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FAQ: What was the Star Co.?
Answer: The Star Co. was a small Pennsylvania company owned by Robert Levin that was the only NBA licensed manufacturer of basketball cards from 1983-86. While it bridged the gap between Topps and Fleer, no NBA licensed basketball cards were produced from 1982-83 after Topps ended its contractual relationship with the NBA after its 1981-82 set. People sometimes forget that the Star Co. also produced baseball cards pursuant to a valid contract with MLB.
Most Star Co. cards were produced in limited quantity, in part, because basketball cards were not in high demand at the time the Star Co. issued them. Most sets were distributed in polybags by team or subset. Subsets were also issued to capture key events. The cards released by the Star Co. included the first NBA licensed cards of numerous players that were members of the 1992 Dream Team, the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History selected in 1996, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, and the College Basketball Hall of Fame (i.e. James Worthy, Isiah Thomas, Clyde Drexler, Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Hakeem Olajuwon, and Patrick Ewing). Other key players to receive those honors that are in Star Co. sets include Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, George Gervin, Bill Walton, and Bob Lanier. People have referred to the era captured by these cards as the “Golden Age” of Basketball. Arguably no other era has produced the first cards of such a high quality of players at once. With all of the players proven and having completed successful careers without any major concerns (i.e. links to steroids), people have come to view them as investments in addition to collectibles.
The Star Co. relocated to Boca Raton, FL in 1989. Star International of Pennsylvania, Inc. filed as a Foreign for Profit Corporation in the State of Florida on August 20, 1990.
FAQ: When did the Star Co. first produce basketball cards?
Answer: The 32 card 1983 NBA All-Star Game subset was Star's first set. Notably, the 1983 All-Star Game subset is the First Professionally Licensed Card (“FPLC”) or True Extended Rookie Card ("TXRC") for several players, including Isiah Thomas, Andrew Toney, Buck Williams, and Kiki Vandeweghe. The last two cards in this subset do not have numbers on the back and were advertisement cards. The second to last card was an advertisement for future Star Co. items. The last card noted that there was an offer to order an uncut sheet that included two sets (64 cards). Most subsequent Star Co. basketball sheets (excluding the Best Best and Magic Johnson sheet) contained 100 cards (but may also contain baseball cards). Unlike other sets which were typically issued in sealed polybags, the 1983 NBA All-Star Game subset came in a cellophane type wrapper which sometimes was too tight for the corners of the cards. The 1983 NBA All-Star Game subset, with an estimated production of 12,000 sets, is believed to have been produced in greater quantity than all other subsequent Star Co. sets.
FAQ: What cards did Michael Jordan have?
Answer: Michael Jordan had 25 Star Co. basketball cards, 24 of which were released to the public via the Star Co. pursuant to a valid contract with the NBA prior to the 1986-87 Fleer #57 Jordan which is ironically considered his rookie card. His second year base set card is his 1985-86 Star #117 which makes it odd to some that his 1987-88 Fleer #59 card is often referred to as his second year card. Despite the #101 having been designated an XRC by Beckett because of how it was distributed, the 1987-88 Fleer #59 card in actuality is Jordan’s fourth year base set card or his second Fleer card, not his second year card.
Michael Jordan's first year base set cards: 1984-85 Star #101 XRC/TRC (Bulls team card); 1984-85 Star #195 Olympic; 1984-85 Star #288 Special (the #195 is the top card and the #288 is the bottom card of the bag)
Michael Jordan's second year base set card: 1985-86 Star #117 (Bulls team card)
Michael Jordan's first year subset cards: 1985 Star Crunch 'N' Munch All-Stars #4; 1985 Star Lite All-Stars #4; 1985 Star Gatorade Slam Dunk #7; 1985 Star Last 11 ROY's #1; 1985-86 Star All-Rookie Team (“ART”) #2 (while dated 1985-86 original Star Co. dealers recall the ART’s release as being the same time as the Last 11 ROY's and it was printed on the same sheet as the Last 11 ROY's)
Michael Jordan's second year subset cards: 1986 Star Court Kings #18; 1986 Star Best of the New #2; 1986 Star 10 card Jordan subset (#1-10 were issued in one bag)
5 X 7's: 1984-85 Star Court Kings #26 (first of Jordan’s three 5 X 7’s and can be argued is his FPLC and TXRC); 1985 Star Slam Dunk Supers #5; and 1985 Star Team Supers #CB1. While the Court Kings #26 and Slam Dunk Supers #5 are recognized as two of the best photos on any Michael Jordan card whether or not issued by the Star Co., the Team Supers #CB1 is generally considered the least popular of the three 5 X 7's.
Released in 1990 and after the 1986-87 Fleer Jordan #57: 1986 Star Best of the Best #9.
FAQ: What cards did James Worthy have?
Answer: James Worthy was depicted on eleven Star Co. basketball cards over the course of three years, ten of which were released to the public via the Star Co. pursuant to a valid contract with the NBA prior to his 1986-87 Fleer #131.
James Worthy's first year base set card: 1983-84 Star #25 SP XRC/TRC (Big Games James' most valuable Star Co. card)
James Worthy's second year base set card: 1984-85 Star #184
James Worthy's third year base set card: 1985-86 Star #33
James Worthy's first year subset card: 1983-84 Star All-Rookies #10
James Worthy's second year subset card: 1984-85 Star Arena #D8
James Worthy's third year subset card: 1986 Star Court Kings #33
1984 Star Celtics Champs cards with Worthy: #9 IA; #12 IA with Danny Ainge
5 X 7's: 1984-85 Star Court Kings #49; 1985 Star Team Supers #LA3
Released in 1990 and after the 1986-87 Fleer #131: 1986 Star Best of the Best #15.
FAQ: What cards did Isiah Thomas have?
Answer: Isiah Thomas had seventeen Star Co. basketball cards over the course of three years, sixteen of which were released to the public via the Star Co. pursuant to a valid contract with the NBA prior to his 1986-87 Fleer #109.
Isiah Thomas' first year base set card: 1983-84 Star #94 XRC/TRC (Zeke's most valuable Star Co. card)
Isiah Thomas' second year base set cards: 1984-85 Star #261; 1984-85 Star #287 Special
Isiah Thomas' third year base set card: 1985-86 Star #10 UER
Isiah Thomas' early release subset card: 1983 Star All-Star Game #11 FPLC/TXRC
Isiah Thomas' first year subset cards: 1984 Star All-Star Game #1 Checklist; 1984 Star All-Star Game #11; 1984 Star All-Star Game Denver Police #1 Checklist; 1984 Star All-Star Game Denver Police #11 with Magic Johnson; 1984 Star Award Banquet #12 AS MVP; 1984 Star Award Banquet #24 All-NBA Team (card shared with other players)
Isiah Thomas' second year subset cards: 1985 Star Crunch 'N' Munch All-Stars #6; 1985 Star Lite All-Stars #6
Isiah Thomas' third year subset card: 1986 Star Court Kings #28
5 X 7's: 1984-85 Star Court Kings #30; 1985 Star Team Supers #DP1
Released in 1990 and after the 1986-87 Fleer #109: 1986 Star Best of the Best #13.
FAQ: What cards did Clyde Drexler have?
Answer: Clyde Drexler was depicted on ten Star Co. basketball cards over three years, all of which were released to the public via the Star Co. pursuant to a valid contract with the NBA prior to his 1986-87 Fleer #26.
Clyde Drexler's first year base set card: 1983-84 Star #100 XRC/TRC (the most valuable Star Co. card of Clyde the Glide)
Clyde Drexler's second year base set card: 1984-85 Star #165
Clyde Drexler's third year base set card: 1985-86 Star #106
Clyde Drexler's first year subset cards: 1984 Star All-Star Game Denver Police #27; 1984 Star Slam Dunk #3
Clyde Drexler's second year subset cards: 1984-85 Star Franz #5; 1985 Star Gatorade Slam Dunk #4
Clyde Drexler's third year subset card: 1985-86 Star Franz #5
5 X 7's: 1984 Star Trail Blazers Mr. Z's #2; 1985 Star Slam Dunk Supers #2.
FAQ: What cards did Dominique Wilkins have?
Answer: Dominique Wilkins was depicted on twelve Star Co. basketball cards over the course of three years, eleven of which were released to the public via the Star Co. pursuant to a valid contract with the NBA prior to his 1986-87 Fleer #121.
Dominique Wilkins' first year base set card: 1983-84 Star #263 XRC/TRC (the most valuable Star Co. card of The Human Highlight Film)
Dominique Wilkins' second year base set card: 1984-85 Star #76
Dominique Wilkins' third year base set card: 1985-86 Star #42
Dominique Wilkins' first year subset cards: 1983-84 Star All-Rookies #8; 1984 Star All-Star Game Denver Police #33; 1984 Star Slam Dunk #9
Dominique Wilkins' second year subset card: 1985 Star Gatorade Slam Dunk #8
Dominique Wilkins' third year subset card: 1986 Star Court Kings #32
5 X 7's: 1984-85 Star Court Kings #12; 1985 Star Slam Dunk Supers #8; 1985 Star Slam Dunk Supers #10 (1985 Slam Dunk Champ)
Released in 1990 and after the 1986-87 Fleer #121: 1986 Star Best of the Best #14.
FAQ: What cards did Charles Barkley have?
