Q&A – What Is This Mystery LeBron James Item?

I get e-mails all the time. Most of them are from people wanting to know the value of an item they just bought. But every now and then I come across one worth talking about.

An e-mail came in the other day with the two pictures below which look to be of a sealed pack in between an old screw-down holder.

On the front is the old LeBron James logo first seen in 2003 on the Nike Air Zoom Generation line of shoes.

The back has the Nike logo and “nikebasketball.com.hk” on it.

After doing some research I discovered that this is a promotional pack that Nike issued in Hong Kong in 2007.

Nike made cards to promote their LeBron James Air Zoom Generation brand of sneakers. Inside the pack is at least one card. I’ve never seen a pack opened, so I cannot confirm which or how many cards are inside.

I asked the individual who sent me the pictures of the sealed pack if they have any plans on opening it. I haven’t heard anything back yet.

There is a strong possibility that these cards are what can come from that pack. Both the cards and pack share the same markings. But I cannot be 100% sure. If anyone else can provide some input please do.

You don’t see these cards very often. Little is known about them. Its probably even more uncommon to come across a sealed pack.

Card of the Day: LeBron James 2003-04 Upper Deck – 2003 Holiday Season – Winter League Card

Card of the Day: LeBron James 2003 Upper Deck Box Set #23

This Fake LeBron James 2003-04 Topps Rookie Card Is Everywhere

Let me be clear. This is not the only counterfeit/unauthorized reprint of a LeBron James 2003-04 Topps #221 rookie card. Doing a quick search on eBay will result in countless examples. But the card I’m referring to in this post seems to be the one that surfaces the most often. When a player becomes as popular as King James its common for these types of cards to popup.

You can clearly see the coloring on the counterfeit/unauthorized reprint is much darker. And it just isn’t certain areas either. Everything on it is darker when compared to the authentic card. Both the front and back.

Inspecting the front you’ll notice that the font isn’t quite correct. It looks a bit thinner. Within the nameplate “LeBRON JAMES” sits lower too. On the authentic example there is some space between his name and the bottom of the nameplate.

In my opinion the biggest signs that the card is a counterfeit/unauthorized reprint can be found on the back. Overall the counterfeit/unauthorized reprint has a grainy tone to it. This specifically can be seen on the reverse side in the grey areas. On authentic examples these grey areas are smooth.

Two distinct white marks are a trademark red flag to this specific counterfeit/unauthorized reprint. Both are located on the back. One can be found above and slightly to the left of the Cavaliers logo. The other is directly beneath the letter “L” in “SCHOOL”.

Another area to look at is the foil used on the front. With authentic examples this foil shines and reflects light. Counterfeit/unauthorized reprints may look as if they have foil in the picture, but most will not reflect light like the authentic ones do. That’s because its not actual foil. Its just a scan of the real foil. This can be difficult to determine just by looking at a picture online. Having the card in-hand would make it much easier.

Counterfeit/unauthorized reprint front

Counterfeit/unauthorized reprint back

Authentic front

Authentic back

People use the word “reprint” or the letters “RP” on their listings in an attempt to fool you into thinking that specific card came from a manufacturer like Topps. Places like eBay don’t know how or just don’t care enough to learn how to distinguish between the two. The people making these homemade cards are fully aware that passing them off as the real thing could come back to haunt them. Calling them reprints might not bring in the same amount of money, but it still allows them to move their hoard of counterfeits. Its a horribly abused wording loophole.

I’ve seen a lot of people get taken advantage of with this counterfeit/unauthorized reprint. There are a bunch more like it floating around. Many even share some of the same characteristics. When you have headline after headline advertising the latest million dollar card sale it doesn’t take much for people to blindly jump in and starting buying cards they know very little about. Buy smart. Do some research before pulling the trigger.

Card of the Day: LeBron James 2003-04 Topps Bazooka #276

Card of the Day: LeBron James 2003-04 Topps #221

Card of the Day: LeBron James 2003-04 Topps Pristine #101

Manning, Jeter, & King James Highlight CollectorCrate’s First Exclusive

UPDATE

• This company is no longer in business.

CollectorCrate is one of the more interesting things to hit the hobby recently.  For a monthly fee CollectorCrate will send you a box packed with sports stuff each month.  I was happy to receive and open the first round of boxes to go out.

By the looks of it, CollectorCrate is preparing to include it’s very first exclusive item within their boxes.  Artist Brad Utterstrom drew three different sketches – LeBron James, Derek Jeter, and Peyton Manning.  Each box will include a sketch print card of one of these players.  Utterstrom has worked with various card manufacturers in the past such as Topps, Leaf, and Cryptozoic.

Exclusive items should really help bring in more subscribers.  Now let’s see some exclusive bobbleheads, Funko Pop! figures, Lil’ Teammates, and OYOs.  I also think they should send out a large CollectorCrate to one lucky subscriber per month.  One that’s filled with sealed boxes and high-end stuff.

Card of the Day: LeBron James 2002 SA-GE Pangos #1

Card of the Day: LeBron James 2014 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions Goudey Auto