{"id":"PREMIER10045","refId":10045,"auctionType":"PREMIER","gradingService":"PSA","grade":6.0,"year":1997,"category":"Basketball","title":"1997 Metal Universe Precious Metal Gems Charles Barkley PMG RED /100 #1 PSA 6","subtitle":"PSA Population 1 of 5 - Just Three Graded Higher","purchasePrice":"15000.00","soldDate":"2023-09-21T19:00:00.000 PDT","updatedAt":"2023-10-03T10:19:29.000 PDT","mediumImage1":"https://dilxwvfkfup17.cloudfront.net/eyJpdiI6Im9ZZ3AxZGUwZWxlSU1DSHdzSytXNFE9PSIsInZhbHVlIjoiclFRWEh2R0JRSS90MnBkRSsrd3NUd1VSWGhWc21oWVM1OWdocldiL3BuK1AvYk0yRmdvYTE5aXNQSW1CUE9BbWJjVmdmWkFCVDdQNm9Cc1NxeWxWM2c9PSIsIm1hYyI6ImRiMWIxOTBhNDE4NTgzZTU3NjRmMmI3NzhjZDc0ODE0NzU3Njc3NjFkNzQxNWMzYTIwNjNhODMyM2Y1NTZhMDciLCJ0YWciOiIifQ==","mediumImage2":"https://dilxwvfkfup17.cloudfront.net/eyJpdiI6IlBZVkUzNmxWakY1Y244SXRnODB0Y0E9PSIsInZhbHVlIjoiYml1cHdCNU5ySGZ3NkJwdXlqaWhhaEpQcUo0RzZTU0h1b0h0dDErMGJWT3FENFFWZ1liSnJMOHpPMUorSGRERnFWZjhJSU9idEZZL3RMbXBMR094K2c9PSIsIm1hYyI6ImRhNmIzNDAwYjljZjM0MTM3Mzg4ZTY3Y2E5ZmUwYzYxNGMyNDBlYWJkMjIxZDZlN2VhM2JhMzE2MjIxMmNjMjkiLCJ0YWciOiIifQ==","largeImage1":"https://dilxwvfkfup17.cloudfront.net/eyJpdiI6IktUS3REVlpwVHAxVFN6cTBHdUFNWHc9PSIsInZhbHVlIjoiNkowVVE1YnFJWnlmQnJjRGhzN2xkbDYzRkR4VUlQaWNPNXMyWmdEZmV6T2NCMEduTmsyeWsyam55YXpVOGhJMEZWN2o5OWMvaGFyblRPWUZtMTNiMFE9PSIsIm1hYyI6Ijg0NjRlMTkxYThhNGUyMjA1NGUzNTM2NmZhYjg1MmUwNDQ0YTY5Mjg3ZmYyMmQ2NDQ0YzI4NDczYjkwZTRjZTYiLCJ0YWciOiIifQ==","largeImage2":"https://dilxwvfkfup17.cloudfront.net/eyJpdiI6ImdMdEtHaitVcU5PNURGbW1QSGYrZUE9PSIsInZhbHVlIjoiKzV6dWN1Q3RYNmNxbTJQQnc1cVlpNFdiMkU3RVBzdytzVlNHSUVzcmVIaDVsbHV2aCtQODd5OGFHbWZZMGR2TEc1cTZuanNMSklMT0JVNXMrZmxJTkE9PSIsIm1hYyI6IjMzNzlmYjM2ZWQxNWI0NDlhNzVjZThkYmU3MDc1NDdiNDg5YmM3YmU5MjQ2ZjRhYzljYmRkYzM5NjVhYTQzYmMiLCJ0YWciOiIifQ==","description":"When Michael Jordan came out of retirement at the end of the 1994-95 season, it signaled a change in the NBA—the Bulls were back. With Jordan on board, Chicago had won three straight titles from 1991 to ’93, but his retirement to pursue a baseball career opened the door for the Houston Rockets to swoop in and win a pair of championships. Jordan and the Bulls stole back the Larry O’Brien trophy in 1996, so the Rockets decided to make a big move going into the next season—acquiring Charles Barkley. “We have to make tough decisions in this business,” said Houston coach Rudy Tomjanovich. “This was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up. There are elite players, those you can say do it all. And Charles Barkley is one of them.” As for the 33-year-old “Round Mound of Rebound,” the move to Houston represented a championship-or-bust moment: “I don’t guarantee anything,” he said. “But I have no problem saying this: If we don’t win a championship, I’ll be crushed.” \r\n\r\nPerhaps the designers at Fleer/SkyBox had Barkley’s mindset in mind when mapping out his 1997 Metal Universe card. Marvel illustrators helped create the designs with comic-style backgrounds and effects, and Barkley breaks through a wall on his card, a fitting representation of his desire to break through his personal championship drought with the Rockets. As exciting as collectors found the base cards, the thrill grew exponentially if they uncovered a Precious Metal Gems parallel. “Once we got to the parallels, we said, ‘Let’s try to do something that as soon as you open that pack you would know this is not the base card,’” said Jean MacLeod, who served as a lead sports card designer for Fleer/Skybox throughout the ‘90s. “We really wanted you to know that you got something special.” Fleer/SkyBox produced 100 PMGs per card, emblazoning the first ten with Green foil and the remaining 90 with Red foil. Because of the full-bleed, easily chipped foil, the cards became some of the most condition-sensitive of the era, and only three examples of Barkley’s Red PMG have earned a higher designation than the PSA 6 offering in this month’s Premier Auction, so it will be high bid or bust for many collectors.\r\n\r\nThe certification number on this card has been checked against the third party grader's online database and is active as of 9/6/2023.","serial":"78005390","isComplete":true,"paymentStatus":"PAID","itemVariantId":"58e0f1d1-7909-5f92-a4fd-93638f478e4c","listingUuid":"9cc1a67e-4074-11ee-9d0e-0a202cc57435","purchasedQuantity":0}