See my first Eminence "build-a-box" post
here. As you look at this update, and compare it to the first, you will notice an important omission. The Kobe Bryant Championship Tag Inscribed Auto #1/2. After a long and difficult decision, I elected to move the Kobe. Your question is surely - why?
I did not acquire the card to move it quickly. That simply was not my intent. My intent was for it to be one of the cornerstones of the case, but two things happened.
First, a long time friend of mine contacted me as soon as I acquired it. He wanted it. And frankly, given his affinity for all things Kobe Bryant, he needed it more than I did.
Second, the package that he put together in exchange allowed me to pick up some other important cards for my collection. Including several of the new cards you will find below.
I am not going to lie though - I still miss that card. It's space is still empty as you'll see below.
The next thing you will notice is that I removed the base cards from my build a box. Where I once had 4 base cards, I now have four other important cards. I made a decision to keep the base on it's own and to use the 9 available spots for the 9 cards that I felt would fit the case most appropriately. Simply stated, I wanted to fill it with cards that are important to the product, and represent the history- both recent and from yesteryear- of the league. You'll notice that the Bird, Harden and Penny are all still where they were before, but you'll also notice, the inclusion of a few important acquisitions.
Note the empty horizontal spot that has been vacant since trading away the Kobe. I realize that it's irreplaceable. but a time will come where I will find a card that can substitute satisfactorily.
The precious metal cards are an important part of Eminence. I resisted at first, but after I acquired my first, I couldn't deny the appeal. These cards are extraordinarily unique.
I had to have Durant represented in the case. He's always been one of my favorites.
After moving the Kobe Championship tag card, I had to fill one of the remaining spots with another really nice Kobe. The case would be incomplete without him. The precious metal cards with the most appeal are the logomen. This one features a bold, strong auto in the Eminence Gold. Only a couple of these have surfaced.
With the Durant and Kobe Silver Logomen serving as bookends, I needed to find a Gold Logoman of one of the leagues greats without paying the $5k+ that some of them have sold for. Bill Russell was the perfect find. As one of the most iconic and winning players of all time, he represents the history of the game, the celtics, and fills the gold spot in the case. A true one of one.
As mentioned, half of the second level remains unchanged, with The Legend and Penny occupying their spots nicely.
The second all time leading scorer, the Mailman, is my childhood idol. Not only that, he's the #2 All time leading scorer in NBA history. I had hoped to find a very nice USA patch of his. This is the nicest patch of his that has surfaced to date. With prevalent jersey wear, and three colors, I was thrilled to acquire this card. The Mailman Delivers.
The last two seasons have been historic. That is largely because of the man simply known as Steph. The case simply wouldn't be complete without him. While most of the stars in Eminence have several variations of Patch Autos, Steph only has the 1/1 tags, the /2 championship tags, and this one. That's right, there are only 16 total (/10. /5, /1) Steph Curry Patch Auto's out of Eminence. This is one of them.
Although you've seen it before, the cornerstone of the case remains. A true piece of history. The Larry Bird Eminence USA Olympic 1/1 Patch. The only one of it's kind. The Legend -
