In late 2025 I found myself playing NBA 2K19 and NBA 2K25 on the Sony PlayStation 4 which triggered memories of collecting basketball cards in my youth. I was, in particular, a massive fan of Upper Deck's 1993-94 NBA series. As a teenager I was given a box of the Series 2 cards and, at the time, thought that all my Christmases had come at once! So while reminiscing I thought I'd look at perhaps ordering some of those cards.
One of my favourite Upper Deck insert cards from the period was the Chicago Bulls Three Straight (SP-4) card. For some reason that card just called to me, constantly grabbing my attention in the showcase of the local card shop - I just needed to have it - and one day I managed to put together enough pocket money to buy it. Unfortunately the collection from my teenage years has long been gone - some sold; some given away; and some, no doubt, thrown in the garbage.
So in December 2025 I went on eBay and once again picked up one of the Chicago Bulls Three Straight cards for approximately AUD $12 (below). It was the first NBA card I had bought in over 30 years. I then looked at trying to collect the entire 1993-94 Upper Deck NBA series - but at that point it just seemed a little out of my budget, especially if card collecting in my 40s turned out to be a short-lived fad.
Instead of NBA cards from my teenage years, I thought I'd look at some of the more recent Topps NBL cards and picked up a couple of Hobby Boxes of the 2022-23 Topps NBL series. The nostalgia of tearing open packets hit me straight away, but the people and franchises were not what I was used to - I had never collected NBL cards in the past - so part of the novelty soon wore off.
However, I was then reminded of the fact that I loved the design of the 1987 Scanlens VFL card series - the first sports cards I ever collected while in my kindergarten year at primary school. The subsequent 1988 Scanlens VFL series was the first set that I had almost fully collected and I remember carrying a deck of those cards around the playground, secured tightly in a large rubber band. The following year, with the release of the 1989 Scanlens VFL series, I remember being disappointed at the number of advertising and competition cards that were included with the set. Completing these sets has now become one of my goals. Though, at the time of writing, I am still working to complete each set.
I've also found myself drawn to vintage cards, such as the 1904 Sniders & Abrahams VFL cigarette card series and have managed to pick up a few cards from this early series (see examples below).
So while I have some collecting goals and grails, right at this moment I'm finding it fun reconnecting with the hobby, engaging with some of the history, while also connecting with some of the current aspects of AFL. I hope to continue to write about my collecting adventure in this blog as the years progress, so keep checking in!
