Welcome back to Iconic Inserts, where we take a look at some of the most memorable inserts in the history of the hobby. This month we’re taking a look at one of the most iconic inserts of the late 90’s, a one and done release that to this day is still highly coveted: the ‘99 Skybox Premium “Soul of The Game”.
Over 25 years ago, Skybox launched its premium line of cards, coincidentally titled Skybox Premium, forever changing the hobby landscape. In both the 98-99 basketball and baseball releases, one insert titled Soul Of The Game,stood out from the rest in a major way.
The design may have been simple in comparison to other insert sets of the era, but the result was an absolutely iconic piece of cardboard. Similar to the Big Men on Court design, SOTG features a large, multicolored gradient-lettering (it’s the 90’s remember) that spells out “Soul of The Game” in the background, taking up most of the canvas and leaving little to no border on the card. The player is depicted in front of the lettering, performing one of their signature moves or amazing plays (we’ll ignore the ‘98 football release, as it deviates from this formula and was a massive failure). With checklists boasting the biggest stars of the NBA & MLB, these immediately became fan favorites as people began ripping Premium.
And while these inserts can command quite a premium, raw copies and certain players have remained quite affordable, especially in baseball. Shaq, Griffey Jr, A-Rod, Rodman and tons more can be found for well under $100 for a raw copy, with some players going for as little as $10! However, highly graded copies are a different story. Due to the rough printing and experimentation with different foil/coatings, combined with a pencil thin (almost non-existent) border make these an incredibly tough grade. Collectors are essentially aiming for a 9 and praying for that 10. Kobe, Griffey Jr, Shaq & others can command hundreds for higher grade copies, some reaching into the thousands. A PSA 9 MJ, for example, recently sold for $2,000, while a PSA 10 sold for close to $5,000!
As stated above, for reasons unknown the “Soul of The Game” insert never made it to its sophomore release, pushed aside for other new insert sets in the future. However, that may be a key factor of what keeps them so strong on the secondary market: they arrived, caught collectors attention in a big way, and then made their way into the hobby history books (what a sweet read that would be). Like many of the late 90’s inserts, you might want to grab some up while they’re still attainable, as they have only continued to increase in price and demand. Don’t expect that to change.
While they may not have been around for long, Soul of The Game definitely deserves the “Iconic” tag. With the revamp of Skybox in recent years by Upper Deck, Soul of The Game could once again find their way into packs in the modern era. UD hasn’t brought the iconic insert back yet, but anything’s possible. Check back next month for another “Iconic Insert”, and as always, let us know some inserts you would love to see featured in the future!
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