It’s difficult to explain properly to non-collectors why this bizarre set of heavy-foil, industrial-themed basketball cards distributed by Fleer in the ‘90s was so important to me, or why I hoarded them like one day they’d warm my family as we huddled against the unending nuclear winter.
But I did hoard them, and years after relinquishing my treasures to an untraceable part of my parents’ attic, I searched the online database at Check Out My Baseball Cards, Comics & Collectibles to see if they were as cool as I remember them being.
Turns out, Fleer Metal cards were for unstable people and nerd-children like myself who didn't ask questions when presented with Penny Hardaway dunking in the ruins of an ancient alien civilization.