So, I got back into cards a while ago, not really meaning to. Was just clearing out some old boxes in the garage, you know how it is, and stumbled upon a handful of my basketball cards from when I was a kid. And right there, a couple of Dominique Wilkins cards. Man, ‘Nique! The Human Highlight Film! Watching him play was something else. Those dunks were just poetry.
Anyway, that got me thinking. I wondered, what other ‘Nique cards are out there? So, I started looking. Just a casual thing at first. Picked up a few commons here and there from a local shop. It was kinda fun, a bit of nostalgia. Then I made the mistake of looking online. Mistake because suddenly I saw there were hundreds. Literally hundreds. Base cards, inserts, parallels, European releases… a whole universe of ‘Nique.
The Hunt Begins
So, I thought, okay, let’s try and get a few of the key ones. The rookie cards, of course. Fleer ’86, that’s the big one. Star Company before that, if you can even find legit ones. It turned into a bit of a project. I started making lists, checking off what I had, what I needed. My wife thought I was nuts, spending evenings scrolling through listings instead of watching TV with her. Can’t blame her, really.
The thing with collecting ‘Nique is that he played through that era when they printed cards by the gazillion. The late 80s, early 90s. So many of his base cards are dirt cheap, which is good. But then you get into the rarer stuff, the inserts from that time, and suddenly the prices jump. And then there’s condition. Oh boy, condition. Is it centered? Are the corners sharp? No creases? It’s a whole other level of obsession. I try not to get too hung up on it, but sometimes you can’t help it.
I remember this one period, I was working this absolutely soul-crushing temp job. Data entry. Staring at spreadsheets all day. Numbers, numbers, numbers. My brain felt like it was turning to mush. I’d come home, and the last thing I wanted was more screens, but hunting for ‘Nique cards was different. It was like a mission. A way to use my brain for something that wasn’t… well, that. That job, I swear, it was like they actively tried to make it as boring as possible. No talking, headphones in, just type, type, type. My supervisor, a guy who probably dreamed in spreadsheets, would walk around like a prison warden. Good times.
So yeah, during those months, the ‘Nique collection really grew. It was my little rebellion, I guess. Instead of going stir-crazy, I focused on finding that one specific parallel, or a clean copy of an early oddball card. It gave me something to look forward to. Funny thing is, after about six months of that spreadsheet nightmare, they offered me a permanent position. I actually laughed. No thanks. Packed up my ‘Nique binders and never looked back. Sometimes a bad situation just clarifies what you don’t want, you know?
Sorting Through the Piles
So now I’ve got a few binders full. Mostly Dominique, but a few other Hawks from that era too. It’s not about investment for me. I mean, sure, it’d be nice if they were worth a fortune, but that’s not the point. It’s the thrill of the hunt, the satisfaction of finding a card you’ve been looking for, the connection to a player I really admired.
- Rookie cards – got most of the main ones.
- Inserts from the 90s – still a work in progress, some are tough.
- Autographs – have a couple, always on the lookout for a nice on-card auto.
- Game-used stuff – not really my thing, too many fakes out there for my liking.
Sometimes I’ll just flip through the binders. Each card has a bit of a story, where I found it, how much I paid (or overpaid, ha!). It’s a tangible piece of basketball history, his history. And yeah, it’s way more interesting than those spreadsheets ever were. I still check online listings pretty regularly. There’s always another ‘Nique card out there I haven’t seen before. It never really ends, does it? But that’s okay. Keeps things interesting.