Answer: Charles Barkley was depicted on eight Star Co. basketball cards over the course of two years, seven of which were released to the public via the Star Co. pursuant to a valid contract with the NBA prior to his 1986-87 Fleer #7.
Charles Barkley's first year base set card: 1984-85 Star #202 XRC/TRC (Sir Charles' most valuable Star Co. card)
Charles Barkley's second year base set card: 1985-86 Star #2
Charles Barkley's first year subset cards: 1985 Star Gatorade Slam Dunk SP NNO; 1985-86 Star ART #3 (considered Barkley's first year subset card despite the 1985-86 designation due to the release date of the subset)
Charles Barkley's second year subset card: 1986 Star Court Kings #3
5 X 7's: 1984-85 Star Court Kings #41 FPLC/TXRC; 1985 Star Team Supers #PS8
Released in 1990 and after the 1986-87 Fleer #7: 1986 Star Best of the Best #2.
FAQ: What cards did John Stockton have?
Answer: John Stockton had four Star Co. basketball cards over the course of two years, three of which were released to the public via the Star Co. pursuant to a valid contract with the NBA prior to his 1988-89 Fleer #115.
John Stockton's first year base set card: 1984-85 Star #235 XRC/TRC (Stockton's most valuable Star Co. card which predates his 1988-89 Fleer card by four years as Stockton did not have Fleer cards issued for 1986-87 or 1987-88)
John Stockton's second year base set card: 1985-86 Star #144
John Stockton's first year subset card: 1985-86 Star ART #8 (considered Stockton's first year subset card despite the 1985-86 designation due to the release date of the subset)
Released in 1990 and after the 1988-89 Fleer #115: 1986 Star Best of the Best #12.
FAQ: What cards did Hakeem Olajuwon have?
Answer: Hakeem Olajuwon is generally considered the best player of the rookie group after Michael Jordan. However, Star veterans generally consider his XRC/TRC to be the hardest to achieve in high grade of all the key rookies, tougher than even Michael Jordan's #101 XRC/TRC. Hakeem Olajuwon was depicted on eight Star Co. basketball cards over the course of two years, seven of which were released to the public via the Star Co. pursuant to a valid contract with the NBA prior to his 1986-87 Fleer #82.
Hakeem Olajuwon's first year base set card: 1984-85 Star #237 XRC/TRC (The Dream's most valuable Star Co. card which is notorious for centering and Diamond cut issues)
Hakeem Olajuwon's second year base set card: 1985-86 Star #18
Hakeem Olajuwon's first year subset card: 1985-86 Star ART #1 (considered Olajuwon's first year subset card despite the 1985-86 designation due to the release date of the subset)
Hakeem Olajuwon's second year subset cards: 1986 Star Court Kings #25; 1986 Star Best of the New #3
5 X 7's: 1984-85 Star Court Kings #47 FPLC/TXRC; 1985 Star Team Supers #HR2
Released in 1990 and after the 1986-87 Fleer #82: 1986 Star Best of the Best #11.
FAQ: What cards did Patrick Ewing have?
Answer: Patrick Ewing had four Star Co. basketball cards over the course of one year, three of which were released to the public via the Star Co. pursuant to a valid contract with the NBA prior to his 1986-87 Fleer #32.
Patrick Ewing's first year base set card: 1985-86 Star #166 XRC/TRC (the Hoya Destroya's most valuable Star Co. card which is notorious for centering issues)
Patrick Ewing's first year subset cards: 1986 Star Court Kings #14; 1986 Star Best of the New #1
Released in 1990 and after the 1986-87 Fleer Ewing #32: 1986 Star Best of the Best #7.
FAQ: What cards did Larry Bird have?
Answer: Because he was an elite player who received numerous awards and played in two of the three NBA finals during the Star Co. era (winning one), Larry Bird was significantly featured by the Star Co. on 46 cards or 47 cards if one includes his 1986 Best of the Best card.
Larry Bird's card from the 1983-84 regular base set: 1983-84 Star #26 SP (Larry Legend's most valuable Star Co. card)
Larry Bird's cards from the 1984-85 regular base set: 1984-85 Star #1 (suffers from obverse centering); 1984-85 Star #12 1983-84 NBA MVP
Larry Bird's cards from the 1985-86 regular base set: 1985-86 Star #95 Green and White Border (often suffer from left to right centering issues)
Larry Bird's subset cards: 1983 Star All-Star Game #2; 1983 Star All-Star Game #29 Bird/Parish Boston Bombers; 1984 Star All-Star Game #2; 1984 Star All-Star Game Denver Police #2; 1984 Star Larry Bird 18 card subset (#1-18 were issued in one bag); 1984 Star Celtics Champs (five cards from this subset): #4 IA, #7 IA, #11 Magic Johnson/Larry Bird IA, #14 IA, #24 MVP; 1984 Star Award Banquet (four cards from this subset): #8 MVP, #10 Statistical Leaders I (shared with other players), #15 Free Throw % Leader, #24 All-NBA Team (card shared with other players); 1984-85 Star Arena #A1; 1984-85 Star Arena #A9 (card shared with coaches and other players); 1985 Star Crunch 'N' Munch All-Stars #2; 1985 Star Lite All-Stars #2; 1985 Star Last 11 ROY's #6; 1985-86 Star Lakers Champs #2 IA; 1985-86 Star Lakers Champs #9 IA; 1986 Star Court Kings #4
5 X 7's: 1984-85 Star Court Kings #18; 1985 Star Team Supers #BC1
Released in 1990: 1986 Star Best of the Best #3.
FAQ: What cards did Magic Johnson have?
Answer: Because he was a premiere player in the NBA who received numerous accolades and played in all three NBA finals during the Star Co. era (winning one), Magic Johnson was featured by the Star Co. on 23 cards or 34 cards if one includes his 1986 Best of the Best card and the 1986 Magic Johnson subset.
Magic Johnson's card from the 1983-84 regular base set: 1983-84 Star #13 SP (often suffers from left to right centering issues)
Magic Johnson's card from the 1984-85 regular base set: 1984-85 Star #172 (often suffers from left to right centering issues)
Magic Johnson's card from the 1985-86 regular base set: 1985-86 Star #28
Magic Johnson's subset cards: 1983 Star All-Star Game #18; 1984 Star All-Star Game #21; 1984 All-Star Game Denver Police #11 with Isiah Thomas; 1984 Star All-Star Game Denver Police #21; 1984 Star Celtics Champs (three cards from this subset): #5 IA, #10 IA, #11 Magic Johnson/Larry Bird IA; 1984 Star Award Banquet (four cards from this subset): #6 POY, #11 Statistical Leaders II (shared with other players), #17 Assists Leader, #24 All-NBA Team (card shared with other players); 1984-85 Star Arena #D3; 1984-85 Star Arena #D9 Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar All-Stars; 1985 Star Crunch 'N' Munch All-Stars #10; 1985 Star Lite All-Stars #11; 1985-86 Star Lakers Champs #7 IA; 1985-86 Star Lakers Champs #14 IA; 1986 Star Court Kings #17
5 X 7's: 1984-85 Star Court Kings #15; 1985 Star Team Supers #LA2
Released in 1990: 1986 Star Best of the Best #8; 1986 Star Magic Johnson subset #1-10.
FAQ: What cards did Julius Erving have?
Answer: Because Dr. J was a basketball legend that transformed the game, was awarded the MVP at the most recent NBA All-Star Game, and with Moses Malone lead the 76ers to the first championship in the Star Co. era, he was on the Star Co.'s first card issued and a total of 43 cards or 44 cards if one includes his 1986 Best of the Best card.
Dr. J's card from the 1983-84 regular base set: 1983-84 Star #1 SP
Dr. J's cards from the 1984-85 regular base set: 1984-85 Star #204; 1984-85 Star #281 Special
Dr. J's card from the 1985-86 regular base set: 1985-86 Star #3
Dr. J's subset cards: 1983 Star All-Star Game #1 Checklist; 1983 Star All-Star Game #4; 1983 Star All-Star Game #26 MVP; 1983-84 Star 76ers Champs (five cards from this subset): #4 IA, #10 IA, # 18 IA, #22 Championship Series Stats, #24 Basking in Glory; 1984 Star All-Star Game #4; 1984 All-Star Game Denver Police #4; 1984 Star All-Star Game Denver Police #28; 1984 Star Slam Dunk #4; 1984-85 Star Julius Erving 18 card subset (#1-18 were issued in one bag); 1984-85 Star Arena #E1; 1985 Star Crunch 'N' Munch All-Stars #3; 1985 Star Lite All-Stars #3; 1985 Star Gatorade Slam Dunk #5; 1986 Star Court Kings #13; 1986 Star Best of the Old #6 (Dr. J's rarest and most valuable Star Co. card)
5 X 7's: 1984-85 Star Court Kings #4; 1985 Star Slam Dunk Supers #3; 1985 Star Team Supers #PS1
Released in 1990: 1986 Star Best of the Best #6.
FAQ: What cards did Kareem Abdul-Jabbar have?
Answer: The Star Co. recognized the greatness and long-time dominance of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who set the NBA all-time scoring record and played in all three NBA finals during the Star Co. era (winning one), by featuring him on 46 cards or 47 cards if one includes his 1986 Best of the Best card.
