As the top overall selection in the 1996 NBA Draft, Allen Iverson burst onto the scene with a record-shattering performance on the way to Rookie of the Year honors. The writers at Fleer/SkyBox paid homage to his breakout campaign on the flip side of his 1997 SkyBox Premium card, recounting how he scored 40+ points in five straight games – a rookie record that still stands today. Iverson’s arrival came amidst a renaissance in trading card design, leaving the Hall of Famer in some of the most notable ’90s printings, such as the debut of the Star Rubies parallel. In the years following the 1995 merger of Fleer and SkyBox, designers produced some of the most iconic basketball sets of the era. Known for bringing collectors scarce and flashy parallels, the company greatly enhanced every player’s 1997 SkyBox Premium card with an eccentric holographic background and vibrant red accent foil for the /50 Star Rubies parallel. With full-bleed photography on the front and back, Star Rubies have easily chipped edges, so collectors rarely find them in high grades. That makes this PSA 9 example, one of six such copies with none graded higher, all the more treasured.
The certification number on this card has been checked against the third-party grader's online database and is active as of 1/6/2025.
