by joe |
Last Updated: September 4, 2020 The ’90s gave rise to lots of valuable basketball card insert sets, thanks to players like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant among many other hall of famers.
Let’s take a look at 8 of the more collectible and interesting insert sets of the decade.
1992 Stadium Club
Beam Team
The 1992 Stadium Club Beam Team insert set is an all-time collectible.
The set has 21 players, including Michael Jordan, Shaquille O’Neal (rookie), Charles Barkley, Shawn Kemp, Scottie Pippen, and David Robinson.
A whopping 15 of the 21 players in the 1992 Stadium Club Beam Team are in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.
The odds of getting a Beam Team card in a 1992 Stadium Club Series 2 hobby box is 1 in 36 packs. (about one per box)
Grading Distribution
| PSA 6 | PSA 7 | PSA 8 | PSA 9 | PSA 10 |
| 2% | 3% | 26% | 48% | 20% |
Checklist and PSA 10 Values
| Number | Name | Recent PSA 10 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Jordan | $1,925.00 |
| 2 | Dominique Wilkins | $400.00 |
| 3 | Shawn Kemp | $140.00 |
| 4 | Clyde Drexler | $300.00 |
| 5 | Scottie Pippen | $310.00 |
| 6 | Chris Mullin | $400.00 |
| 7 | Reggie Miller | $249.99 |
| 8 | Glen Rice | $350.00 |
| 9 | Jeff Hornacek | $400.00 |
| 10 | Jeff Malone | $199.99 |
| 11 | John Stockton | $500.00 |
| 12 | Kevin Johnson | $200.00 |
| 13 | Mark Price | $297.46 |
| 14 | Tim Hardaway | $500.00 |
| 15 | Charles Barkley | $255.00 |
| 16 | Hakeem Olajuwon | $180.00 |
| 17 | Karl Malone | $350.00 |
| 18 | Patrick Ewing | $500.00 |
| 19 | Dennis Rodman | $350.00 |
| 20 | David Robinson | $158.05 |
| 21 | Shaquille O’Neal | $4,975.00 |
Total PSA Graded Card Sales
(Note: PSA Auction data as of September 2, 2020. For recent data, see PSA Auction data for 1992 Stadium Club Beam Team.)
1993 Ultra Scoring Kings
The 1993 Ultra Scoring Kings includes 10 Hall of Fame players, including one of the most iconic Michael Jordan inserts of all-time.
Scoring Kings inserts can be found in the 1993-94 Ultra Series 1 hobby boxes, at a rate of 1 per 36 packs, or roughly one per box.
Grading Distribution
| PSA 1-7 | PSA 8 | PSA 9 | PSA 10 |
| 17% | 40% | 27% | 14% |
Checklist and PSA 10 Values
| Number | Name | Recent PSA 10 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Barkley | $425.00 |
| 2 | Joe Dumars | $382.77 |
| 3 | Patrick Ewing | $200.00 |
| 4 | Larry Johnson | $203.50 |
| 5 | Michael Jordan | $9,433.00 |
| 6 | Karl Malone | $395.00 |
| 7 | Alonzo Mourning | $285.00 |
| 8 | Shaquille O’Neal | $1,150.00 |
| 9 | David Robinson | $760.00 |
| 10 | Dominique Wilkins | $239.50 |
Total PSA Graded Card Sales
(Note: PSA Auction data as of September 2, 2020. For recent data, see PSA Auction data for 1993 Ultra Scoring Kings.)
1993 Ultra
Power In The Key
1993 Ultra Series 2 hobby boxes featured a Power In The Key insert, and collectors responded well to the sparkly design.
Of the 9 players featured in this insert set, 5 are in the hall of fame. The most notable players are Michael Jordan and Shaquille O’Neal.
These cards grade tough, because of chipping and cards sticking together in hobby boxes.
However, because of their rarity (one per 1993 Ultra Series 2 hobby box), collectors will still buy up PSA 7 and 8s to add to their collection.
