1992-93 Upper Deck Basketball Wax Packs: Which Series Holds the Shaq Rookie

Two series, one season

The 1992-93 set runs to 510 cards: a low series of 310 and a high series of 200. Hobby and retail foil packs held 15 cards in both series. Upper Deck also sold 27-card locker and jumbo packs. Hobby boxes held 36 packs.

High-series packs mixed in low-series cards as well as the new ones, which is why the high numbers are a little harder to complete. Listings and boxes for the second series are labelled High Series. If a pack listing names neither series, assume it is low series until the seller shows the wrapper.

Where Shaq is

This is the whole reason most people buy these packs, and the answer differs by series:

• High series: Shaquille O'Neal's card #1, issued as a short print. It is his most sought-after Upper Deck rookie.
• Low series: no Shaq card at all. Upper Deck could not include him at first, so low-series packs carried a Trade Upper Deck card instead, which collectors mailed in for a Shaq card. The offer ran from January 1 to June 30, 1993.

The trade card itself is now a collectible with "Trade Card" across the top, and it sells for much less than the pack-issued #1. So a low-series pack gives you a chance at the trade card. Only a high-series pack gives you a chance at the Shaq most collectors want.

The rest of the rookie class

Shaq overshadows a strong 1992 draft class in this set:

• Alonzo Mourning (#2) and Christian Laettner (#3)
• Robert Horry (#7) and Malik Sealy (#10)
• Latrell Sprewell, Tom Gugliotta and Clarence Weatherspoon
• Jim Jackson and Doug Christie, both short prints in the high series

None of them is a reason to buy a pack on their own, but a clean Mourning or Sprewell is a pleasant pull.

The top of that draft explains the order of the checklist. Orlando took O'Neal first overall, Charlotte took Mourning second and Minnesota took Laettner third, fresh from the 1992 Olympic Dream Team as its only college player. Upper Deck numbered the cards in that order, which is why the first few cards of the set carry most of its rookie value.

Pack, box or locker pack?

A single 15-card pack is the cheapest ticket. A 27-card locker or jumbo pack nearly doubles the cards for a modest premium, but those formats turn up less often and are harder to judge from photos. A 36-pack hobby box gives the most chances at the high-series Shaq for the money, and it removes the searching risk that hangs over loose packs. If you plan to open more than about ten high-series packs, a sealed high-series box is usually the better buy.

Inserts

Price, and the listing to avoid

Single packs from this season usually sell for a few dollars, low series cheapest. When we checked on October 6, 2026, the only listing attached to this product was an empty 1992-93 Upper Deck jumbo-pack display box, with no packs in it, at $4.95. Empty display boxes are routinely listed with titles that read like product, so check the photos and the condition field before buying. In the same check, a 1991-92 pack was listed from $3.49. A full 1992-93 box is the better buy for anyone who wants several chances at the high-series Shaq. Make sure the box is High Series.

Is the pack real and unsearched?

These packs were printed in huge numbers, so fakes are not the concern. Searching is. Upper Deck foil packs from the early 1990s can be felt or weighed for thicker hologram inserts, and loose packs from a broken box carry that risk. Look for crimps that are flat and even at both ends, with no glue or re-crimping. Treat any pack sold as "possible Shaq" as a pack someone has already decided not to open. Buying a sealed box removes the question. Dealers at card shows often sell vintage packs singly, so you can inspect the crimps first. On eBay:

• 1992-93 Upper Deck Basketball High Series pack sealed
• 1992-93 Upper Deck Basketball High Series hobby box