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's card from the 1983-84 regular base set: 1983-84 Star #14 SP
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's cards from the 1984-85 regular base set: 1984-85 Star #173; 1984-85 Star #282 Special
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's card from the 1985-86 regular base set: 1985-86 Star #26
Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's subset cards: 1983 Star All-Star Game #14; 1983 Star All-Star Game #XX (last card in 32 card subset that was not numbered/Uncut sheet offer on back); 1983-84 Star 76ers Champs #3 Malone v. Jabbar Clash of the Titans; 1984 Star All-Star Game #14; 1984 Star All-Star Game Denver Police #14; 1984 Star Celtics Champs (five cards from this subset): #2 IA with Parish, #8 IA with McHale, #16, #18 IA, #20 IA; 1984 Star Award Banquet #21 NBA All-Time Scoring Leader with David Stern on card; 1984 Star Award Banquet #24 All-NBA Team (card shared with other players); 1984-85 Star Arena #D1; 1984-85 Star Arena #D9 Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar All-Stars; 1984-85 Star Arena #D10 NBA Scoring Leader; 1985 Star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar 18 card subset (#1-18 were issued in one bag); 1985 Star Crunch 'N' Munch All-Stars #7; 1985 Star Lite All-Stars #8; 1985-86 Star Lakers Champs #1 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar/Jerry Buss Checklist; 1985-86 Star Lakers Champs #8 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar MVP/Parish IA; 1985-86 Star Lakers Champs #10 IA; 1986 Star Court Kings #2; 1986 Star Best of the Old #5 (Cap's rarest and most valuable Star Co. card)
5 X 7's: 1984-85 Star Court Kings #1; 1985 Star Team Supers #LA1
Released in 1990: 1986 Star Best of the Best #1.
FAQ: What are Michael Jordan’s best cards?
Answer: This site is attempting to provide information, not make endorsements of one item over another. This is a personal decision, as it is with respect to other players, that we do not want to influence, provided people have the proper information. For example, some people are confused by the XRC designation and incorrectly believe that the designation means that 1986 Star Co. Jordan’s should be considered rookie cards because they came out a year later. However, the reason for the XRC designation was Beckett's interpretation of the implication of the means of distribution of the Star Co. cards. People that are interested in learning also have trouble because when they do a search, many Star Co. Jordan’s are improperly listed as rookie cards. The only Star Co. Jordan that can be considered his rookie card is #101. However, it is reasonable if individuals want to list the #195 and #288 as rookie year issues from the same set, or want to distinguish the 1984-85 Court Kings 5 X 7 #26 as a rookie year, early release issue, FPLC, or TXRC. While Michael Jordan's 1986-87 Fleer sticker is only designated his rookie card by SGC, the Fleer #57 is his rookie card because it was part of a regular base set. However, those claiming the Fleer sticker is a rookie card would then have to give special recognition to the #195 and #288 as well.
The #101, #195 and #288 are all condition sensitive (note here that about half of the #101's contain one fish eye on Jordan's jersey and is generally not considered a negative condition issue). In fact, many knowledgeable people consider the #195 and #288 as more condition sensitive than the #101. Both #195 and #288 in their natural, unaltered form when cut by the Star Co. printers usually suffer from left-to-right centering issues. The #195 was a top card of a large bag while the #288 was the bottom card which can create condition issues. The #288 suffers from blue chipping on corners and edges and can have white at the bottom from where it was cut from the sheet. Likewise, the Court Kings #26 as a blue top card of a 5 X 7 bag with 25 cards is condition sensitive in relation to corners, edges and surface.
Some people prefer the first year subset cards and value the first year Jordan's more than the others. Some like the red color of the 10 card Jordan set or cards they can pursue affordably in higher grade than the early release issues, other than #8 and #9 which typically would not appear bag pulled in their natural, unaltered form in high grade due to centering issues. The 1985-86 #117 is popular with some people as a second year base set card but it grades quite easily for a top card as part of a small bag with only seven cards. Many Star veterans do not collect the 1986 Best of the Best #9 because of the controvery surrounding its release date and because it is a sheet cut card that grades well (generally the surface subgrade prevents even higher overall grades).
FAQ: Which card came out first - the 1984-85 Court Kings 5 X 7 #26 Michael Jordan or the 1984-85 #101 Michael Jordan?
Answer: Several credible sources and original Star Co. dealers recall that the 1984-85 Court Kings #26 came out before the 1984-85 #101. If such is the case that the 1984-85 Court Kings #26 came out first, this would not take away from the importance of the #101. Ironically, people often debate whether the #101 or the 1986-87 Fleer #57 should be Jordan's rookie card, without realizing that the Court Kings #26 was likely Michael Jordan's first professionally released card. If normal principles applied, the 1984-85 Court Kings would be considered an XRC because it was distributed as part of a subset and the #101 would be considered a rookie card because it was Jordan's first team issued card from a regular base set. Because the Court Kings was part of a subset and not a regular issued set, it normally would have been designated an XRC, with the #101 being designated a rookie card. This would apply to the Olajuwon and Barkley cards as well and lead to the terms of "True Extended Rookie Card" ("TXRC") and "True Rookie Card" ("TRC").
Due to their early release, some individuals believe that the 1984-85 Court Kings 5 X 7 #26 Jordan, #41 Barkley and #47 Olajuwon are the most undervalued Star Co. cards while others disgree because they are 5 X 7's. Due to their larger size, some people do not prefer them over traditional size cards.
Notably, some individuals criticize the photo used on the 1984-85 #101 as not appealing. However, they do not realize that the Star Co. was a small company that took many photos at New Jersey Nets games due to Star’s proximity to that location. Basketball cards were not popular at that time and foresight would have required one to realize how valuable the card would ultimately become. We would again note that Jordan's photos on his 1984-85 Court Kings 5 X 7 #26 and his 1985 Star Slam Dunk Supers 5 X 7 #5 are widely recognized as the two best photos on any Michael Jordan card. Nevertheless, other companies, including Fleer significantly for its 1986-87 set, have subsequently used Star Co. photos for their cards (i.e. the 1986-87 Fleer Larry Nance #78 used the same picture image as his 1983-84 Star #115 XRC/TRC; the 1986-87 Fleer Johnny Moore #76 used the same picture image as his 1985-86 Star #149; the 1986-87 Fleer Sticker #6 Patrick Ewing used the same picture image as his 1985-86 Star #166 XRC/TRC; the 1992 Skybox USA #38 Michael Jordan used the same picture image as his 1985 Star Slam Dunk Supers 5 X 7 #5).
We also believe that the Star Co. should be credited with designating a significant amount of cards to Michael Jordan over the course of his first two years in the league and acknowledging his greatness at such a young age (and not ignoring it like PSA).
FAQ: What was the production run of the 1984-85 Star #101?
Answer: Estimate of 3,000-6,000. The Star Co. owner Robert Levin claimed 4,000 were produced, but an unknown number were destroyed.
FAQ: Why does the #101 appear to be short?
Answer: Most #101's were in fact cut shorter than other cards. The #101 was located in the top, left corner of the sheet which lead to centering issues and caused over 90% of the cards to be cut shorter. Someone telling you a #101 you own, but have not yet graded, is short could be an unscrupulous person trying to take advantage of you and buy it cheaper. The larger size #101's are referred to as full-size #101's and measure 3.5 inches from top to bottom. While the #101 is notoriously off-center, well-centered #101's in fact exist but the card often suffers from Diamond cut issues.
FAQ: Did the Star Co. produce the Interlake Jordan?
Answer: No. This card and the Interlake Orlando Woolridge were produced by the Interlake Youth Incentive Program in conjunction with the Boy Scouts in the Chicago area and had nothing to do with the Star Co.
FAQ: What are key Star Co. cards other than the #101 Michael Jordan?
Answer: We are seeking to provide information here and not to endorse any cards over another. We would note, however, that XRC's/TRC's of key players and cards of key players have always been popular such as: James Worthy, Isiah Thomas, Clyde Drexler, Dominique Wilkins, Michael Jordan, Charles Barkley, John Stockton, Hakeem Olajuwon, Patrick Ewing, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Julius Erving, Moses Malone, Kevin McHale, Robert Parish, George Gervin, and Bill Walton.
FAQ: What are the main TRC's from Star’s first regular base set (1983-84, #1-275)?
Answer: Beckett maintains a registry with proper designation of cards. We have compiled a list of some of the more important rookie cards from the 1983-84 set. It is noteworthy that Wilkins, Worthy and Cummings would have had a basketball card issued in 1982-83, but that year was left vacant as no company had a license with the NBA to manufacture basketball cards. Their 1986-87 Fleer card as noted by some is technically their fourth year card and could have been their fifth year card had a company produced cards in 1982-83. A short list of key TRC's might include Worthy, Thomas, Drexler, and Wilkins, but we have included a longer one:
#11 Andrew Toney SP
#21 Kurt Rambis SP
#22 Byron Scott SP
#25 James Worthy SP
#27 Danny Ainge SP
#48 Paul Pressey SP
#49 Marc Aguirre SP
#50 Rolando Blackman SP
#52 Brad Davis SP
#53 Dale Ellis SP
#55 Derek Harper SP
#59 Jay Vincent SP
#60 Mark West SP
#73 Ralph Sampson
#85 Kelly Tripucka
#96 Isiah Thomas
#100 Clyde Drexler
#102 Lafayette Lever
#115 Larry Nance
#123 Terry Cummings
#125 Craig Hodges
#135 Thurl Bailey
#138 Mark Eaton
#145 Buck Williams
#161 Clark Kellogg
#161 Sidney Lowe
#180 Orlando Woolridge
#181 Kiki Vandeweghe
#195 Tom Chambers
#212 Jeff Malone
#219 Eddie Johnson
#250 John Paxson
#257 Sleepy Floyd
#263 Dominique Wilkins
#271 Doc Rivers
FAQ: What are other key cards from the 1983-84 set?
