deftone20@bellsouth.net

State Of The Hobby – April 1992

By 1992, I was starting to drive (learner’s permit) and began hitting the baseball field at high school. I was also still heavily investing in baseball cards. One of the differences for me from ’91 to ’92 was that I was turning my less than average landscaping abilities into weekly cash. I was mowing a couple of church lots from time to time but my weekly gig was at a local insurance company in Camilla. I would pop on my headphones, lose all touch with reality and mow that yard for about an hour and a half. It was a push mower but it was one of those fancy self assist jobbies that did most of the work for you. So it was me, Gin Blossoms and Pearl Jam on those hot summer days just dreaming about the cards I would buy with that $20 I was about to make.My prime target in 1992 was Donruss. I liked the design (still do in relation to other 90’s Donruss) and the price was reasonable for a 15 year old on a lawn mowing budget. But more than that, there was an insert found in ’92 Donruss that was originally introduced in ’91 that made me say a little prayer before opening every pack. If you collected during that time, you likely know the feeling of that chase well. Donruss Elite was like nothing ever before as it related to chase cards. Sure, ’90 Upper Deck introduced the random autograph but there were only 2,500 of those and I knew that was impossible. On the flip side, Elite was printing 10,000 of each player and while that sounds like a lot by today’s serial number standards, that was a drop in the bucket compared to production runs.I remember one of my best friends pulling an Andre Dawson in 1991 and it was the only one I ever saw pulled. I never pulled an Elite card from a pack. I did pull a Legend Series Robin Yount about 4 years ago from an old box of ’92 and that was pretty dang exciting! I can only imagine that I may have passed out from sheer joy if I had pulled a Ken Griffey Jr. or Nolan Ryan back in the early 90’s. Andre Dawson wasn’t even a HUGE name but my friend bounced around his room for about an hour. In 1992, subsets were ramping up in popularity as you’ll see when we get to the pricing section of this post. Fleer Ultra, Stadium Club and Leaf were taking over the premium set domination while Upper Deck was lost in the same basic design from ’89. They were still premium but they had not come very far in my opinion.The cover of the Beckett that I used for this look back to 1992 was listed in my top 12 favorites that I posted a few weeks ago. It had to have been a shot that Topps had in the file from the ’92 Topps collection as it is next to that same batting screen with the same jersey and bat. It’s almost the same pose except he replaced his smile with a stoic look. There was a major player on the back of the magazine too and I’ll save it as my last photo. It’s one of the other reasons this is on my favorite list. So without further ado, let’s take a look at what was happening in the world of baseball cards in 1992.This magazine was from April 1992 and hit store shelves just before opening day. Inside, there were a couple of prediction pieces that were interesting to read and compare to actual results. They hit a couple on the head but also whiffed on a few. That’s pretty standard for all prediction pieces. It’s important to remember that the two leagues had only two divisions each back then as well. The divisions were split up into the East and West and regionally they made no sense. There was also just one playoff round before the World Series. Beckett predicted the final standings as follows, with the actual winners in bold.

• NL West – Atlanta, Cincinnati, LA, San Fran, San Diego and Houston – They got the top 2 right here
• NL East – NY, Pittsburgh, St Louis, Philly, Montreal and Chicago – Most people remember the epic playoff matchup between Atlanta and Pittsburgh. But do you remember that Montreal finished 2nd that year in the division? The Mets finished 24 games out.
• AL West – Chicago, Oakland, KC, Minnesota, Seattle, Texas and California – Oakland pulled out the division with Minnesota finishing 6 games out.
• AL East – Toronto, Boston, Baltimore, Detroit, NY, Milwaukee and Cleveland – They nailed the AL East but the surprise in 1992 was Milwaukee finishing only 4 games out of first place. Their second place prediction finished last, 23 games out.They also predicted the major awards for the upcoming season but that is even tougher than final standings. This is almost impossible when factoring in injuries, trades and other issues that come into play over a 162 game season. But it is interesting to look at what the expectations were at the beginning of the season vs. how the actual players ended up. Beckett’s prediction is listed first (along with how they finished) with the actual winner listed after.

