The Sealed Wax · #19
1990 SkyBox Basketball Series 1
wax box, 36 packs
sealed wax
$6 to $189 (empirical from active listings)
n=11 live listings
Why this box
The first all-slick basketball wax
JW50 anchors inside this box
Why it matters
SkyBox launched in 1990 with a slick all-plastic-coated basketball card format that was unlike anything the hobby had seen. The 1990 to 91 SkyBox Series 1 wax box contains Michael Jordan at #41 (the museum's JW50 anchor) plus the David Robinson, Karl Malone, and Charles Barkley cards in the same distinctive format. SkyBox was aggressive on print runs but the format innovation makes sealed wax historically important. Cards from these boxes are surface-sensitive and top-pop PSA 10 examples of Jordan #41 command a real premium.
How to identify
1990 to 91 SkyBox Basketball Series 1 wax box, 36 packs. Confirm Series 1. The plastic-coated card surface is the signature of the format. Wax packs are foil-wrapped.