It wasn’t too long ago that memorabilia cards weren’t guaranteed in every box, let along pack. 2002-03 Topps Jersey Edition Basketball was one of the early sets to push the concept by delivering a pair of jersey cards in every pack.
The set has well over 100 different cards. Many players have two different card fronts, a regular one and a “Home Cookin'” versions that’s supposed to have a home jersey swatch. However, Home Cookin’ cards can be found with away swatches in some instances.
2002-03 Topps Jersey Edition Basketball has memorabilia from 20 rookies including Yao Ming, Manu Ginobli and Amare Stoudemire.
Unlike today’s sets that usually deliver premium swatches and patches on top of the plain ones, you’re going to be hard-pressed to find any variety outside of the basic swatch patches. Not surprisingly, very few of the singles command much attention today.
While every card in the product is a jersey card, the overall makeup is actually pretty basic. Each card has three parallels: Copper (/249), Black (/99) and NBA Logoman (1/1). No other inserts exist on the checklist.
Two-card 2002-03 Topps Jersey Edition packs initially came with a $20 suggested price. The set came out in April, 2003.
