Title: A Sleek Looking Card for Basketball Trivia Enthusiasts
On the front there is a copper border all along the left side, with dot marks designed to create the appearance of a basketball border. This could have been a cheap gimmick but it looks well done. The addition of silver logos and some silver flair along the copper border adds a nice a touch. The front pictures correspond with some trivia for the date the picture was taken.
The back of the card continues the copper motif. The left 3/4ths of the card features another picture of the player with the player's state below printed in white text on a solid copper background. If this was the whole back of the card, it would still be a great looking card. Yet, this is where the trivia description of the card comes full force. Along with the requisite player summary, Upper Deck fulls the last 1/4th of the card with a list of player highlights. The highlights include information such as awards or statistical achievements. This is a great addition to the card as it helps paint a well-rounded picture of the player.
While all of the additional information is useful and appreciated, the presentation can make the back of the card can appear busy. For the right 1/4th of the card, Upper Deck uses a black and white photo of the front picture. This creates a problem because the highlights information is printed in copper text, which can sometimes be unreadable against the black and white photo. Here Upper Deck should have used a solid black background for the player summary and highlights text to provide a cleaner look. This design choice does not hinder every card but since some cards do suffer, a different decision should have been made.
The non-standard cards are on the whole a good change of pace. The "Dateline" cards are a simple look back at a player's previous team capture by an older photo of the player. It's always a shock to be reminded that Dennis Rodman did in fact have a normal hair color at one time (#323). The "Building A Winner" cards are a quick look a team's key players and explain why a fan should be hopeful for their team. Unfortunately, the SuperSonics' Building A Winner card reminds fans of the team's previous season's NBA Finals loss to the Bulls (#160). Lastly, this set features the "From Way Downtown" cards with commentary from the always delightful Dan Patrick. Patrick provides some witty commentary on select players that I can't but help read in his voice.
Overall, the design of the card is nicely done and gives it a real premium look. The back of the card suffers at times due to poor readability but the extra information is a nice touch for trivia nerds.
9.5/10