Answer: The SP team sets (Sixers, Lakers, Celtics, Mavericks, and Bucks) tend to be slightly more popular for those that do not favor one team over another. Included are individual cards of #1 Julius Erving SP, #7 Moses Malone SP, #13 Magic Johnson SP, #14 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar SP, #26 Larry Bird SP, #32 Dennis Johnson SP, #34 Kevin McHale SP, and #35 Robert Parish SP. Notably, in the past, #26 Larry Bird SP was worth more in raw form than his legendary 1980-81 Topps rookie card which he shares with Magic Johnson.
FAQ: What are the main TRC's from the 1984-85 regular base set (#1-288)?
Answer: A short list would include Jordan, Barkley, Stockton, and Olajuwon, but we have included a slightly longer one:
#75 Alvin Robertson
#101 Michael Jordan
#162 Sam Bowie
#202 Charles Barkley
#235 John Stockton (John Stockton did not have a 1986-87 Fleer card and his rookie card lapsed until his 1988-89 Fleer issue)
#237 Hakeem Olajuwon
#238 Craig Ehlo
#257 Sam Perkins
#278 Otis Thorpe
FAQ: What are other key cards from the 1984-85 regular base set?
Answer: Key cards include:
#1 Larry Bird (suffers from obverse centering)
#12 Larry Bird 1983-84 MVP
#76 Dominique Wilkins (second year card)
#165 Clyde Drexler (second year card)
#172 Magic Johnson
#173 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
#184 James Worthy (second year card)
#195 Jordan Olympic
#204 Julius Erving
#261 Isiah Thomas (second year card)
#281 Julius Erving Special
#282 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Special
#287 Isiah Thomas Special
#288 Jordan Special
FAQ: What are the key TRC's from the 1985-86 base set (#1-172)?
Answer: The main TRC is Patrick Ewing #166. Kevin Willis #48 and the late Jerome Kersey #107 are also TRC's in this set.
FAQ: What are other key cards from the 1985-86 set?
Answer: Key cards include:
#2 Charles Barkley (second year card)
#3 Julius Erving
#10 Isiah Thomas UER (third year card)
#18 Hakeem Olajuwon (second year card)
#26 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
#28 Magic Johnson
#33 James Worthy (third year card)
#42 Dominique Wilkins (third year card)
#95 Larry Bird (Green or White)
#106 Clyde Drexler (third year card)
#117 Michael Jordan (second year card)
#144 John Stockton (second year card)
FAQ: What is the production run of the Star Co. basketball cards?
Answer: A proper answer can only be an estimate which we provide for the sets released from 1983-86:
Regular Base Year Sets:
1983-84 Star (275 cards with variations): 3,000-5,000 (quantity is greater for teams such as the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs and on the lower end for the five SP team sets in addition to several teams such as the Blazers and Hawks)
1984-85 Star (288 cards): 3,000-6,000, likely closer to 5,000 (quantity appears to be on the higher end for teams such as the New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns and Indiana Pacers)
1985-86 Star (172 cards with Green and White versions of Celtics #95-102): 3,000-5,000
Championship Team Subsets:
1983-84 Star Sixers Champs (25 Cards): 10,000
1984 Star Celtics Champs (25 cards): 5,000
1985-86 Star Lakers Champs (18 cards): 5,000
Subsets of Legendary Players:
1984 Star Larry Bird (18 cards): 10,000
1984-85 Star Julius Erving (18 cards): 5,000
1985 Star Kareem-Abdul Jabbar (18 cards): 5,000
1986 Star Michael Jordan (10 cards): 5,000
All-Star Game Related Subsets:
1983 Star All-Star Game (32 Cards): 12,000
1984 Star All-Star Game (25 Cards): 5,000
1984 Star Slam Dunk (11 cards): 5,000
1984 Star All-Star Game Denver Police (34 cards): 3,500
1985 Star Crunch 'N' Munch All-Stars (11 cards): 3,500
1985 Star Lite All-Stars (13 cards): 4,000-5,000
1985 Star Gatorade Slam Dunk (9 cards not counting Barkley): 4,000-5,000 (not the quantity for Barkley)
Specialized Subsets:
1983-84 Star All-Rookies (10 cards): 5,000
1984 Star Award Banquet (24 cards): 5,000
1984-85 Star Franz Blazers (13 cards): 3,000 plus bread issued singles
1985 Star Schick Legends (25 cards): 5,000
1985 Star Coaches (10 cards): 5,000
1985 Star Last 11 ROY's (11 cards): 5,000
1985 Star Bucks Card Night (13 cards): 5,000 (not the quantity for Larry Micheaux)
1985-86 Star All-Rookie Team (11 cards): 5,000
1985-86 Star Franz Blazers (13 cards): 3,500 plus bread issued singles
1986 Star Best of the New (4 cards): 3,000-5,000
1986 Star Best of the Old (4 cards): 440-800
1986 Star Court Kings (33 cards): 5,000
1986 Star Lifebuoy Bucks (13 cards): 4,000
1986 Star Lifebuoy Nets (14 cards): 4,000
Arena Subsets:
1984-85 Star Bucks Arena (9 cards): 3,000 (not the quantity for Bob Lanier)
1984-85 Star Lakers Arena (10 cards): 3,000
1984-85 Star Sixers Arena (10 cards): 3,000
1984-85 Star Mavericks Arena (11 cards): 3,000
1984-85 Star Celtics Arena (9 cards): 3,000
5 X 7 Subsets:
1984 Star Trail Blazers Mr. Z's (5 cards): 3,000 (no evidence has surfaced that dealers were able to order any Mr. Z's singles or sets and it appears that the Audie Norris card is tougher to find. Schonco was able to purchase some sheets and sets through the Star Auction and through subsequent purchases from Levin)
1984-85 Star Court Kings Series I (Yellow) (25 cards): 4,000
1984-85 Star Court Kings Series II (Blue) (25 cards): 4,000
1985 Star Team Supers Bucks (5 cards): 5,000
1985 Star Team Supers Bulls (5 cards): 5,000
1985 Star Team Supers Celtics (5 cards): 5,000
1985 Star Team Supers Lakers (5 cards): 5,000
1985 Star Team Supers Pistons (5 cards): 5,000
1985 Star Team Supers Rockets (5 cards): 5,000
1985 Star Team Supers Sixers Blue (5 cards): 5,000
1985 Star Team Supers Sixers White (5 cards): 5,000
1985 Star Slam Dunk Supers (10 cards): 5,000
FAQ: What are the rarest Star Co. cards?
Answer: The 1984-85 #C6 Star Arena Bob Lanier SP is likely the rarest Star Co. card as it was pulled from the set after he retired from the NBA. The 1985 Star Bucks Card Night #10 Larry Micheaux SP is also known for its scarcity and was pulled from the set after he was placed on waivers by the Milwaukee Bucks on December 17, 1984, became a free agent on December 19, 1984, and signed with the Houston Rockets on December 28, 1984.
The 1984-85 Star Koch Sports #NNO (no card number) Sidney Moncrief Sample is also very rare and seen so infrequently that it is often forgotten.
The only error/variation card which is considered scarce is the 1983-84 Star #44 Marques Johnson which depicts a photo of Bob Lanier (picture that was used on 1983-84 Star #45 Bob Lanier) instead of Marques Johnson.
FAQ: What is the rarest Star Co. set?
Answer: 1986 Star Best Old which is a four card set that consists of Gervin, Walton, Erving and Abdul-Jabbar is the rarest Star Co. basketball set. A legitimate estimate of only 440-800 of each card were produced.
FAQ: Where was the Star Co. factory?
Answer: Star Co. did not use a factory like large sports cards companies use. Instead, it used two print shops on the Cherry Hill, New Jersey/Pennsylvania border.
FAQ: Where were most photographs taken for the cards?
Answer: Other than for highlighting events, which is where photos were taken (i.e. at an All-Star Game), many photographs were taken at the Brendan Byrne Arena (New Jersey Nets games), the Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena (Los Angles Clippers games) and the Forum (Los Angeles Lakers games).
FAQ: Why do I see many Star Co. cards with pictures from the 1986-87 Fleer set?
