Welcome to Spinoton's Kobe PC.
Three top Kobe triple pairings:
03-04 Exquisite pure base rainbow.
80/225 and 24/25 (current jersey number).
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My latest pickup. I can now ride to the sunset without regret.
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Kobe credentials gem mint triple RC+ /8 + /10
POP 5 from 122 copies submitted (update: 5 of 125 get 9.5). One of the most overpaid cards I have, considering a subsequent opporunity half a year later (but not so compared to current MV). I do not regret it as this is the starting point of my more serious pursuit of hobby and more thorough market research and card-locating. The old label was graded in June 06 and BGS number ends with 008. Really wish the super fancy essential credentials /99 version existed for Kobe as in baseball (or /100 in football).
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This is the second best Kobe's non-1/1 90s card, being the one of two most limited cards issued in the year where serial numbered cards become a norm in products. The numbering is very creative. 80 players are placed in a carefully thought-out sequence, and in the Now set, each player is only issued with the number of cards equal to its numerical position in the sequence. Transparent acetate stock and great action picture cropped out from otherwise distracting background. The credentials cards come from a high-end product with relatively small release. It is estimated that on average 1 credentials card can be pulled from every eight boxes, and a box price can run 280-300 nowadays last time I checked. Used to be the crowning card for Tom's amazing 9.5 Kobe collection.
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1998-99 E-X Century Credentials Now /10. This belongs to the second year of credentials now. Due to retirement of Jordan, this is the most limited version of the best player available. Silver opaque acetate and beautiful refracting lettering build on many appealing features of the inaugural release. Narrowly won this card in raw form, thought it's a 9.5 or 10, and recently graded it gem and completed gem streak officially.
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Kobe PMG Triple
The dream card for any 90s player collectors. The refracting gem-like texture upon close inspection under light is very fitting to the name. The backgrounds of each card in this 123-card set are all distinct and chosen to fit with action shot. First 10 of 100 copies printed are green. One of main attractions besides appearance is that PMG greens are the most limited non-1/1 cards uniformly for all players during the first year (97-98) where limited cards were introduced systematically. Beautiful design, tough-to-pull originally, tough to locate (but more hopeful and heard-of than original 1/1), popularity among other player collectors, market price reference all contribute to elevating this brand into the current status. As the timing of writing, PMG greens are greener than any other cards for basketball. This card is numbered 001/100, so in some sense this is the first Kobe PMG made (Champ came out later).
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The last 90 copies of 97-98 Metal PMG /100 are in red color. All those PMGs are extremely condition sensitive, and chipping on edges and corners are almost inevitable. This makes this mint copy especially desirable and treasured. This BGS 9 copy is of the highest grade and is POP(ulation) 3 (another BGS 9 is not in the database due to numbering issue at Nationals). I chose this version over a BGS 8.5 Kobe red available at the same time, and glad I did so. When I first got this card, I had to stare at it every day and found it hard to put it down. After almost one year of no show on ebay, there have been 6 Kobe PMG red in roughly 7.5-8.5 quality showing up and sold or withdrawn, gradually within several months' span.
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1997-98 Metal Universe Championship PMG 8/50. This comes from another Metal product of Skybox. The beautiful design of both front and back, unique landscape background and refracting surface pattern make this one of very top cards among those cards issued with 50 copies in 97-98. It is also very condition sensitive, but less so compared to PMG green and red. Being jersey numbered and in good condition makes it extra special. I passed three copies before running into this. Sometimes it pays off if patient.
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Now a super rare legit card and some GU cards
This 98-99 super rave /25 used to be a super tough card due to its mythological 'valyrian steel' rareness due to 98-99 lockout season, astronomical odds to hit, non-differentiating look and rumored few insertion into packs and destroy of unsold boxes after hobby market plunge post MJ retirement. My copy was the first one showed up on eBay ever and a couple of years before this brand being faked by certain sellers (without perfection). Card investors will sigh about loss of value this way. But to a true collector like me, I am very grateful to have obtained this legit copy much earlier because it would be difficult now to trace back the history of a card even if it is perfectly legit looking and even if my own interest to obtain it was still unaffected by the reckless faking. It remains a special card to me and embodies all it represents.
