The 2003–04 NBA season was a turning point in basketball history, a bridge between eras.
A new generation of talent burst onto the scene, as names like LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Carmelo Anthony began carving their paths toward legendary status.
The future was bright and innovation was everywhere, including the world of basketball cards.
It’s when Upper Deck decided to change the game by calling glass.
In January 2004, the company introduced UD Glass, a clear trading card that put the game into sharp focus through a stunning design and material craftsmanship.
This 100-card set featured:
• 60 veteran base cards showcasing full-color, in-action player photography against a crisp white background with team-colored accents.
• Level Three Rookies (cards 61–80), each sequentially numbered to 1,100.
• Level Two Rookies (cards 81–90), limited to 750.
• Level One Rookies (cards 91–100), the rarest tier, limited to 250 copies.
To heighten collectability and create an element of chase, Upper Deck introduced Plexi-Glass Parallels — striking, clear-card versions of the 60 veteran base card set, produced on plexi-glass stock with an updated design. As an added bonus, all rookie cards issued were exclusively made of plexi-glass.
Inserted at a ratio of 1:20 packs, each plexi-glass parallel was issued with a protective film to safeguard its pristine surface — an elegant nod to the fragility and craftsmanship of this innovative release.
Compounding the scarcity, are the cards notoriously fragile construction. Produced with intricate laser-cut die grooves on plexi-glass stock, many examples succumbed to cracking shortly after production.
This remarkable collection offered features the elusive 60-card plexiglass parallels set — each graded by Beckett Grading Service – and also 38 of the 40 Glass rookie cards including the crown jewel LeBron James rookie No. 100.
Given its limited production (numbered to 250) the LeBron James rookie from Upper Deck Glass stands as one of the most elusive modern-era cards produced.
With only 130 examples recorded in Beckett’s population report and 23 with PSA, this offering is undoubtedly one of the more difficult in a crowded space of the future all-time scoring king's non-auto rookie issues.
The showcase card of the collection has been graded Gem Mint 9.5 from Beckett Grading Services, with a mere 16 examples graded higher. Card No. 100 represents the pinnacle of scarcity among LeBron’s non-autographed rookie issues.
To put its rarity into perspective: PSA has graded over 10,000 copies of LeBron’s 2003 Topps Chrome rookie and more than 26,000 of the 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan rookie No. 57.
PLEXI-GLASS PARALLELS
(ONE PER TWENTY PACKS)
1. Shareef Abdur-Rahim (BGS 8.5); 2. Jason Terry (BGS 9); 3. Paul Pierce (BGS 9); 4. Antoine Walker(BGS 8.); 5. Scottie Pippen (BGS 9.5); 6. Jalen Rose (BGS 9); 7. Darius Miles (BGS 8.5 ) 8. Dajuan Wagner (BGS 8.5); 9. Dirk Nowitzki (BGS 9); 10. Steve Nash (BGS 8.5); 11. Michael Finley (BGS 9); 12. Andre Miller (BGS 8.5); 13. Nené (BGS 8.5); 14. Richard Hamilton (BGS 8.5); 15. Ben Wallace (BGS 9); 16. Jason Richardson (BGS 9); 17. Nick Van Exel (BGS 9) 18. Steve Francis (BGS 9); 19. Yao Ming (BGS 8.5); 20. Jermaine O’Neal (BGS 8); 21. Reggie Miller (BGS 9); 22. Elton Brand (BGS 9); 23. Corey Maggette (BGS 8); 24. Kobe Bryant (BGS 9); 25. Shaquille O’Neal (BGS 9); 26. Gary Payton (BGS 9); 27. Pau Gasol (BGS 8.5); 28. Shane Battier (BGS 9); 29. Caron Butler (BGS 9); 30. Eddie Jones (BGS 9) 31. Desmond Mason (BGS 8) 32. Michael Redd (BGS 8.5); 33. Kevin Garnett (BGS 8.5); 34. Latrell Sprewell (BGS 9); 35. Jason Kidd (BGS 9) 36. Richard Jefferson (BGS 9); 37. Baron Davis (BGS 8); 38. Jamal Mashburn (BGS 8.5); 39. Allan Houston (BGS 8.5) 40. Keith Van Horn (BGS 7.5); 41. Tracy McGrady (BGS 9) 42. Juwan Howard (BGS 8.5); 43. Allen Iverson (BGS 9); 44. Glenn Robinson (BGS 8.5); 45. Amar’e Stoudemire (BGS 9); 46. Stephon Marbury (BGS 9) 47. Rasheed Wallace (BGS 8.5); 48. Bonzi Wells (BGS 8.5); 49. Chris Webber (BGS 8.5); 50. Mike Bibby (BGS 9); 51. Tim Duncan (BGS 9); 52. Tony Parker (BGS 8.5) 53. Ray Allen (BGS 9); 54. Rashard Lewis (BGS 8.5) 55. Vince Carter (BGS 9); 56. Antonio Davis (BGS 9); 57. Andrei Kirilenko (BGS 8.5); 58. Jarron Collins (BGS 9) 59. Gilbert Arenas (BGS 8) 60. Jerry Stackhouse (BGS 9).
LEVEL THREE ROOKIES (GLASS)
61. Kyle Korver (BGS 8.5); 62. Travis Hansen (BGS 9); 63. Willie Green (BGS 9.5); 64. Keith Bogans (BGS 9); 65. Theron Smith (BGS 9.5); 66. Zaur Pachulia (BGS 8); 67. DerrickZimmerman (BGS 9); 68. Jason Kapono (BGS 9); 69. Steve Blake (BGS 9); 70. Slavko Vranes (BGS 9); 71. Jerome Beasley (BGS); 72. Aleksandar Pavlovic (BGS 9); 73. Boris Diaw (BGS 9.5); 74. Kendrick Perkins (BGS 8.5); 75. Leandro Barbosa (BGS 8.5 – POP 1); 76. Josh Howard (BGS 9); 77. Luke Walton (BGS 9.5); 78. Maciej Lampe (BGS 8); 79. Brian Cook (BGS 8.5).
LEVEL TWO ROOKIES (GLASS)
80. Zarko Cabarkapa (BGS 9); 81. Travis Outlaw (BGS 9); 82. Ndudi Ebi (BGS 9); 83. David West (BGS 9); 84. Reece Gaines (BGS 9); 85. Dahntay Jones (BGS 9); 86. Marcus Banks (BGS 8.5); 87. Troy Bell (BGS 9); 88. Luke Ridnour (BGS 9); 89. Mickael Pietrus (BGS 8.5).
LEVEL THREE ROOKIES (GLASS)
90. Chris Kaman (BGS 9); 93. Jarvis Hayes (BGS 8.5); 94. T.J. Ford (BGS); 95. Kirk Hinrich (BGS 9.5); 96. Chris Bosh (BGS 9); 97. Dwayne Wade (BGS 9); 98. Carmelo Anthony (BGS 9); 99. Darko Milicic (BGS 9); 100. LeBron James (BGS 9.5).
AUTO FOCUS SIGNED CARDS
Carmelo Anthony (BGS 8.5); Troy Bell (BGS 7.5 10 AUTO); Darius Miles (BGS 8); Chris Kaman (BGS 8.5 10 AUTO); Shane Battier (BGS 8.5 10 AUTO); Reece Gaines (BGS 9); Brian Cook (BGS 8); Gary Payton(BGS 8.5).