Answer: While the Star Co. sometimes used the same photo on multiple Star Co. cards, the Star Co. sets predated the 1986-87 Fleer set and could not have taken any photos from that set. Fleer reentered the basketball card market by using many photographs, some of which were three years old, from the Star Co. sets. Many Fleer pictures that were not taken from the Star Co. sets often appear to be taken from the time frame of the Star Co. cards and could represent photos that were not chosen by Star. The reality is that Fleer provided a new set with many outdated photos. The 1986-87 Fleer set consisted of 132 cards and an 11 card sticker set. Out of the 132 cards in the Fleer set, the following 11 cards (10 players and one checklist) were not represented in any of the Star Co. sets: #8 Benoit Benjamin RC, #12 Manute Bol RC, #27 Joe Dumars RC, #68 Karl Malone RC, #72 Xavier McDaniel RC, #77 Chris Mullin RC, #81 Charles Oakley RC, #113 Wayman Tisdale RC, #120 Spud Webb RC, #122 Gerald Wilkins RC, and #132 Checklist. Therefore, while the Fleer set is considered "rookies" of many players, it only featured cards of 10 players who did not have NBA licensed cards issued by the Star Co.
Not only did the Fleer set contain "rookies" of players that appeared in NBA authorized regular Star Co. base year sets, but many of those cards used photos that were originally in the player's prior Star Co. cards. Out of the remaining 121 Fleer player cards, nearly 25% or the following 29 player cards used photos from the Star Co. sets (the Fleer cards are noted on the left and the corresponding Star Co. photos are identified on the right):
Charles Barkley: 1986-87 Fleer #7 RC; 1984-85 Star Court Kings 5 X 7 #41 FPLC/TXRC
Rolando Blackman: 1986-87 Fleer #11 RC; 1985-86 Star #159
Sam Bowie: 1986-87 Fleer #13 RC; 1985-86 Star Franz Blazers #2
Tom Chambers: 1986-87 Fleer #15 RC; 1984-85 Star Court Kings 5 X 7 #39
Terry Cummings: 1986-87 Fleer #20 RC; 1986 Star Lifebuoy Bucks #3
Adrian Dantley: 1986-87 Fleer #21; 1986 Star Court Kings #9
James Edwards: 1986-87 Fleer #29; 1984-85 Star #40
Julius Erving: 1986-87 Fleer #31; 1984-85 Star Sixers Arena #E1, 1985 Star Crunch 'N' Munch All-Stars #3 and 1985 Star Lite All-Stars #3
World B. Free: 1986-87 Fleer #35; 1985-86 Star #152
Artis Gilmore: 1986-87 Fleer #37; 1984-85 Star Court Kings 5 X 7 #34
Darrell Griffith: 1986-87 Fleer #42; 1984-85 Star Court Kings 5 X 7 #45
Gerald Henderson: 1986-87 Fleer #45; 1985-86 Star #67
Craig Hodges: 1986-87 Fleer #47 RC; 1985-86 Star #125
Phil Hubbard: 1986-87 Fleer #48; 1984-85 Star #219
Magic Johnson: 1986-87 Fleer #53; 1984-85 Star Court Kings 5 X 7 #15
Bernard King: 1986-87 Fleer #60; 1986 Star Court Kings #20
Rodney McCray: 1986-87 Fleer #71 RC; 1985-86 Star #22
Kevin McHale: 1986-87 Fleer #73; 1984 Star Award Banquet #5
Johnny Moore: 1986-87 Fleer #76; 1985-86 Star #149
Larry Nance: 1986-87 Fleer #78 RC; 1983-84 Star #115 XRC/TRC
Sam Perkins: 1986-87 Fleer #86 RC; 1984-85 Star #257
Ricky Pierce: 1986-87 Fleer #87 RC; 1985-86 Star #129
Kurt Rambis: 1986-87 Fleer #89 RC; 1985-86 Star #31
Andrew Toney: 1986-87 Fleer #114 RC; 1986 Star Court Kings #29
Melvin Turpin: 1986-87 Fleer #116 RC; 1984-85 Star #213 XRC/TRC
Jay Vincent: 1986-87 Fleer #118 RC; 1985-86 Star #165
Kevin Willis: 1986-87 Fleer #126 RC; 1985-86 Star #48
Randy Wittman: 1986-87 Fleer #127 RC; 1985-86 Star #49
Orlando Woolridge: 1986-87 Fleer #130 RC; 1985-86 Star #123
In addition, the following 2 stickers in the Fleer set used the same pictures as were depicted in Star Co. cards:
Adrian Dantley: Sticker #3; 1984-85 Star Court Kings 5 X 7 #36 and 1985-86 Star #138
Patrick Ewing: Sticker #6; 1985-86 Star #166 XRC/TRC and 1986 Star Best of the Best #7
FAQ: Where can I send my Star Co. basketball cards if I wish to have them graded?
Answer: Beckett Grading Services. For information please see the grading subsection at www.beckett.com.
FAQ: How long has Beckett been grading Star Co. basketball cards?
Answer: Beckett has been grading Star Co. basketball cards since December 1, 2008. Beckett was trained to authenticate Star Co. basketball cards by Steve Taft, but he does not authenticate or grade for Beckett.
FAQ: Does Beckett grade Star Co. bags?
Answer: No. Beckett graded Schonco's for some time, but no longer grades them. A few were also done from the "Ken/Bill Collection". Beckett graded the bags in terms of giving an overall grade based upon the four subgrades of Centering, Corners, Edges, and Surface.
FAQ: Can I submit cards for grading to Beckett from the 1986 Magic Johnson and Best Best subsets?
Answer: No. Only Schonco can submit those cards for grading. Upon information and belief, most or all of these cards graded were sheet cut by Schonco.
FAQ: Why is the population one on the Yellow Crunch and Teal Gatorade Jordan? Are these rare variations?
Answer: The Yellow Crunch and Teal Gatorade are not rare because they are population one and are not considered legitimate variations. The Yellow Crunch and Teal Gatorade are coloring differences created by the printing process that were created for one grading submission. The designations will not be done any more, so the population stays at one on each. If one wanted to argue the Gatorade had a variation it would be that some, but not all, have what looks like an upside down umbrella through the letter "A" in "MICHAEL" at the bottom.
FAQ: Is the 1985 Lite Jordan variation rarer than the regular Lite card?
Answer: While the Lite is a valid variation, one version is not necessarily rarer than the other and they are in fact both variations. Rather than go to variation A and B, only variation #4A was noted in the registry, but after a number of both variations were already been graded as #4. One may own the hair/head touching border variation without the grading label indicating so or being reflected in the population report because some were graded before the variation was assigned a separate registry, and currently if one submits one for grading without requesting the variation label. It does not necessarily mean that the variation is rarer as one might misinterpret from the population report. Both variations have surfaced from sealed bags. There are differences other than the head cropping. The #4A will always have a light blue dot in the top left border area. The #4 has lettering missing in "NBA" on the back left edge and a small amount missing from the circle of the copyright.
FAQ: What companies other than Beckett have been trained by Steve Taft to grade Star Co. basketball cards?
Answer: Sports Collectors Digest (“SCD”) and Global Authentics (“GAI”). SCD was trained by Steve Taft and Todd Crossner. GAI was trained solely by Steve Taft.
FAQ: What does the grade mean on a GAI graded bag? What does the grade mean on a Global Authority bag?
Answer: GAI graded bags like cello packs - the grade refers to the condition of the plastic/poly bag and seals, and not the cards. Global Authority (not to be confused with GAI) took the top card into account somewhat but mainly used the condition of the plastic/poly bag and seals. Only GAI had the large case available which protects corners better in particular when more cards are in the bag and one had to pay more for the large case. The smaller cases might be fine for storing a 1985-86 Knicks bag with only seven cards but with more cards in the bag the GAI bags were notorious for damaging corners (i.e. a 1984-85 Olympic/Specials bag). People know what the grade means yet often still list those items on ebay as if the cards are graded. Unfortunately, there were some resealed bags that GAI graded which are typically found in the smaller GAI holders. The cause of this was that Steve Taft had trained two individuals directly, but then a notorious unscrupulous individual who authenticated many counterfeit autographs for the company was assigned to grade Star Co. cards for several months without receiving any training. The two most common resealed bags that were graded were the 1983-84 Dallas Mavericks team set and the 1986 Best New subset.
FAQ: Did SCD grade Star Co. basketball cards?
Answer: Yes, Steve Taft and Todd Crossner trained SCD. SCD cards were graded by Chris Nerat who was generally recognized as having done a solid job with grading Star Co. basketball cards. The SCD overall grade was based upon a .5 system with subgrades of whole numbers (one whole number for centering, one whole number for corners/edges and one whole number for surface). A common complaint was that the edges of the cards could hit the black holder, which had nothing to do with the quality of the grading being done. SCD stopped grading all cards, not only Star Co. cards, when it believed it was not grading enough cards to be profitable.
FAQ: Has PSA ever graded Star Co. cards?
Answer: Yes, when PSA was a young grading company, it graded Star Co. cards before it stopped after encapsulating some Type II's as original that had been submitted for grading. Rather than learn to tell the difference between originals and Type II's, PSA folded. However, information created by Steve Taft was unavailable at that time. Notably, PSA made the decision at a time when Star was out of business so there was not a company in existence to stand up to PSA. Since the cards were not in the hands of many people, there were fewer potential cards to grade, and grading was a new concept, less people challenged the decision.
