1993–1995 Finest Basketball: Refractors, Coatings and Card Numbers

1993 Finest: the first basketball release and its numbering exception

1993 Finest introduced the brand’s chromium basketball design in a 220-card issue. Each card has a Refractor counterpart. PSA records an important checklist irregularity: Jim Jackson and Shawn Kemp both carry number 136, while number 159 is absent. A numbered spreadsheet should therefore allow two different subjects at 136 instead of treating one as an accidental duplicate.

PSA separately catalogs Michael Jordan number 1 in base and Refractor form, alongside rookie entries for Anfernee Hardaway number 189 and Chris Webber number 212. A listing’s reflective photograph alone does not establish which version it shows. Ask for the exact designation and a clear image under another angle if the distinction is unclear.

For a full-set project, define base or Refractor at the start. Filling ordinary missing numbers with a few unrelated parallels does not create a uniform run. Keep the numbering exception in the checklist notes so you do not spend time searching for a nonexistent number 159.

1994 Finest: coating status belongs in the description

PSA’s 1994 Finest guide distinguishes base, Refractor, with-coating and Refractor-with-coating entries. Examples include Grant Hill number 240, Jason Kidd number 286 and Michael Jordan number 331. A card can therefore match the player, year and number yet still belong to a different comparison group.

When buying a graded card, read the variety line as carefully as the numeric grade. For a raw example, ask whether the protective film is intact and examine both the film and the surface visible beneath it. Do not assume that a defect in one layer has the same implications as damage to the other.

Choose your preference before assembling a player run. An intact coating can be part of what you collect; a clear unobstructed image can be another priority. Removing a coating changes the physical presentation and can introduce handling damage, so it is not a casual step to take merely to make a card look like another listing.

1995 Finest: keep the same version discipline

For 1995 Finest, PSA identifies Kevin Garnett’s rookie as number 115 and Michael Jordan as number 229. Its guide again separates coating and Refractor designations where applicable. These exact numbers prevent a 1994 card or a later Finest design from being folded into the wrong year’s comparison.

Garnett offers a rookie-centered collecting route, while a Jordan sequence across the three years demonstrates how the product changed. Decide whether that sequence should be all base, all Refractor or a deliberately mixed display. Write the choice down rather than letting whichever version appears first determine the collection.

Inspect the reflective surface for scratches and the image for uneven color. Ask for natural-looking photographs without filters, including one tilted view. A bright rainbow effect is relevant to parallel identification but does not erase condition issues. Compare like-for-like examples instead of transferring the price of a pristine Refractor to a worn base card.

A precise Finest inventory

Use separate fields for season, printed card number, player, parallel and coating status. Add the grading company, grade and certification number only after the card identity is correct. Save the listing photographs with those notes. This creates a practical record that still makes sense when the original advertisement disappears.

A three-card type collection can teach these distinctions without requiring a full checklist. If you expand later, the same record structure supports a base set, a rookie selection or a focused Refractor run. The useful objective is a collection you can identify accurately, not an assortment defined by a vague promise of shine.

Continue exploring