For the second year in a row, Upper Deck produced two sets, SP and SP Championship. The SP set was distributed exclusively to hobby dealers. SP Championship was only for retail. This Kevin Garnett rookie card is #159 from the hobby-only SP set. In this ’95-96 SP set, the rookie cards form a 20-card subset called “Premier Prospects.” This grouped the rookies together and gave them a special design that is easily identified. And these rookies are more affordable than later SP rookies. Think the 1998-99 SP Authentic Vince Carter with a serial number…by the way, I have a nice article showing that card missing its serial number.
These are really nice cards. The gold foil is actually inset into the card (the “Premiere Prospects” title, the player name, and separate inset squares for a “PP” logo and the “SP” brand logo). Then the background is composed of lines on different levels. Clear, glossy ones stand out above inset, etched ones. Some people don’t like these lines, but I do. They add texture and, depending on the angle of the card, are actually subtle and don’t interfere with the photo.
These details make the set more deserving of a “super premium” label than the previous year. Like the base cards in the set, the reverse of these Premier Prospect cards are metallic in appearance. For me, I can’t read the card number or black text on this background, not a great choice in my opinion… But it does make the photo stand out.
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