No 4th Window Visible (cropped in) version.
Anywho, a collector on Net54 also speculated that the two 1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas card variations should be Three Windows Open and Four Windows Open. If we have to differentiate these subtle variations, that’s a viable pick, or we could use arm/ball position. But I don’t think a 1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas No Windows variation exists. If you have more information, please let me know in the comments.
Basketball fans know Jerry West as a great player and a highly successful NBA executive. And a lot of collectors treat his 1961 Fleer basketball as his rookie card. However, others feel the 1960 Kahn’s Wiener card, which predated the Fleer release by a year, to be his true rookie card. Whether or not a regional oddball qualifies as a rookie card, the Kahn’s card is pretty incredible. They went on to make three more Jerry West basketball cards as well. Still, they can be tough to classify when in raw form, so I’m going to run down Kahn’s basketball sets, explain the differences between each of the four cards, and discuss a few more details about West’s four Kahn’s Wieners basketball cards.
Kahn’s Wieners released basketball sets between 1957 and 1965. They’re one of the few basketball food issues of the era and are pretty rare, particularly in excellent condition. That’s because Kahn’s was a Cincinnati-based meat processing and distribution company (now owned by Tyson Foods) that packaged the cards with hot dogs.
Given their regionality, Kahn’s sets featured players of the Cincinnati Royals. However, for four years, they also included a card of Jerry West (1960-1963). It’s suspected because he was from the area (West Virginia) or as a brilliant marketing move, as West was a really popular player.
The first Jerry West card that Kahn’s Wieners released was in 1960.
1960 Kahn’s Wiener’s Jerry West – Front
1960 Kahn’s Wiener’s Jerry West – Reverse
The front of the card features a black-and-white photo, West’s facsimile autograph, and Kahn’s slogan along the bottom. The rest of the 1960 Kahn’s cards had player vitals, a short biography, and statistics. But the back of West’s 1960 Kahn’s basketball card had vitals and a more extended biography because he hadn’t yet played a season. I like how they projected West being a star for years to come.
The 1960 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry West is a BIG card for major basketball collectors, particularly those who consider it his true rookie card. The PSA 8 pictured above sold for $21,600 in Robert Edward Auctions’ Spring 2017 auction. PSA has graded 33 of these Jerry West cards.
The 1961 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry West card used the same photograph as the 1960 card but has a smaller facsimile autograph in black ink. Also, the backs of 1961 Kahn’s Wieners cards are blank.
1961 Kahn’s Wiener’s Jerry West – Front
1961 Kahn’s Wiener’s Jerry West – Reverse
The 1961 Jerry West card is slightly less scarce than the 1960 card; PSA has graded 43 of them. Here are a few historical sales: $540 for a PSA 1 in September 2022, $900 for a PSA 2 in March 2022, $244 for a PSA 2 (MK) in October 2020, $179 for a PSA 6 (MK) in September 2018, and $3861 for a PSA 9 back in 2012.
In 1962, Kahn’s Jerry West card used a new image. The back of West’s card has a short biography but no statistics, like the other Kahn’s cards that year.
1962 Kahn’s Wiener’s Jerry West – Front
1962 Kahn’s Wiener’s Jerry West – Reverse
PSA has only graded 34 1962 Kahn’s Jerry West oddball basketball cards, and the last public sale I could find was a PSA 3 at Robert Edwards Auctions for $930 in July 2021.
In 1963, Kahn used the same photo of West as they did in 1962. However, the 1963 Kahn basketball cards have a white border around the front. Also, the facsimile autograph on the front of the card is in white text in 1963, instead of the black used on West’s 1962 card. Be aware that I have seen a mislabeled Kahn’s Jerry West basketball card on the market where PSA got the year wrong.
1963 Kahn’s Wiener’s Jerry West – Front
1963 Kahn’s Wiener’s Jerry West – Reverse
PSA has authenticated 29 1963 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry West basketball cards. In September 2022, Memory Lane Inc. sold a PSA 1 for $300, which Goldin had also sold (the exact same card) for $300 in January 2022. A PSA 3 sold for $300 in May 2017, and a PSA 9 sold for over $5k in December 2014.
