During the mid-90's, Skybox opened the doors to today's autograph craze with the release of it's autographics insert set.  Unlike today wherein you can't be sure if you would be able to pull an autograph card out of a very, very, expensive pack--Skybox was able to give buyers a chance for one of their autographics inserts seeded in almost every box.  The beauty of this set was that a good number of 405 players spread over 27 NBA teams had their John Hancock on their cards.  Players like Tyrone Hill, John Starks, Rex Chapman, Jud Buechler, Steve Kerr, Luc Longley, Dominique Wilkins, Gerald Wilkins, Bobby Phills--players who would not normally have signed inserts had cards in limited qualities.  Some players even made their cards harder to find signing in either blue or black ink.

Probably the hottest card of this set is the rookie autographics of 2-time NBA MVP Steve Nash of Phoenix.  According to sources, Nash (a hard sign until only recently when card companies where able to sign him to an exclusive deal) had only autographed 56 cards with blue and black pens.  I've seen this insert go for as much as $200 for the black signatures and $500 for those willing to get the blue signature version.  Charles Barkley, Bruce Bowen, Vince Carter, Kevin Garnett, and Ray Allen are other notable names from this exquisite set.         

Now here's the good news, do you have holes in your collection?  A number of these cards are popping out in eBay almost everyday and starting bids are really favorable at one cent or ninty-nine cents.

As one card company executive once said, "autographed cards are one way for fans to get closer to their idols."  So what are you waiting for?  Start searching and grab your favorite players today! (Search string: Autographics)