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Hoopography Top 25: #14
Shaquille O'neal was the biggest name in basketball trading cards when I was growing up. It was the time of the "Shaq' Attack". Sure, "His Airness" was also at the peak of his collectibility, but O'neal took the NBA by storm in 1993 and never looked back. It didn't matter what type of card or which company produced it, his RC's were hot!
I could remember going to the local sports card shops and looking at all the O'neal RC's in the glass cases. There were a lot of sports card shops back then, so I saw a lot of his RC's. One of those cards that I gawked at happens to be the #14 card in my Hoopography Top 25 countdown. This '93 Fleer Ultra All-Rookies O'neal insert was one of the most sought after basketball cards of '93.
Fleer had been in the trading card business for quite some time by '93, but the Ultra set was the first premium basketball set Fleer had ever released. To say they did a great job with the 'Ultra release is an understatement. From the on-card Scottie Pippen Career Highlights Auto's to the Ultra Rejectors and Ultra All-NBA inserts, the '93 Fleer Ultra product had it all.
The All-Rookies inserts were really hot when they first came out. The O'neal had a solid $40 - $50 price tag originally, but that didn't last very long when collectors realized the set was not very rare. The odds of pulling an All-Rookies card was one in every thirteen packs. With ten cards in the entire set, it wasn't too long until the market was flooded with these cards. The O'neal RC from the set has fallen in value to $25 since the days of the "Shaq' Attack". You can actually go on to eBay today and pick one up for less than $10 (click here).
Regardless of book value, I still really like this card. It reminds me of the days when I first got into the hobby as an eager young sports fan, and couldn't afford this ultra cool O'neal RC. Plus, checkout the first Shaq' Reebok Pumps O'neal is Rockin' in the card. Those are classic.
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