Grading Distribution
| PSA 6 | PSA 7 | PSA 8 | PSA 9 | PSA 10 |
| 8% | 18% | 34% | 27% | 8% |
Checklist and PSA 10 Values
| Number | Name | Recent PSA 10 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Larry Johnson | $338.22 |
| 2 | Michael Jordan | $1,801.00 |
| 3 | Karl Malone | – |
| 4 | Oliver Miller | – |
| 5 | Alonzo Mourning | – |
| 6 | Hakeem Olajuwon | – |
| 7 | Shaquille O’Neal | $250.00 |
| 8 | Otis Thorpe | – |
| 9 | Chris Webber | $449.99 |
Total PSA Graded Card Sales
(Note: PSA Auction data as of September 2, 2020. For recent data, see PSA Auction data for 1993 Ultra Power In The Key.)
1994 E-Motion N-Tense
1994 was not a particularly notable year. However, these Skybox E-Motion N-Tense inserts stand out as great collectibles.
The card stock is quite thick, making grading easier than most ’90s inserts.
Of the 10 players in the set, 9 are in the hall of fame.
Expect 2 N-Tense insert cards per 1994 Skybox E-Motion hobby box, as boxes contain 36 packs and they occur once per 18 packs.
Grading Distribution
| PSA 8 | PSA 9 | PSA 10 |
| 8% | 37% | 52% |
Checklist and PSA 10 Values
| Number | Name | Recent PSA 10 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Barkley | $53.00 |
| 2 | Patrick Ewing | $19.95 |
| 3 | Michael Jordan | $419.43 |
| 4 | Shawn Kemp | $130.00 |
| 5 | Karl Malone | $50.00 |
| 6 | Alonzo Mourning | $26.00 |
| 7 | Shaquille O’Neal | $155.50 |
| 8 | Hakeem Olajuwon | $49.00 |
| 9 | David Robinson | $175.00 |
| 10 | Glenn Robinson | $56.55 |
Total PSA Graded Card Sales
(Note: PSA Auction data as of September 2, 2020. For recent data, see PSA Auction data for 1994 E-Motion N-Tense.)
1995 Metal
Maximum Metal
1995 Fleer Metal is quite an iconic set in the hobby.
These Maximum Metal inserts can be found in Series 1 hobby boxes, at a rate of 1 per 36 packs (1 per box).
All 10 of the players in this insert set are in the hall of fame.
In general, these cards are semi-tough grades. Expect lots of 8s and 9s from PSA, likely because the die-cut style is prone to edge chipping.
Grading Distribution
| PSA 6 | PSA 7 | PSA 8 | PSA 9 | PSA 10 |
| 6% | 5% | 38% | 35% | 15% |
Checklist and PSA 10 Values
| Number | Name | Recent PSA 10 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Charles Barkley | $40.00 |
| 3 | Grant Hill | |
| 4 | Michael Jordan | $660.00 |
| 5 | Shawn Kemp | $25.00 |
| 6 | Karl Malone | |
| 7 | Hakeem Olajuwon | $21.00 |
| 8 | Shaquille O’Neal | $37.00 |
| 9 | Mitch Richmond | |
| 10 | David Robinson |
Total PSA Graded Card Sales
(Note: PSA Auction data as of September 2, 2020. For recent data, see PSA Auction data for 1995 Metal Maximum Metal.)
1996 Skybox Z-Force Zebut
1996 had a stellar rookie class, including Kobe Bryant, Allen Iverson, and Steve Nash.
The Skybox Z-Force Zebut inserts stood out from a design standpoint, although there were many insert rookie sets to choose from across brands from this year.
Zebut inserts can be found in the 1996 Skybox Z-Force Series 2 hobby boxes, at a rate of 1 per box. (1 per 24 packs)
Grading seems very fair for these rookie inserts, with an even amount of 8s and 10s and a bulk of 9s.
Grading Distribution
| PSA 7 | PSA 8 | PSA 9 | PSA 10 |
| 5% | 28% | 41% | 26% |
Total PSA Graded Card Sales
(Note: PSA Auction data as of September 2, 2020. For recent data, see PSA Auction data for 1996 Skybox Z-Force Zebut.)
1997 Metal Universe
Planet Metal
The 1997 Metal Universe Planet Metal insert set is yet another chock full of hall of fame players.
You can find just 1 insert per 1997/98 Skybox Metal Universe Basketball Hobby Box.