While these Kahn’s cards don’t get as much respect in the market as Fleer and Topps do, the Jerry West cards are great, and it’s undeniable that Kahn’s had successful regional runs with these sets. So, if you’re looking for a challenge in the hobby, getting your hands on all four of Jerry West’s Kahn’s cards is probably just behind the difficulty of getting a bunch of the in-era George Mikan oddballs.
In the introduction to my article The Finer Points of Baseball For Everyone Instructional Booklets I mentioned that I only discovered them from my hunt for their basketball-related cousins. Between that and a $10,500 sale for a complete set of 12 booklets in the fall of 2023, it seemed appropriate to dive deep into these incredible basketball collectibles.
How To Play Better Basketball 101
A few auction catalogs and VintageBasketball.com show that a complete set of How To Play Better Basketball booklets has twelve items. Here’s the checklist:
Ball Handling
Basic Rules and Court Layout
Conditioning
How To Dribble
How to Pass
How to Pivot and Fake
How to Shoot
Drills for Defense
Drills for Offense
Man-To-Man Defense
Plays for Offense
Zone Defense
Like the baseball booklets, they’re full-color printings in a newspaper-like material saddle-stitched like a magazine. However, I keep reading that the basketball ones are 4-7/8’’ x 3-1/4’’ while the baseball ones are ~ 4-5/8″ x 3-3/8’’. However, I suspect they were printed and manufactured by the same people and are likely the same size, with a bit of variation from cutting back in the day. While the baseball booklets each have 16 pages, the basketball books have been described as having eight pages, but I haven’t found a complete set of scans from any of them, nor have I been able to speak with anyone who owns one; please reach out if you have one!
Now, not only are the basketball variations way rarer than the baseball ones but there are also two variations!
Hood Diary How To Play Better Basketball Booklets
While the baseball booklets have dozens of advertising backs through the years, the basketball ones only appear to have one produced around 1963 for Hood Dairy when the Bob Cousy Hood Dairy basketball card was produced.
VintageBasketball says they have a Copyright for Lane and Young Incorporated inside with an address of 128 Mallory Ave. New Jersey City, NJ.
Robert Edwards Auctions sold a collection of six of these booklets with a Hood Diary advertisement, a Bob Cousy quote, and his facsimile autograph on the back that they dated to 1963 in the description. They did mention that they vary a bit from natural diamond cuts when it comes to sizing. They sold for just $360 in the summer of 2021.
REA’s 1963 Hood Dairy How To Play Better Basketball Booklets – Image 1
REA’s 1963 Hood Dairy How To Play Better Basketball Booklets – Image 2
REA’s 1963 Hood Dairy How To Play Better Basketball Booklets – Image 3
REA’s 1963 Hood Dairy How To Play Better Basketball Booklets – Image 4
Interestingly, underneath the right side logo that says “Another Hood Food For Fitness,” there is an indistinguishable copyright emblem. That same logo appears on the baseball booklets; it’s just another point showing how they’re related.
1962 Finer Points Of Baseball DX Dealer Booklet
Indistinguishable Copyright Emblem
1968 Topps Test How To Play Better Basketball Booklet Pack Inserts
The How To Play Better Basketball Booklets’ second variation was blank-backed and used as an insert in 1968 Topps basketball test packs. The Topps Archive’s blog wrote a post called Better And Better that shared some history behind the test packs and booklets. In the summer of 2017, he got to see the pack, cards, and How To Shoot baseball booklet and noted that it was folded in half to fit in the pack, that the interior was set up like a small comic book, and that the back of it (the booklet) was blank. Here’s the photo he shared.
The Topps Archives Photo of MHCC’s 1968 Topps Test Pack
In September 2017, Mile High Card Co. sold an opened 1968 Topps Test basketball pack, booklet, and cards for $4521.60. They described the booklet as having eight pages of colorized diagrams but having no mention of Topps; here’s their auction photo.
