This is card #6 from this 1993 Action Packed Hall of Fame set, unusual in that it begins with a ten-card subset called “One on One.” This subset features pairs up players that Action Packed considered great matchups and rivalries. The set starts with four guards. Cards #1 and #2, Walt Frazier and Jerry West, make a great pair because they actually met in the Finals three times. Then there’s Dave Bing and Earl Monroe. With cards #5 and #6 two centers are paired up, Willis Reed and Dave Cowens. Comparing these two is good food for thought. And because the backs of these cards are loaded with information, it’s easy to do. Both won two NBA titles as we see on the back of the Cowens card, “Played for 1974 and 1976 World Champion Celtics.” In the article for the Willis Reed card, we talked about how he owned 1970 winning the MVP, All-Star MVP and Finals MVP in one season. Well, Cowens won the MVP and All-Star MVP three years later in 1973. Speaking of All-Star games, Cowens played in seven while Reed played in eight. Cowens had a bit more longevity to his career with eleven seasons played. Cowens did retire and come back as the back of the card shows, but an injury at the end of the 1982-83 season forced him to retire for good. To explain how good of an all-around player he was, keep in mind he led the Celtics in points, rebounds, assists, blocks AND steals in 1977-78. So with this pair from the “One on One” subset, we really have two very good centers. Not a bad matchup at all! The pairs of players in this “One on One” subset have the same color of subset logo. Willis Reed and Dave Cowens share a green one.
If you’re not familiar with this 1993 Action Packed set, it’s hard to find a better set for the price. The cards are a much higher quality than most early ’90’s cards. They have thick stock with these rounded corners distinctive of Action Packed. They’re embossed, the player is glossy against a matte finish on the background. Action Packed was trying to innovate here, and they even filed their own patent for the design seen in fine print on the back, “Pat. #315,364.” And, although not true vintage, the set is still full of great Hall-of-Famers and loaded with information. It’s really a must for collectors who enjoy delving into the history of the game. There are nice subsets dedicated to Larry Bird and Julius Erving as well. Since the set honors the 25th anniversary of the Hall of Fame (as displayed in the gold foil on the front), each card mentions when the player was inducted. Dave Cowens was 1991. Really a neat set of cards for the history, and because it’s overlooked, complete sets can be found for under $20 if you look hard enough.
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