Collectibles
The goal was always preservation...
...the preservation of the culture
...preservation of the stories
The goal was always preservation...
...the preservation of the culture
...preservation of the stories
I know the date because I have a reference point...it was the day Ben Baller dropped his Mike Trout Topps Project 2020 card: April 29, 2020. I was sitting in my car with my kids in the Dollar Tree parking lot waiting for my wife to bring back some Jamaican patties (FYI Dollar Tree is the only place on the West Coast that sells Golden Crust Patties) and I was just scrolling through Twitter. Baller tweeted about his card and I feel deep down the rabbit hole of sports cards in 2020. I was familiar with cards as I used to collect as a kid, but I stepped away from cards after things got to be more about money than it did about fun. So I was searching eBay for these completely-new-to-me Topps Project 2020 cards when it all hit me like a ton of bricks: ‘man, why hasn’t anyone made sneaker trading cards?’ That's when I decided I was going to do it myself.
This one is for my generation. Those who came up in the 90's emulating NBA players on AND off the court. 90's NBA was one of those 'time and place' things, and to understand it - you really HAD to be there. It sounds crazy to say, but at the time, Nike *wasn't* the clear front-runner. Sure, they created the highest quantity of shoes, but they weren't all about quality. Reebok, FILA, Adidas, Ewing Athletics and And1 were all significant contributors to the space...and this set aims to contextualize the era.
The base cards represent roughly 200 different sneaker models that came out during the 90's (and a few from the 00's). FULL CHECKLIST. Odds of pulling one 1:1
Created in collaboration with @ervinshoes, these cards pay homage to 5 different AF1's that were retroed in the 90's.
Created in collaboration with @sneakerpreservationsociety, these cards give a glimpse into how a handful of these shoes have aged over the past 20-30 years.
A sample of me (and my friends) *actual* papers from high school. With sketches of kicks laid over.
Created in collaboration with @verano_frio and @sneakerdave, these cards pay homage to the early days of the WNBA and their marquee stars.
Paying homage to Pen & Pixel Graphics and No Limit Records, 'The Sonny Vaccaro Years' cards were released in collaboration with a concept album by @sankofafw & @supermuchmusic
Various ventures with various collaborators. All creators.
Intended to be released on Air Max Day (3/26), but actually released 4 months later (7/26), the Air Max Pax is a collection of (a few of) the most popular Air Max models on the scene. There were hundreds - if not thousands of colorways to choose from - but we ended up with 3 of each model and a handful of insert cards. I don't know why, but 70 or so cards seems to be a reasonable number, so that's what we went with again. FULL CHECKLIST.
69 different cards. Odds of pulling one 9:1
11 different cards. Odds of pulling one 1:2
69 different cards. Odds of pulling one 1:4
9 different cards. Odds of pulling one 1:16
11 different cards. Odds of pulling one 1:3
5 different cards. Odds of pulling one 1:112
Clearly the Dunk is one of Nike's most iconic silhouettes as it continually makes its way back into our collective consciousness every few years. The 2002-2005 era of Dunks (and SBs in particular) coincided around the time I began to look at shoes as a lot more than just something I'd wear - I started looking at them as something I could collect. The exclusivity and relateable storylines behind some of these shoes gave them an appeal unlike many other popular releases...their legacy is the stuff of legend.
The base cards represent the Black/Red, Orange/Beige, and Silver/Green boxes of the 'Nike Skateboarding' line...70 different cards. FULL CHECKLIST. Odds of pulling one 1:1
City series cards represent the city series dunks - 202 pairs of each released in their respective cities (3). Odds of pulling one 1:124
Supreme cards represent the first 5 Supreme x Nike SB shoes to release in the product line. 5 different cards. Odds of pulling one 1:6
Drugs N Alcohol. Hemp & Beer cards. Not much explanation needed. 4 different cards. Odds of pulling one 1:19
There were a handful of shoes that released to only friends and family - 24-30 pairs in existence. 5 different cards. Odds of pulling one 1:12
These are cards that take me back to New York circa 2003-2005. They represent the ever-changing landscape of Gotham. 15 different cards. Odds of pulling one 1:2
5 cards. The first 4 are 'pieces' of the original eBay dunk that was destroyed. The 5th card represents the pair that was sold. 1 copy of each. Odds of pulling one 1:372
Released on Kobe day (8/24/2020), the 824 pack is meant to be a tribute to one of the greatest basketball players to ever lace up a pair of sneakers. After having looked at how card sets have been created over the last 20 years, I decided to go old school and simplify it. A reasonable set of base cards with 3 separate types of insert cards. FULL CHECKLIST.
68 different cards. Odds of pulling one 1:1
8 different cards. Odds of pulling one 1:2
8 different cards. Odds of pulling one 1:12
24 different cards. Odds of pulling one 1:4