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99-00 Upper Deck 2 Super Patch /25, first patch card of Kobe.
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2003-04 Exquisite Collections Quad Patch /3. My first card obtained by trade from a top collector Anthony. This card somewhat makes up my lack of emphasis on Exquisite Collection. The other two copies belong to world's top Exquisite card collectors. The patch featured here has 1, 2, 3, 3-color sequentially (a natural rise to the max color). Whilst there are four 03-04 Exquisite 1/1 with Kobe on, this is the only version of the rarest non-1/1 Kobes in first year Exquisite release (unlike Triple Patch /10 having two variations). The numbering is also the sweetest among the three Quad cards.
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Kobe 03-04 Exquisite EE 1/25 and 8/75. My first true jersey number in 03-04 Exquisite release and this release was hoarded and priced at an insane level at one time. Would be nice to add a 09-10 Exq Dual Patch /15 some day.
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Special numbered first prizm gold /10 set:
Kobe solid gold and diamond cards:
This is a very special card made from gold. Second year of such release. Thanks for a top collector Reid for letting it go to make my 1/1 count into 8.
Below comes from my special tribute to Kobe made after his season end retirement announcement: 24 Autos + 8 Historical cards
8-picture tribute to Kobe's final season
I will showcase 24 Kobe autos in groups before Kobe's Philly hometown game. This features inscription auto. All numbers are special numbers, first last or jersey. Pic was the announcement game where Kobe went clutch again and almost had a chance to even up.
Some nice auto's from non high end releases but nice design nonetheless. First two year Silhouette, first year Prizm and Select, and first Kobe numbered red ink.
The next group is Immaculate auto. All special number, old and new jersey number or last number. Premium patch first two years, and all stars and championship tribute.
This time I strived for correction orientation. Exquisite goodness. Top left corner was the only chance for sale in last 5 years and I grabbed it. NN /25 was won during watch Kobe vs LeBron at Staples. Kobe's rarest non-1/1 Exquisite auto in dual with Magic 2/2, and only two NP /8, both in 8/8. What are the remaining 3?
Kobe said his favorite moment was when he was drafted. This is probably the only card dedicated to it and only Kobe card numbered /13. The auto is so fresh. Please bear with me, LOL, 7 for finals appearances and 7+13 for being Lakers.
The last two are easy to guess. It cannot get any better. To date, the only two Kobe special jersey logoman auto in existence. Threepeating Finals GU jersey and Minneapolis Throwback jersey. 8 vs 24 Kobe and both two style of his signatures from these two eras. Lakers are debating which number to retire today. I say, why not both? The future young guys can always wear 3-digit number.
I'm a card purist. Now show some pure cards. I will showcase eight Kobe historical 1/1. First Fleer/Skybox 1/1, First UD 1/1 (only card so), first Topps 1/1 (non-plates), and first high-end 1/1. What are the remaining four?
My 8th post in this sequence, which finishes up the 8 Kobe historical 1/1. The first product-unique parallel 1/1, the first die-cut 1/1 for Kobe, the first year-unique 1/1 (his threepeat year, excluding plates), and his first Prizm-based 1/1.
As a bonus to your scroll, I include a quadruple logoman auto pairing, all active players at the time of release, related to Kobe in obvious ways and you can read the connections by tapping each photo.
The encore will be MJ's best auto in 90s and 00s, at least IMHO:
Jordan 97-98 UD Game Jersey Auto GJ13S 15/23 and 05-06 UD Reflections Mirror Image 1/2, the best Jordan autos in the respective decades. MJ GJ13S All stars jersey auto is the start of GU auto concept and the same card is shown on MJ tribute issue to represent this exclusive brand. Mirror Image is a great concept and very rare and first MJ self dual auto card, this copy has perfect unbroken signature unlike 2/2.
If you think you have cards that are better than some of the above, feel free to contact me, even if they are not for sale. Always nice to talk to fellow Kobe collectors. Nothing on this page is for sale.