MHCC 1968 Topps Test Pack, Booklet, And Cards
In the summer of 2021, REA sold a collection of seven different blank-backed folded How To Play Better Basketball booklets for $6600. Again, Topps folded down the middle because the booklets were too large for the pack otherwise.
REA’s Topps Test How To Play Better Basketball Booklets – Image 1
REA’s Topps Test How To Play Better Basketball Booklets – Image 2
REA’s Topps Test How To Play Better Basketball Booklets – Image 3
REA’s Topps Test How To Play Better Basketball Booklets – Image 4
Finally REA sold the following complete set of 12 booklets plus an original 1968 Topps Test envelope for $10,500 in the fall of 2023.
REA’s Topps Test How To Play Better Basketball Booklets Set of 12 – Image 1
REA’s Topps Test How To Play Better Basketball Booklets Set of 12 – Image 2
During bidding, I reached out to REA for a bit more information. They confirmed that each booklet was blank-backed, but the only one that displayed any condition issues was the How To Shoot Booklet; none of the others were folded, so perhaps they were extras that didn’t make it into packs. Also, I asked for some information about the internal copyright; they sent me back this photo showing a stamped 1966 copyright and the same Lane & Young, Inc. data that VintageBasketball said was in the Hood Dairy versions of the basketball booklets.
REA’s Topps Test How To Play Better Basketball Booklet Copyright Example
The baseball booklets all have a specific year copyright and either a Vital Publications, Inc. or WM. C. Popper & Co. copyright.
Final Thoughts
Like the Finer Points of Baseball For Everyone booklets, the How To Play Better Basketball items are another great example of a significant historical collectible; the basketball ones are more card-adjacent. However, despite a clear relationship between the sets of booklets (appearance, type, design, that little copyright symbol on the backs of both), I haven’t figured out a relationship between Vital Publications/WM. C. Popper & Co. and Lane & Young Inc., whose copyrights were printed inside the booklets. So, if you have more information about these companies or booklets, please leave a comment or email me.
Bob Cousy helped revolutionize the point guard position while playing for the Boston Celtics between 1950 & 1963, contributing to six NBA Championships. During this time, Cousy was a 13-time NBA All-Star and received the MVP award in 1957. Beloved as a player, his retirement ceremony became known as the “Boston Tear Party.” His legacy is extraordinary, encompassing the organization of the National Basketball Players Association, the popularization of modern guard play, the elevation of the NBA’s profile, the reception of a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and the naming of numerous basketball awards in his honor. Additionally, Cousy was well-known for his public stance against racism. Unfortunately, he doesn’t have many basketball card options, with only ten items needed to complete his PSA Master Set Registry. While many collectors target his 1957 Topps or 1951 Berk Ross cards for their collections, my favorite is the 1963 HP Hood Dairy oddball.
Bob Cousy retired in 1963 and went to work doing promotions and clinics for the H.P. Hood Dairy Company. These 2 3/8″ x 3 7/8″ cards were distributed during this time period. Bob Cousy confirmed to a collector friend of mine that he used these cards during the period from 1963-1966. One of the Massachusetts-based company’s slogans during this period was “Schoolboy or Celtic, they both get energy to burn from Hood Milk!” The cards come in two variations. The most common variation has a blue ink facsimile signature and says “yours for better fitness, Bob Cousy”. At the bottom of the card it has the Hood logo and below that, it has the “Boston Traveler” logo. The Boston Traveler was a newspaper that is now defunct. The other variation is in black ink and only has the Hood Dairy emblem. Currently, the reason for the difference in cards is unknown. The Boston Traveler newspaper did go out of business in 1967, so maybe Hood had plans to use these cards longer?? We may never know. The black ink Hood card appears to be the rarer of the two. Twenty years ago, it was believed that these cards were exceedingly rare. However, as time has gone on, we have seen a few small finds of these, which have brought the price down slightly. I’ve also included an image of an 11 x 17 advertisement for John Alden fine foods that uses the Cousy graphic from this card.