Ironically, PSA stopped grading Star Co. basketball cards, some of which were printed on the same sheet as baseball cards which it grades. For example, the ROY, ART, Jabbar and Coaches set were all printed on the same sheet as the baseball Dale Murphy and Rod Carew sets. Although PSA repurchased cards over time that were Type II's, some Type II's in PSA cases have appeared for sale in recent time. PSA's repurchase of Type II's and recasing of original cards appear to represent a recognition that PSA can learn to tell the difference between original and counterfeit Star Co. basketball cards. Nevertheless, because PSA no longer grades the cards and it no longer lists the cards in its SMR Report, which applies only to values of PSA graded cards, it essentially delists the cards from their existence.
Over the years people have come to realize that individuals that challenge PSA may be banned from being able to use its services. If the Star Co. cards are difficult to tell whether or not they are real (which is not the actual case and many people that have learned often have experienced more problems authenticating a PSA case), a grading company's job should be to learn to do it, rather than grading thousands of unimportant cards with negligible raw book value. We are not saying mistakes do not happen in the authentication process, but one can learn and any mistakes that are made are noticeable. Despite PSA's decision, Topps felt the cards were important enough to include some in its 1996/97 authorized reprint sets.
FAQ: Does SGC grade Star Co. cards?
Answer: No, but one of the co-founders owned a company SBC that did. By the time that SGC was founded, PSA had stopped grading the cards, putting a negative light on them with grading companies.
FAQ: What are the advantages of only one of the "big three" grading Star Co. basketball cards?
Answer: It allows the public to see one population report which is documentary evidence to dispel all the false rumors and misinformation about the cards themselves. Put politely, it is documentary evidence that PSA's refusal to grade the cards is based on fiction and not facts. Population reports, however, are at least overstated as the same card can be graded more than once (i.e. one buys a BGS graded card and wants to grade it BCCG and then the BCCG card is sold but winds up back in a BGS case; a card is cracked out and re-graded by someone who was unhappy with the original grade; those that buy low grade key cards and crack them out to sell raw (i.e. in sets) only for another person to grade the same card again).
In addition, Beckett is the only one of the "big three" grading companies that makes a case that cannot be compromised in order to properly protect consumers in addition to providing an inner sleeve to protect the cards from movement damage. Beckett also charges the same grading fee no matter what the value of the card is (arguably grading a card is the same work no matter what a card is worth). BGS graded cards are also given four subgrades with reasons justifying the opinion.
We note, however, that one common criticism is that Beckett grades sheet cut cards without designating sheet cut on the grading label. While sheet cut Star Co. basketball cards are less prevalent and certainly less of a concern than many other cards from the 1980's (i.e. Topps baseball and football cards), there have been cards that have surfaced that purists feel destroy the difficulty of the traditionally tough cards or those with notorious issues such as centering and do not properly resemble the appearance of the cards. Upon information and belief, most or all of the BGS graded cards from the Magic Johnson and Best Best subsets were sheet cut by Schonco. One difference here, however, is that if SGC or PSA ever graded Star Co. basketball cards, it would likely not grade sheet cut cards to the extent it can detect them. While PSA claims it does not grade sheet cut cards, several prominent sheet cutters have admitted to submitting sheet cut cards to PSA that were graded. Sellers who sell sheet cut cards often do not admit the cards are sheet cut. Dealers that know how to cut sheets are often the same ones that know how to trim.
FAQ: What are the disadvantages of only one of the "big three" grading Star Co. basketball cards?
Answer: It allows false information to persist, limits the collector base and allows PSA to delist the cards by not doing its job and grading them by including them in its SMR Report. It allows PSA and its followers to attempt to stem momentum in the cards by posting non-sense on public forums, writing articles, and publishing rankings of cards that are biased and not objective. VCP also does not track pricing purportedly because only one of the “big three” grading companies grades the cards.
FAQ: Does VCP track prices of Star Co. cards?
Answer: No, VCP started for some point in time after Beckett was grading and then stopped. It claims it does not track them because only one of the "big three" grading companies does. However, VCP has also responded, without any substance or proof to people that question, that in its opinion Star Co. cards should not be graded "because there is no way to tell the difference between the original release and later release". This is an example of another statement without any substance caused primarily by the "PSA Effect". Perhaps VCP can tell the public on its web site what original release and later release it is talking about.
FAQ: What are some of the common condition issues on some of the key cards?
Answer: It is impractical to prepare a comprehensive list which becomes common knowledge among Star collectors. Common opinion among Star veterans is that bag pulled, unaltered cards that are notorious for centering issues include: 1983-84 Star #115 Larry Nance; 1984-85 #101 Jordan (which also can suffer from Diamond cut issues, corners and surface issues as a top card of a 12 card bag); 1984-85 #172 Magic Johnson; 1984-85 #195 Jordan; 1984-85 #237 Olajuwon; and 1984-85 #288 Jordan (which can also suffer from chipping of corners and edges, and can have white on the bottom of the card from the way it was cut from the sheet); 1985-86 #95 Bird (Green and White); 1985-86 #166 Ewing (which also sometimes has a surface bubble in the top border 1/3 of the way indented from the left of the card); 1986 Star Jordan #8 and #9 from the 10 card Jordan subset.
There are many key cards that have surface issues. 1985-86 All-Rookie #2 Jordan and #3 Barkley were printed with a surface logo line indentation through the bottom of the cards. Although a part of the cards, the extent of the line is penalized in grading unlike say the oil mark on the 1986-87 Fleer Olajuwon or the red line on the 1982 Topps Lawrence Taylor rookie which are generally accepted. Similarly, the 1984-85 #1 Bird (which also suffers from obverse centering) and #2 Ainge have a line indentation running through the cards at the height of their hair which causes the surface grades to be penalized. However, because sometimes the 1984-85 Star Arena #A1 Bird is entered into the population report as the 1984-85 Star #1 Bird, people do not realize how difficult the 1984-85 #1 Bird is in achieving a high grade, particularly with respect to the surface subgrade. 1984-85 #12 Bird is also notorious for random surface issues including white marks on the front of the card. 1985-86 Olajuwon #18 often has white marks in the upper left area. The card also may have whitish/bluish marks to the left of Olajuwon's right wrist and to the right of Sampson's left shoulder. 1985-86 #26 Jabbar is also notorious for white surface issues on the black background of the card.
In unaltered, bag pulled form, the 1984-85 #202 Barkley is notorious for chipping on the right edge while the 1984-85 #235 Stockton is often found with Diamond cut/tilt issues.
The 1984-85 Court Kings #26 Jordan as a top card of a 5 X 7 bag with 25 cards often suffers surface impingements or corner/edge damage to a greater extent than the #101, although centering is less of an issue on the Court Kings 5 X 7 Jordan as centering is less of a concern on most 5 X 7's.
The 10 card Jordan set sometimes was printed with backs of cards having random spots that appear as red dots or blotches.
While the 1983-84 Mavericks are popular for scarcity and condition sensitivity, the 1984-85 Mavericks, apart from #255 Derek Harper and #257 Sam Perkins, are more condition sensitive and among the most difficult cards to grade.
FAQ: I thought Star Co. cards were reprinted from the original plates. Is that correct?
Answer: No. There is no evidence that any original Star Co. card that was released between 1983-86 was reprinted from the original plate. However, if someone wanted to say the Type II's are reprints and not pre-print samples/scraps/rejects that were meant to be destroyed, it likely cannot be disproven. The more important point though is that the Type II's can be distinguished from the original Star Co. cards.
FAQ: If Star Co. basketball cards that were released between 1983-86 were not reprinted from the original plates, why do I see so many reprints for sale on ebay?
Answer: Because ebay rules do not allow counterfeit cards to be listed, counterfeit cards are listed as reprints to circumvent those rules.
FAQ: Why were the Star Co. cards labeled XRC's? When was this determination made?
Answer: Dr. James Beckett made the determination in launching the first issue of the Beckett Basketball Card Magazine (March/April 1990). The reason provided was that the cards were issued in team sets and not in packs sold at traditional retail stores. While Dr. Beckett has made an enormous amount of contributions to the hobby and set many standards in the hobby through the Beckett Magazine, there are those that question this decision based upon its timing. The decision was made after Star Co. was no longer producing basketball cards and gave a huge boost to Fleer which was then producing basketball and other sports cards and spending money on advertising. The Star Co. cards meet the definition of rookie cards because traditionally a player's rookie card is his first appearance on a card licensed by the NBA and part of a regular base set. Because basketball cards were not popular at the time, it would appear the distribution method should have been irrelevant when only one company had the license to produce cards. In fact, the 1986-87 Fleer basketball set was not popular when it came out, leading in part to Fleer's decision to cut production for the 1987-88 set. Notably, not all cards today are pack issued and obtain the rookie designation.
Prior to Beckett's designation, the collecting world considered the Star Co. cards to be rookie cards and some considered the 1986-87 Fleer cards to be First Year Fleer cards. Nevertheless, the 1986-87 Fleer is a legendary set and will always be popular.
It also seems odd that the 1986-87 Fleer rookie cards of Karl Malone, Chris Mullin and Joe Dumars do not stand out from other Fleer rookie cards who have had up to three years worth of NBA professionally licensed cards already issued.
There are also people who confidentially note that Fleer blew the chance of having a John Stockton card designated as a rookie card by not issuing him a card in its 1986-87 and 1987-88 sets. Despite Stockton having been issued two years worth of Star Co. cards, Fleer then took two years off with respect to Stockton prior to issuing what is considered his "rookie card" in its 1988-89 set. The Stockton example shows one problem with designating the Star Co. cards XRC's and not rookie cards in the first instance.
