Liggett also was involved in distributing candy and tobacco products to retail stores across the country.

Liggett at the time was having wild success producing Pro Set Football cards. and the Liggett Group in what proved to be a crucial strategic move. But there was plenty of help for the NBA to market and produce the 89-90 NBA Hoops cards. The NBA took it upon themselves to market the cards during events like All-Star Weekend. Think of it this way, imagine if the “MLB” came out with their own set of cards today – competing against the baseball card giant themselves, Topps. The NBA Hoops set was a team of people led by the NBA. According to the Pittsburgh Post Gazette – the set price at some stores got as high as $100.Ģ) Marketing. Pack prices started at $.50 cents per pack – but quickly got as high as $2 per pack. While that seems like a piddly sum today – $10-20 was a lot to spend on a trading card. Shortly after the product came out, Robinson rookie cards were selling for $10-20 in hobby stores and shows across America.

Big men were more of a focal point in NBA offenses back in those days – and Robinson was considered a cornerstone type player. Robinson was considered the next big thing in basketball during that time. While David Robinson was drafted #1 in the 1987 NBA Draft, he did not play in the NBA until 1989 because he was serving his two-year commitment to the Navy. For example NBA Hall of Famer James Worthy has a rookie card in 1986-87 Fleer even though he was drafted by the Lakers in 1982. Prior to 1989-90 Hoops, basketball card collectors had to wait sometimes several years for a “rookie card” to appear of their favorite player.

Every collector from that day remembers the likes of Greg Jeffries, Jose Canseco, and Ken Griffey Jr. In the late 1980’s the market for sports cards in general shifted from collectors going after veteran players – to chasing the hot young player. The reason the 89-90 NBA Hoops cards have become a landmark basketball set boils down to several key attributes that made the cards unique for it’s time.ġ) The Rookie Card. The popularity of the Fleer sets were minimal, even though the cards had a similar look and feel to the 1989-90 NBA Hoops cards. Prior to 1989, the market for NBA trading cards was limited to a single set produced by Fleer.

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