• AL MVP – Cecil Fielder (9th) – Dennis Eckersley – Eck finished with a 7-1 record, 51 saves and a 1.91 ERA
• NL MVP – Bobby Bonilla (NR) – Barry Bonds – Bobby Bo was a bust in ’92 with a .249 average, 19 home runs and 70 RBI
• AL HR – Cecil Fielder (35) – Juan Gonzalez (43) – This helped the price of the ’91 Donruss Reverse Negative
• NL HR – Daryl Strawberry (5) – Fred McGriff (35) – Straw only played in 43 games in ‘92
• AL Batting Champ – Wade Boggs (.259) – Edgar Martinez (.343) – The worst batting average Boggs had in his career
• NL Batting Champ – Hal Morris (.271) – Gary Sheffield (.330) – Also one of Morris’ worst batting averages of his career
• AL Cy Young – Roger Clemens (3rd) – Eckersley – Hard to argue with the numbers above
• NL Cy Young – Ramon Martinez (NR) – Greg Maddux – Martinez was 8-11 with a 4.00 ERA and Maddux was 20-11 with a 2.18 ERA. Tom Glavine finished 2nd.I would be remiss if I didn’t include this beautiful article about my main guy, Ronnie Gant. The Hot list hadn’t changed at the top much since 1991 but Atlanta Braves were starting to take over with Avery (3rd), Justice (4th), Klesko (13), Gant (20), Glavine (26) and the Braves as a team (22). Meanwhile, Sportsflics just couldn’t catch a break with readers.I also remember full spread ads from card companies like this Fleer ad. Of course, I also remember this Rocket insert as being pretty sweet. “Over 2,000 signed”!On to pricing and we have to start with the 1982 Topps Cal Ripken that was now hovering at$70. Ron Guidry on the other hand was about to see his last month in the price guide.1983 Topps was rolling along as well as Ryno, Gwynn and Boggs were all high value cards.I had to check in on the 1984 Fleer Update set and much to my surprise, it continued to rise. Two cards over $200!1984 Donruss was also a big hit with Darryl Strawberry checking in at $65, Don Mattingly at $60 and Joe Carter at $35. Carter was in store for a huge season and postseason as well!We are beginning to see the downfall of Jose Canseco and his 1986 Donruss. We were only a year away from a baseball bouncing off of his head and into the stands for a homerun. We all should have gotten out right around this time.Fleer was the king in 1987 with Will Clark at $30 and Bo Jackson at $22.And what do we have here? Ron Gant at $7 and rising in ’88 Fleer.The ever popular 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. was still climbing in value.1990 Leaf was otherworldly with Frank Thomas at $70, Dave Justice at $40, Ken Griffey Jr. at $24 and Steve Avery at $20. Totally out of place with other 1990 sets!I had TOTALLY forgotten how in demand 1992 Donruss Diamond King was when it came out. Look at these prices!!Another extremely hot insert set for 1992 was Fleer Rookie Sensations. The 20 card set was checking in at $175!There were a ton of great reader comments from this edition so I had to really think about which ones were pertinent to this post. This one was included because it gives some of the young guys a glimpse at the selling options before eBay, Twitter and all the other online sites. “Place an ad in your local newspaper.”We have a Ron Kittle mention here so I had to include this one.I laughed at how literal this reader took Beckett’s previous advice in this one.Here’s a new feature that wasn’t included in the ’90 or ’91 editions I covered. Cardboard Art has now come to our modern technology with the Twitter follow @bsblcardvandals.The shows were still going strong in ’92 but had decreased from 22 pages to 20. Still a ton and the guests were out of this world. Look at these two ads for card shows in Pittsburgh and California.The last item of note was this sweet interview with Nolan Ryan. He had some pretty fun answers including, “I looked into buying one of my rookie cards one time, but it was so darn expensive, I changed my mind.” He goes on to say that he offered a dealer a free pitching lesson in exchange for a rookie card and was denied.The other reason this is one of my favorite Beckett’s – the back cover!