Another problem with the designation is it presents a contradiction with respect to players' cards beginning in their second year as the Star Co. cards, where applicable, are second year cards regardless of the XRC designation. It seems questionable to call the 1987-88 Fleer Jordan his second year card rather than his fourth year card, second year Fleer card, or second Fleer card. If one wants to call the #101 his XRC because of its distribution, that does not mean, however, that his 1985-86 #117 was not his second year base set card and his 1987-88 Fleer card remains his fourth year card.
FAQ: Are you implying we should buy Star Co. cards instead of 1986-87 Fleer cards?
Answer: No, we are not endorsing one buying anything, simply providing information where people can draw their own conclusions. We believe though that if people were properly educated, and if not for the PSA Effect, more people that buy the legendary 1986-87 Fleer cards would also buy the 1983-86 Star Co. cards. We believe that both the Star and Fleer can co-exist.
FAQ: Why do I see so many Star Co. cards listed as rookies for sale on ebay if the Star Co. cards were designated as XRC's?
Answer: Many of these are selfish listings designed to appear in the search function. They confuse people trying to properly learn about Star Co. cards. If one wants to argue a Star Co. card is a rookie, each player can have only one rookie card issue by Star. For example, the only Star Co. card that can be listed as a rookie of Michael Jordan is the 1984-85 Star #101 which Beckett designated an XRC. Similarly, for other players it would be the card that Beckett designated an XRC years after those cards had been known as the players' rookie cards: 1983-84 Star #25 Worthy; 1983-84 Star #96 Thomas; 1983-84 Star #100 Drexler; 1983-84 Star #263 Wilkins; 1984-85 Star #202 Barkley; 1984-85 Star #235 Stockton; 1984-85 Star #237 Olajuwon; and 1985-86 Star #166 Ewing. Unfortunately, with respect to Michael Jordan, people have listed all of his Star Co. cards as rookie cards, even his Best Best card, which was released after his 1986-87 Fleer #57. People are also known to list the 1985 Slam Dunk Supers 5 X 7 #1 Group Photo/Checklist as a Jordan rookie, even though it is a subset card designated to other players as well.
Some sellers understandably list the XRC's as rookies because they do not agree with the XRC designation. However, that does not mean that all other Star Co. cards can be rookies. A subset card cannot be considered a rookie card if a card of the same player was issued as part of a regular base set. Sellers could properly call other cards where appropriate pre-rookie cards if they wanted, but choose to use deception for financial gain.
FAQ: Are cards worth more in sealed bags or opened?
Answer: An authentic original bag guarantees cards inside are original and unaltered. However, it does not guarantee the cards inside are mint. Typically, a sealed bag might demand a small premium where the top card is important and visible, but not a significant increase unless the card is visibly appealing. If the card is a key top card that will not grade well, it is illogical to demand a premium by arguing that less sealed bags exist because many have been opened. Unfortunately, resealed bags are a problem, especially to those buyers that do not know how to detect original sealed bags.
FAQ: Are all the cards in sealed bags mint?
Answer: No, however people often list sealed bags that way. An original unopened bag does not mean the cards inside are mint but guarantees the cards inside are original and have not been altered by unscrupulous dealers. One cannot in the very least view the centering and surface of the cards that are not visible. One cannot completely view the corners and edges of the cards.
FAQ: Why do I see different cards on top of certain bags?
Answer: While most bags have the same card on top, some bags have different cards on top. For example, the 1983-84 Denver Nuggets team set may have Kiki Vandeweghe or Alex English on top; the 1984-85 New York Knicks team set may have Eddie Lee Wilkins or Bernard King on top; the 1985-86 Utah Jazz team set may have Adrian Dantley or John Stockton on top; the 1986 Court Kings may be found with Mark Aguirre or Larry Bird on top. However, the 1986 Best New original bags are only found with Patrick Ewing on top and those with Michael Jordan on top are not original bags although they may contain original cards. We also note that the size of polybag may vary for the same type of bag. However, some subsets such as the 1986 Court Kings and the 1986 10 card Jordan subset are only found in wider bags.
FAQ: Why do I see team sets listed as sheets?
Answer: These are panels that have been cut from complete sheets and are not full sheets despite how a seller may list them. Star basketball sheets usually have 100 cards (excluding the 1983 All-Star Game sheet and the Best Best and Magic Johnson sheet) and may contain baseball cards. Ironically, although printed on the same sheets as Star basketball, PSA grades Star baseball cards from the same era as Star basketball cards. If the allegation is that the cards were reprinted, wouldn't those baseball cards from the same sheet have been reprinted as well?
FAQ: What was the Shop at Home Scandal?
Answer: After selling out of his left over Star inventory (his last sale to Schonco was in 1996), Robert Levin presumably sought a means to make money off the Star name. At first he experimented with promo/advertisement cards of say Michael Jordan. Then he went much larger scale and was unintelligent enough to do a scheme whereby he was having cards manufactured at a printer in Florida and sold on television, thus publicly demonstrating his fraud.
New cards that never existed in the first place were printed and backdated in 1997 by Robert Levin through the use of a printer in Florida. Levin falsely claimed to have produced these cards when the Star Co. had a contract with the NBA and had not previously released them to the public. The cards were sold through the Shop at Home channel and often with a letter of authentication signed by Robert Levin on Star International, Inc. letterhead. A letter's typical representations were that 1,500 sets were made and held in the safe in 1985 and not released to the public while falsely claiming the cards to be 100% authentic and original. Shop at Home cards are often referred to as "fantasy issue cards" because they were not part of the originally released cards. Because original photos were used with different color borders to make cards that never existed in the original Star Co. distribution, no Shop at Home card resembles an original Star Co. card. It is improper to refer to Shop at Home cards as reprints because the cards never existed in the first place as original Star Co. cards.
These cards lead to a NBA investigation and lawsuit on behalf of the NBA against the Star Co. owner and Shop at Home. While people were allowed to get their money back, there are still people selling originals of these cards on eBay. There are also people copying the cards and using copies of the letter to sell those copies of the cards. There are also people now printing up "unreleased" cards that were never Shop at Home cards (i.e. Michael Jordan in a UNC uniform) and trying to make them look like Shop at Home cards.
Unfortunately, people that have the Shop at Home cards routinely list them as rare wherein there is no proof as to how many were produced. Each time they appear to be listed as never seen before wherein they have repeatedly been sold on ebay over the years. What makes original Star Co. cards special is that they are early release issues for many key players, which is inapplicable to say an unauthorized Michael Jordan or other players’ cards that were printed in 1997 (not the date on the card). For example, the 1991 Star Michael Jordan Bulls Equal card is an authorized print but sells for much less than other Michael Jordan Star Co. cards, in part, because it was not produced until 1991. Notably, the money spent on the Shop at Home cards is usually from uninformed buyers which indirectly hurts the value of real, authentic cards because they do not buy some of those instead.
FAQ: Are there other areas of deception to look out for other than Shop at Home cards or Type II's?
Answer: As with all sports cards, in particular in the era post-PSA, when money is to be made, there will be people trying to cash in. In essence, even though PSA does not grade Star Co. basketball cards, its creation has lead to more deception in the sports card industry. The answer to this question may be listed in other areas of this site and may not necessarily relate to the Star Co. or the Star Co. cards themselves.
These days many listings for sale seem to be exaggerated and label too many cards “high end”, “flawless” (with noticeable defects), “best ever saw” (even if person has only seen a few), "undergraded", "better than another card", "centered" (even if not), "looks gem", etc. Use your own judgment and common sense. While the proper order of sub grades for Beckett is Centering/Corners/Edges/Surface, sellers will list off-center cards and improperly change the order of the subs to endorse the card. Some sellers will list every Star Co. Jordan, Barkley, Stockton, etc. as a rookie wherein they are not. If one wants to consider the Star Co. cards rookies, with limited exception (i.e. Terry Porter), the Star Co. could have issued only one rookie card for each player which was part of a regular base set: 1983-84 Star #25 Worthy; 1983-84 Star #96 Thomas; 1983-84 Star #100 Drexler; 1983-84 Star #263 Wilkins; 1984-85 Jordan #101 Jordan; 1984-85 Star #202 Barkley; 1984-85 Star #235 Stockton; 1984-85 Star #237 Olajuwon; and 1985-86 Star #166 Ewing. That is not to say that the non-Star Co. rookies are unimportant (arguably any card of a key player that predates his 1986-87 Fleer rookie should be significant, or with respect to Stockton, his 1988-89 Fleer rookie), but the cards should be described properly.
There have even been cards listed as rookie cards of players that had cards issued prior to the Star Co. cards. People also often misrepresent that a grade on a GAI bag means the cards were graded or that a sealed bag means that the cards inside are mint. People have listed raw cards as mint that cannot possibly grade at the mint level. People list cards as SP that are not considered Short Print. People have listed blank back cards as proof cards wherein the blank backs merely mean the backs were not completed during the printing process and in fact some of the blank backs were hand cut. Sellers will list a card and claim highest subs where a higher sub version has been listed before and is in the Beckett Population Report. People have also improperly listed cards that are poorly cut or miscut as error cards despite Beckett's Population Report properly maintaining a database of error cards.
