My Top Five Best Sports Cards Acquired for 2011

Another year passed by.

I can say that year 2011 has been a good year for me hobby-wise. 

I was able to control the itch and decided not to buy boxes to bust for the year. The boxes I busted for 2010 were not so good at all so I decided to just buy single cards that I need for my PC this time.

I think it was a good decision as instead of wasting my money for the cheap thrill of pulling some crap from a box, I was able to acquire cards I need for my Shaquille O'Neal and Dwight Howard PCs. I also decided to have side collections of Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan.

As my first post for the year 2012, I decided to showcase the top five best cards I acquired for the previous year. One each for Shaq, Dwight Howard, Kobe, Jordan and for a non-basketball player, but one of my favorite athletes - Manny Pacquiao.

Mind you, this one is tough as each one has many beautiful cards to choose from.

Check it out:

In no particular order, they are:

1. Kobe Bryant 96-97 Topps Chrome RC graded BCCG 10 (MINT) - the Topps Chrome is Kobe's best rookie card. A BGS 9.5 or a PSA 10 would be cool but I can't afford them as most are selling in the $400+ price.Being a perfectionist, I bought the nearest copy close to perfection, a BCCG 10 one.

2. Manny Pacquiao 2011 Topps Allen and Ginter Relics graded BGS 9.5 - the framed autographed mini-card from 2011 Topps Allen and Ginter is Pacquiao's first ever certified trading card autograph. It's hot as it has been selling for $600 - $1,000. Not having enough money for his auto, I settled for a piece of his game-worn shorts. It also helped that this one is graded BGS 9.5 with a nice patch to boot.

3. Shaquille O'Neal 96-97 Flair Row 2 Legacy Parallel - the Legacy is the first basketball parallel set that featured serial numbering. Randomly inserted into packs at a rate of one in 30, each parallel single is machine-numbered to only 150. It is even rarer than the one that came next, the 96-97 EX-2000 Credentials which are numbered out of 499. This is my first ever and only one so far Legacy card.

4. Dwight Howard 07-08 Topps Triple Threads Auto Jersey Printing Plate 1/1 - my white whale (the back of the card even features the phrase.) It's not just a simple 1/1 base card. It's a 1/1 with pieces of Dwight Howard's game-used jersey and his autograph. It might be on an ugly sticker but I'll still take it anytime.

5. Michael Jordan 92-93 Fleer Team Leaders - this card was my last significant acquisition for the year 2011. This card is probably the most desirable card of Michael Jordan produced during the 1992-93 NBA season. And arguably, the toughest to pull.

So, there they are. My top five best cards for 2011.

I hope to acquire more great cards for 2012.