Both Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant fetch super high prices at auction. I expect other players in this set to go up quite a bit in value in the future as well.
Grading seems quite fair on these cards, with a nice bell curve centered around a majority PSA 9s.
Grading Distribution
| PSA 7 | PSA 8 | PSA 9 | PSA 10 |
| 4% | 27% | 42% | 23% |
Checklist and PSA 10 Values
| Number | Name | Recent PSA 10 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Michael Jordan | $2,999.99 |
| 2 | Allen Iverson | |
| 3 | Kobe Bryant | $2,650.00 |
| 4 | Shaquille O’Neal | $35.00 |
| 6 | Marcus Camby | |
| 7 | Anfernee Hardaway | |
| 8 | Kevin Garnett | $66.99 |
| 9 | Shareef Abdur-Rahim | |
| 10 | Dennis Rodman | |
| 11 | Grant Hill | |
| 12 | Hakeem Ojajuwon | |
| 13 | David Robinson | |
| 14 | Charles Barkley | $56.55 |
| 15 | Gary Payton |
Total PSA Graded Card Sales
(Note: PSA Auction data as of September 2, 2020. For recent data, see PSA Auction data for 1997 Metal Universe Planet Metal.)
1997 Bowman’s Best Techniques
Not only does the 1997 Bowman’s Best Techniques insert set 10 players, all of whom are in the hall of fame, but there are refractor and atomic refractor parallels as well.
Bowman’s Best made very high quality cards, which accounts for the somewhat easier grading.
If you are looking for these inserts in a 1997/98 Bowman’s Best Basketball Hobby Box, you can find about 2 per box.
The refractors only occur once per 2 boxes, and the atomic refractors once per 4 boxes.
Grading Distribution
| PSA 7 | PSA 8 | PSA 9 | PSA 10 |
| 1% | 10% | 44% | 43% |
Checklist and PSA 10 Values
| Number | Name | Recent PSA 10 |
|---|---|---|
| T1 | Dikembe Mutombo | |
| T1 | Dikembe Mutombo Refractor | |
| T1 | Dikembe Mutombo Atomic Refractor | |
| T2 | Michael Jordan | $100.00 |
| T2 | Michael Jordan Techniques-w/Coating | $524.99 |
| T2 | Michael Jordan Refractor | $611.00 |
| T2 | Michael Jordan Atomic Refractor | $1,213.88 |
| T3 | Grant Hill Techniques | |
| T3 | Grant Hill Techniques-Refractor | $15.50 |
| T3 | Grant Hill Techniques-Atomic Ref. | $41.99 |
| T4 | Kobe Bryant | $225.00 |
| T4 | Kobe Bryant Refractor | $127.50 |
| T4 | Kobe Bryant Atomic Refractor | $480.00 |
| T5 | Gary Payton Techniques-Refractor | |
| T5 | Gary Payton Atomic Refractor | |
| T6 | Glen Rice | |
| T7 | Dennis Rodman Techniques | $19.99 |
| T7 | Dennis Rodman Techniques-Refractor | $12.00 |
| T7 | Dennis Rodman Techniques-Atomic Ref. | $224.99 |
| T8 | Hakeem Olajuwon Atomic Refractor | $66.34 |
| T8 | Hakeem Olajuwon | |
| T8 | Hakeem Olajuwon Refractor | |
| T9 | Allen Iverson Techniques | $27.50 |
| T9 | Allen Iverson Techniques-Refractor | |
| T9 | Allen Iverson Techniques-Atomic Ref. | $28.82 |
| T10 | John Stockton Techniques | |
| T10 | John Stockton Refractor | |
| T10 | John Stockton Atomic Refractor | $125.00 |
Total PSA Graded Card Sales
(Note: PSA Auction data as of September 2, 2020. For recent data, see PSA Auction data for 1997 Bowman’s Best Techniques.)
Conclusion
The 90s are full of valuable basketball card insert sets, many of them containing lots of hall of fame players such as Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant, and Shaquille O’Neal.
While this is by no means a comprehensive list, it gives you an idea as to the kinds of value and rarity some of these sets offer collectors, investors and flippers in the hobby.