Other misleading listings have included a key top card that will not grade well and falsely claim that all bags have been opened. Whether or not bags have been opened, there is a difference in opening Star Co. bags one knows the contents of, than a mystery pack where one does not know. Star veterans know that a sealed bag where one can see issues with the main card will not make the bag or key card worth more.
After Beckett started grading Star Co. cards and collections were being graded, some collectors became frustrated with how the population report would be represented by a certain seller who would inevitably grade more. For example, emphasizing population one on a James Worthy XRC in BGS 9.5 and selling it for $1,600 when that same person fully knew he would grade numerous more in gem mint condition upset certain collectors and caused them to drop out of the collector database early in the BGS grading process when the amount of collectors should have been growing. This deceptive population report manipulation might make that dealer more money but lead to lack of trust and confusion when people thought a collection had already been graded. Some people did not appreciate seeing their hard earned money spent on cards that were listed cheaper within months after more were graded by the same individual in the same grade. People will often try to market the items they own. For example, there was a time early on that the Team Supers Jordan was being listed by the same seller noted above as a rookie card that was rarer than the #101, which presented a listing with two misrepresentations. When Star Co. cards could be RCR'd, a dealer could RCR cards to know the grades and sell the ones encapsulated before having the RCR'd cards entered into the population report. Similarly, claiming a low population on a card that is not difficult to grade but is infrequently submitted for grading because it is not in demand is viewed by some as further deception.
In addition, some Star collectors became frustrated by the same individual wanting to claim he bought a collection years after he was assisting in selling it on consignment and suddenly had cards, often which were top cards of bags, that never existed or were cut in the form he claimed he now had. Star purists were insulted that the quality of that collection was suddenly improving years later as opposed to dwindling in quality on certain key Star Co. cards. Even the individual's attempts to pass off hard to grade commons as legitimate bag pulled cards has raised red flags. While Star Co. veterans will not buy those cards and avoid them, less experienced individuals often do not know the difference. This is an example of why the "UT" concept from SCD was quite innovative.
Star Co. cards are no different than other cards in that dealers will take actions for their financial gain or for bragging rights to try and show their cards are better than they in fact are. This problem, however, is not limited to Star Co. cards as it is a product of the value that grading brings to cards. The same unscrupulous people, however, have trouble with cards that are notorious for surface issues as opposed to centering. It is generally considered unfair to expect a legitimate seller to match prices of those individuals who have not played by the rules.
The beneficial part of Star Co. cards is that Star veterans and purists have come to recognize the original characteristics of untouched and bag pulled cards. The original cutting from the Star Co. printers is easier to recognize than many other types of sports cards. Top cards on bags that are always notoriously difficult to find centered over the years include, but are not limited to: 1984-85 Star #172 Magic Johnson; 1984-85 #195 Jordan; 1984-85 #237 Olajuwon; 1985-86 #95 Bird (Green and White); and 1985-86 #166 Ewing (which also sometimes has a surface bubble in the top border 1/3 of the way indented from the left of the card). Other cards that are not top cards that are notoriously off-center include, but are not limited to: 1984-85 #288 Jordan (which can also suffer from chipping of corners and edges, and can have white on the bottom of the card from the way it was cut from the sheet); and 1986 Star Jordan #8 and #9 from the 10 card subset. Use your judgment and common sense if notoriously difficult cards continue to appear from the same source or are sent out to auction by that source who will likely falsely claim that new cards came out over time or that he purchased more cards or a collection.
Using a 1985-86 #166 Patrick Ewing as an example, which was a top card on a bag, bag pulled Ewing's should show blue bleed on the back top edge and back right edge, at least under magnification. If someone, who previously claimed centered Ewing's do not exist, wants to cut the wider left edge to make it appear that centered Ewing's suddenly surfaced, the blue bleed on the back right edge would not exist and the cutting would not resemble the cut unique to Star Co. cards. It defies common sense that someone selling a collection on consignment could only grade Ewing 9.5's that were not centered and then has centered Ewing's lacking the proper blue bleed and original Star Co. cutting characteristics after purchasing the collection. The same person could do this to other cards that are notoriously off-center or cards that are not necessarily notoriously off-center but were cut with a wider left edge by using cards that were cut wider than 2.5 inches and cut them down to 2.5 inches. Often this is done by taking cards that would otherwise grade low in the centering subgrade and improving it. If the person does this to one card he simply has no integrity for the product and will do to other cards including commons. For example, the same person routinely graded many #195's in the BGS 5.5-7.5/BCCG 8 range while selling on consignment and then graded predominantly BGS 8 and BGS 8.5's after purchasing the collection he had been selling on consignment. However, if an individual did this, he would likely have many grades of 0/0/0/0 for cards that are kicked as evidence of altered or evidence of trimmed in between cards that were actually graded.
FAQ: Are there any legitimate criticisms of the Star Co.? Are the false rumors really untrue?
Answer: Yes, the false rumors are untrue. As with any product, nothing is perfect and people make legitimate criticisms. Some people do not like the type of card stock, the quality of the product where centering may be an issue, surface issues persist, and coloring may vary on the same exact card due to imperfect quality control at the printers. However, some people like those characteristics that should make high grades on many key cards elusive. Some do not like that they were issued in team bags where one knew what they were getting while others feel that that was innovative in trying to bring attention to basketball cards that were not popular at the time.
One criticism that surfaces or disappointment to some people is that the owner was able to sell many cards to three individuals including Schonco in 1990 and as late as 1996, long after Star's contract with the NBA expired in 1986. While those that purchased from the auction claim that they confirmed that the purchase quantity was in line with that of other dealers, certain cards were also released in a significant quantity that they were no longer perceived to be scarce. For example, many people assumed that the Gatorade Barkley's that were pulled from the set had been destroyed or believed they should not have been allowed to be released to the market through the auction if they had been pulled from the set. This caused the price of the Gatorade Barkley to fall significantly, although BGS grading may revive the value. Similarly, it was previously estimated that 440 of each Best New card had been released via bags because an original order option gave dealers a Best New Bag for every five complete sets of 1985-86 purchased. However, through the auction a significant number of Best New cards were released unbagged which should be in line with the quantity produced overall from the same 100 card sheet that contained #95-172 of the 1985-86 set and the 10 card Jordan set. The auction also appears to be where a limited number of uncut sheets were sold.
The auction did not necessarily stop those with quantity of Gatorade Barkley's or Best New cards from trying to promote them for sale and trying to hide the true quantity. Nevertheless, the remaining inventory Levin sold at the auction, with rights to purchase thereafter, appears to be the original Star Co. inventory that he never sold out of in the first instance due to low demand and his desire to hold back a certain amount of cards. In relation to the auction, one criticism that surfaces is that the quantity sold to the three individuals has not been released, although certain key individuals with knowledge can estimate it. In addition, some cards were sold unbagged which would not subject them to the same condition sensitivity (i.e. from the cellophane type wrap of the 1983 NBA All-Star Game subset).
Another criticism is that the 1986 Best of the Best and Magic Johnson subsets were not released to the market until after the Star Co. auction in 1990 and there is no proof when the cards from those subsets were printed. But Star veterans and purists often do not collect those two subsets and find it easier to ignore them.
One key point that is forgotten because of Levin's legal problems is that Levin was not found to have reprinted any original Star Co. cards that were released from 1983-86. He was not involved with the Type II's and the Shop at Home Scandal, which directly involved Levin, did not relate to original Star Co. cards released from 1983-86.
FAQ: Are PSA graded Star Co. basketball cards worth more?
Answer: Long-time Star collectors view PSA as a failure that hurt Star Co. basketball cards. Calling a card rare because there are less in a PSA case (a low population report) because PSA stopped grading Star Co. cards and removed them from the population report in the opinion of many is illogical because the company failed in grading Star Co. cards. PSA removed all Star Co. cards from the population report and has only added back those cards which people insisted on having reentered. PSA has recased Star Co. cards in its new style holders and added them to the population report which it could not do unless it could guarantee the authenticity of the graded cards which contradicts its presumed position on not grading Star Co. basketball cards. In addition, many people now prefer to have the card in a BGS holder and may have cracked the card out of the PSA case. It is likely impossible to state what the population report is.
If common sense applied, a Star Co. card graded by PSA would only be worth up to the potential value of its likely cross-over or grade equivalent in a BGS case because BGS is the Gold Standard for Star Co. cards and PSA continues to treat them like an Unsolved Mystery. We note that the short tenure PSA graded Star Co. cards predated its use of .5's in the grading system. To that extent, we would note Star veterans generally prefer the quality of grading of SCD graded Star Co. basketball cards to PSA graded Star Co. basketball cards. Nevertheless, some people that want cards in PSA holders may pay more or be enticed by listings noting a lower population report and exaggerating the quality of the card in the PSA holder. People that own PSA graded Star Co. cards have a right to ask what they want for them, provided the listings are accurate. Certainly, listing a 1986 Star Best of the Best #9 Jordan in a PSA case as the rarest Michael Jordan pre-1986 Fleer card is a misleading listing because the card was not released before the 1986-87 Fleer Jordan. In addition, having the card in a PSA case does not make the card itself rarer; rather, the same number of cards exist as were distributed but less are in a PSA case because many people feel PSA's tenure was short in grading Star Co. basketball cards because it was incompetent with respect to grading them.
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