Baseball cards were still trending in the right direction in 1992. New products were including highly sought after cards and the stars from the 80’s were at the peak of their careers and driving up the value on their early cards. Some of the rookies from ’89 and ’90 were stumbling while some of the others that were mediocre their rookie season were starting to take off. Unfortunately, we were getting close to a crash and didn’t know it. We were flying on wings of cardboard that were getting dangerously close to the sun. But we weren’t quite there yet. We were still living it up at card shows and buying product all over town. We’ll take a look at 1993 next week and we might see some signs starting to surface. But as for 1992, there may be no other year I’d rather go back to and experience again in card collecting!

J-Dub

1992 Studio – Better Than Olan Mills

In 1992, I was as deep in the hobby as I’ve ever been. I was buying every pack I saw, subscribed to Beckett and was trading cards like the Wolf of Wall Street. I was 15 years old, playing sports year round and was a master at all the hottest sports video games. It truly was an amazing time to be alive. The Braves were coming off of a tough 7 game World Series loss but the future was bright and we were saying it was going to be our year. Dave Justice was blossoming into a star, Glavine and Smoltz were dominating on the mound and Sid Bream was preparing for the 100 yard dash in the ’92 Olympics. I’m telling you, it was a good year!

Baseball card sets were multiplying by 1992 as well. Upper Deck was in its 4th year, Leaf was in its 3rd and Stadium Club was a second year player. Another set that got its start in 1991 was Studio, issued by Donruss/Leaf. The inaugural season for Studio brought a very unique set to the hobby with black and white photos of players in a studio setting. These were all posed shots but not the kind we were used to on the field. I remember thinking they were really classy looking and unique. I also remember picturing players showing up at the mall for their shoot like we did as a family each year at Olan Mills. There were some great photos in that first set including Steve Lake with his parrot and Doug Drabek with a sultry over the shoulder “come hither” look.

In 1992, Studio made a couple of changes to their design. The first was the move from a reddish maroon border to a gold border. It actually works for this type of card as opposed to what Skybox tried in 1990. They also went from black and white photos to color with a black and white action shot in the background. I think that ’92 was a very nice upgrade from ’91. In fact, I think that ’92 was the best Studio set of the series as later issues got away from borders and the whole “in-studio” feel. I appreciated ’91 but I loved ’92. They also introduced an insert called “Heritage Series” in ’92 which pictured a current star in a throwback uniform. These were foil stamped and had a green border. They were even classier than the base set. Even the card stock was upgraded in ’92.

The box offered more cards than was standard in 1992. There were a whopping 48 packs with 12 cards in each pack. The set was only 264 cards and the box offered 576 cards so in theory, you could build 2 sets with a box if collation was perfect. Alas, as with most products in ’92, collation was far from perfect and I didn’t even build 1 set with my box. I came painfully close but I have a ton of dupes (also trips and some quads). I did hold out 4 unopened packs to random with this post so it’s possible those hold the remaining cards to complete my set. The only inserts in the set are the Heritage Series and I pulled 5 of those, with one being a dupe. Most of the photos in the set are classy poses in uniforms or warm ups but a few of them are wacky like in ’91. Don’t worry, I’ll lay those out in this post for your viewing pleasure.

Much like the front of Studio cards, the back was unique from most other sets as well. They did not lay out the season stats over the years with a little tidbit of information. In contrast, almost the entire back of Studio is information about the player with only a tidbit of stats. Some of the information is much needed as well. For instance, Ben McDonald’s hobby was alligator wrestling and Larry Walker’s was magic. The more you know my friends! Another interesting piece of the back was the “Loves/Hates To Face” section. McDonald struggled against Rickey Henderson who was .500 in his career with 2 bombs at print run. Meanwhile, Walker feasted on Greg Harris with a .643 average and 3 bombs. If there is one back that I can appreciate that was void of stats, it’s ’92 Studio.

Here is a look at what was hiding in those foil wrappers.