1963 HP Hood Dairy Bob Cousy Card Variations From VintageBasketball.com
Bob Cousy John Alden Contest Featuring The Same Cousy Image
I’m unsure when that overview was written, but regarding the black ink variation, Heritage Auctions sold a lot of nine of them in June 2022 for $1320.
1963 HP Hood Dairy Bob Cousy Cards – Fronts
1963 HP Hood Dairy Bob Cousy Cards – Backs
PSA doesn’t appear to differentiate between variations in its Pop Report, which contains 22 cards and six autographed copies; SGC has graded six.
Despite the cards’ relative scarcity, they’re not that expensive. In 2021, Probstein sold a trio of them on eBay: a PSA 5 sold for $202 in March, a PSA 6 went for $472 in April, and a PSA 4 for $143 in July. He also sold a PSA 2 for $406 in June 2014.
1963 HP Hood Dairy Bob Cousy Cards
That said, a PSA 7 (the highest graded) sold for $2,247 on eBay in November 2024.
1963 HP Hood Dairy Bob Cousy PSA 7
Lelands sold the original photograph used for the card in November 2023 for $3,540.
Bob Cousy Original Photograph – Front
Bob Cousy Original Photograph – Reverse
Interestingly, I found an advertisement for Hood Milk for sale on eBay a while ago. It was described as coming from the Saturday Evening Post and is dated March 10, 1962, in the upper-left corner. The image looks like it could have been taken on the same day as the PSA Type 1 photo that Lelands sold, and the timeline fits the description of the Cousy card being used from 1963 to 1966.
Hood Milk Ad
The same image used on the 1963 HP Hood Diary Cousy card was also used for the souvenir program for “Bob Cousy Day” at Boston Garden on March 17, 1963, aka The Boston Tear Party. In April 2021, SCP Auctions sold the following team-signed copy for $3,769.
Bob Cousy Day Souvenir Program
The scarcity of basketball card options for iconic figures is an unfortunate reality of the hobby. However, Bob Cousy played a big part in the growth of basketball in America, which led to the abundance of basketball card options that emerged in the late ’80s.
Welcome to part 3 of my series about Upper Deck commemorative sheets. This one, dedicated to basketball, has been the toughest to organize, research, and write about since they seem to be the least discussed across the hobby of the four major sports. In fact, TCDB only has 1991-92 Upper Deck Basketball (with 12 sheets on the checklist) and 1992-93 Upper Deck Basketball (with 13 sheets on the checklist) sheets on it. However, as you will see, there are other years. They’re also tough to organize because the dating on them is inconsistent. You see, The Upper Deck Baseball sheets all have a single year printed on the seal, and the hockey sheets all corresponded to specific games or events that aligned with the NHL season, so they were easy to categorize. However, with Basketball, Upper Deck has sheets that have single years (i.e., 1991 or 1992) and others that align with the NBA season that crosses calendar years (i.e.’ 91-92 or 1992-93), so I will categorize them by the year printed on the gold seal or for later years, the date printed between the words “Limited Edition” and the serial number.
1991 Upper Deck Basketball Sheets
These sheets have a gold seal with a single year, “1991”, on them.
These first two are very similar, one for the June 26, 1991, NBA Draft and another Draft-related one given away at the 12th National Sports Collectors Convention; neither have actual Upper Deck released cards depicted on them.
The following sheet has a similar design to the previous ones but has 1991/92 Upper Deck cards pictured. The sheet was likely a giveaway at the Hawks vs. Pistons game held on November 27, 1991 (the Pistons won 100-91). Also, the Upper Deck logo in the bottom right corner now says 91/92.
1991 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Hawks vs. Pistons
The following example celebrates the Lakers playing in the McDonald’s Open in Paris, France, on October 18/19, 1991. However, no cards are pictured, and the logo has no date.
1991 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – McDonald’s Open
The Open took place at Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy in Paris, France. It featured four teams: Slobodna Dalmacija, who were the 1990-91 FIBA European Champions Cup winners; Motnigala Joventut, who were the champions of the 1990-91 Liga ACB; Limoges CSP, who were the runners-up of the 1990-91 Nationale 1A, and the Los Angles Lakers who were the runners-up of the 1990-91 NBA League. The Lakers won the Open, which was a pre-season tournament for them.
Then there are a few ‘Stay In School’ examples with a Limited Edition 1991 Seal. The first, with Bob Lanier and Otis Smith, has a 1991 Upper Deck logo, while the examples with Pistons and Nets logos in place of Otis Smith have a 91/92 Upper Deck logo towards the bottom. The Hawks vs. Pistons sheet pictured previously also has a ‘Stay in School’ logo.
1991 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Stay In School
1991 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Stay In School Pistons
1991 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Stay In School Nets
1991-92 Upper Deck Basketball Sheets
These sheets all have a gold seal with “’91-92” on them.
Upper Deck appears to have given this sheet away during All-Star Weekend in Orlando, held February 7-9, 1992, in conjunction with the Slam-Dunk Championship.
Another sheet that looks a lot like the slam dunk one and is labeled a sample appears to have been intended for the Timberwolves vs. Knicks game on February 29, 1992.
1991-92 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Timberwolves vs. Knicks
The Lakers played a home game on February 26, 1992, against the Knicks, the same date as this sheet from Upper Deck commemorating the’ 71-72 World Champion Lakers team.
1991-92 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Lakers February 26, 1992
The following sheet is also a sample copy, but it looks like it was supposed to have been given away at the Clippers vs. Pistons game that was played on March 31, 1992. Whether they were or not, I have no idea.
1991-92 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Clippers vs. Pistons
This sheet commemorating John Wooden, Adolph Rupp, Dean Smith, and Bob Knight is dated April 4-6, 1992. It looks like it was a promotion at the NCAA Final Four.
1991-92 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – NCAA Final Four
1992 Upper Deck Basketball Sheets
These sheets all have a gold seal with “1992” on them.
Upper Deck continued promoting their sets at the 1992 NBA Draft held on June 24, 1992. This first sheet commemorates the draft and shows the top draft choices in 1991. Notice the 1992 date on the seal in the bottom left and the 1992 on the Upper Deck Logo on the bottom right of the sheet.
1992 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – June 24, 1992 NBA Draft
Upper Deck also appears to have made specific sheets for each time; here are the Clippers and Bullets examples.
1992 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – June 24, 1992 NBA Draft Clippers
1992 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – June 24, 1992 NBA Draft Bullets
Upper Deck used a similar design as a giveaway at the Charles Smith Battle of the Basketball Stars in June 1992 (I think on June 21).
1992 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Battle of the Basketball Stars
The Golden State Warriors sponsored Hoop It Up event, held earlier in June, had its own Upper Deck sheet, too.
1992 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Hoop It Up
Next, and this is one of the more popular Upper Deck Basketball sets, is The 1992 USA Basketball Team example.
1992 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – 1992 USA Basketball
Finally, this Utah Jazz example has a lot in common with some of the 1991/92 examples since it has the ‘Stay in School’ logo, too. However, the Upper Deck Logo is for 92/93.
1992 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Utah Jazz Stay In School
1992-93 Upper Deck Basketball Sheets
These sheets all have a gold seal with “1992-93” or “1992/93” on them.
First, I found three examples featuring 1992/93 Upper Deck basketball cards in this category (those with 1992-93 dates on the seal). The first is saluting the Atlanta Hawks; the second was likely a giveaway at the Bull’s April 20, 1993, home game against the Philadelphia 76ers. Both of these sheets have a 92/93 Upper Deck Logo on the bottom left corner. The third sheet, however, doesn’t have a serial number and has a 1993 Upper Deck Logo; it’s for “The Ultimate Hoop It Up 3-On-3 Match Up, East VS West.”
1992-93 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Atlanta Hawks
1992-93 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Chicago Bulls
1992-93 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Hoop it Up
Next are a pair of sheets with 1993 Upper Deck logos; the first appears to have been a giveaway at a Cavaliers home game against the Cavs on January 12, 1993. and the second salutes Larry Bird at his retirement ceremony on February 4, 1993, at the Boston Garden.
1992-93 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Cavs vs. Celtics
1992-93 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Larry Bird Retirement Ceremony
This final 1992-93 sheet salutes All-Star Heroes in conjunction with the Upper Deck Trading Card and Memorabilia Show held during Utah All-Star Weekend in February 1993.
These sheets all have a gold seal with “1993” on them.
There are a couple of categories of 1993 Upper Deck Basketball Sheets. The first, again, were developed in conjunction with the NBA Draft (June 30, 1993) and appear to have been made for each team. The Upper Deck logo has 1993 on it. Here are examples for the Blazers and Sonics.
1993 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – NBA Draft Blazers
1993 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – NBA Draft Sonics
There’s also a more general Upper Deck NBA Draft sheet that depicts the Top Draft Choices from 1992 on it.
1993 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – June 30, 1993 NBA Draft Top 1992 Choices
Next, Upper Deck made sheets for the NBA Jam Session events held in Melbourne and Sydney, Australia, in August and September 1993.
1993 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – NBA Jam Session
This next sheet has me a little confused; American Airlines sponsored the 1992-93 three-point contest before AT&T took over in 1993-94. But the cards shown are 1992/93s – perhaps this sheet was made to announce the partnership.
1993 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Long Distance Shootout
The following Upper Deck basketball sheet is dated March 2, 1993, to celebrate the Bucks’s 25th anniversary. The Bucks had a home game against the Mavericks that evening. It’s odd that the sheet doesn’t have a 1992/93 date like the Cavs vs. Celtics sheet pictured in the previous section.
I only ran across a single sheet with “1993-94” on the seal, but I’d bet there are others. This one features Bulls players for a game held on November 13, 1993. The Bulls played the Celtics that night. Notice the 93/94 Upper Deck logo on the lower right corner.
1993-94 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Chicago Bulls
1994 Upper Deck Basketball Sheets
Upper Deck replaced the gold seal with a sort of emblem this year, but all the sheets display “1994” between the words’ Limited Edition’ and the serial number.
Upper Deck, again, made commemorative sheets in conjunction with the NBA Draft held in Indianapolis on June 29, 1994. Here’s the Seattle Supersonics example.
1994 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – NBA Draft Sonics
There are a bunch of other ‘Limited Edition’ 1994 Upper Deck basketball sheets, including the following for the Long Distance Shootout, the All-NBA Team, 1994 All-Rookie Team, the Knicks, All-Star Weekend, the Michael Jordan Tribute Night held on November 1, 1994, and the 1993-94 Upper Deck Special Edition set.
1994 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Long Distance Shootout
1994 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – All-NBA Team
1994 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – All-Rookie Team
1994 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Michael Jordan Tribute Night
1994 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – Upper Deck Special Edition
1995 Upper Deck Basketball Sheets
The 1995 Upper Deck Basketball Sheets have similar emblems to 1994’s, but the date is now “1995”.
I found three sheets with 1995 dates on them. Again, the first two were for the NBA Draft held in Toronto on June 28, 1995. One is generic for the event; the other has Kings-specific information on it.
1995 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – NBA Draft June 28, 1995 Toronto
1995 Upper Deck Basketball Sheet – NBA Draft Kings
Upper Deck also released a sheet for their Predictor Series Cards.
Now, despite sharing 43 Upper Deck Basketball Commemorative Sheets in this article, it’s not even remotely close to an exhaustive checklist. What’s really cool about these basketball sheets compared to the baseball and hockey ones is the variety. Upper Deck appears to have released them at NBA games, off-season events, in conjunction with the draft, at the All-Star Game, and as generic advertisements for upcoming sets.
Keep an eye on the blog because I’ll be wrapping up this series with Upper Deck’s football commemorative sheets!