The checklist for ’92 Studio offered a great range of players from first year prospects to future Hall of Famers winding down. This first photo is a nice group of veteran stars that included some great posed shots. I wish Ripken hadn’t been wearing the batting helmet in his but you can’t have it all, right? This set offered an image of players that was not available in most other sets. There were some inserts that provided studio shots but these were top notch. This group would come pretty close to an all decade team with a couple of missing pieces found in the next section.

This next group of players were the guys that I loved to collect in the 90’s. Some are Hall of Famers now but some may never gain that distinction. Either way, these were the guys that I had in binder pages growing up. Hard to beat that Ken Griffey Jr shot! Randy Johnson had a nice card too with him holding broken bats, an obvious nod to his overpowering fastball. And I think Clemens is the only card in the set that doesn’t have a studio photo. I’m not sure what happened with this one unless he missed his appointment. I know Olan Mills was a stickler about missed appointments.

Then we have the hot young studs of the early 90’s. All of these guys were highly touted at some point between 89-92 and most of them never panned out. A few of them had pretty solid careers like Juan Gonzalez and John Olerud but none of them ever reached the status we thought they would when we were scooping their cards up. Maybe our expectations were too high. I know that in 1992, I would’ve been laughing all the way to the bank with this haul. I even pulled Gregg Jeffries and Todd Zeile in the same pack!

Somewhere along the way when these photos were being shot, I see the photographer saying, “Ok, just let loose. Be silly and have fun with this!” Then there was blackmail and demands weren’t met and these cards ended up in the set. I don’t know any other reason why Charlie Hayes would want to be depicted on a baseball card like this. And what is Pedro Guerrero thinking? Clearly, Rob Dibble is embracing the 90’s with his Top Gun pose. Jose Lind has a samurai and Norm Charlton is giving himself a hug. What is going on here?

I pulled all of the Braves except Steve Avery and Mark Lemke. For some reason, John Smoltz wasn’t included in the set and he was coming off a stellar postseason in the ’91 playoffs. I don’t understand the inclusion of Greg Olson to be honest but it’s not the end of the world. I pulled 5 Gant’s and I may send one of those off for TTM.

Lastly, we have the Heritage Series. These are some really sweet cards. They are pictured in throwback uni’s and they all have gold foil borders and sepia photographs. Lovely insert set!

So that’s a look at 1992 Studio some 25 years later. The cards held up in very good condition and the packs had a very nice aroma as compared to other premium sets I’ve revisited recently. The box offers a staggering 48 packs to sift through and I paid a meager $10 for this box. Like I said before, I think this is Studio’s best effort and I like these cards a lot. They are clean, classy, “junk waxy”, cheap and nostalgic. They are basic too for the old school set builder with only one insert set added to the base. I’d rip another box of this for $10 and not bat an eye. The checklist offers Hall of Famers, Stars and Rookie Prospects from the heart of my collecting days. The only drawback with this set is collation but that can be said about almost all sets from 1992. I opened one pack that had 3 doubles in the 12 cards. That’s half the pack for the mathematically challenged. Even with that drawback, I’m giving this set a 4 on the Dub-O-Meter. You really can’t beat this set in terms of early 90’s sets. I think the phrase gets passed around a lot but this set sincerely takes me back to when collecting was fun. This set is all about the visual aspect of card collecting. I encourage you to find a box of this and give it a rip!

J-Dub

Scoring Scale
1. Let me be the sacrificial lamb so you don’t have to buy these cards. Just read the post and thank me later.
2. There is worse but there is much better – not worth the effort though.

3. Middle of the road – I wouldn’t talk you into buying these but I certainly wouldn’t talk you out of them.

4. You should probably go out and buy a box and enjoy the rip – I did! It has some downside but worth the ride.

5. Stop reading and find a box to buy and get to Breaking! What are you waiting on?

State Of The Hobby – November 1991

My post “State Of The Hobby – 1990” was met with positive reviews and even some requests to follow up with more similar posts. As I am a blogger who aims to please, I felt the urge to do so. It also helps that I enjoyed browsing that old Beckett and seeing those 1989 Donruss Rated Rookies priced at that moment in time when I was buying them. If you collected in the late 80’s and early 90’s, I encourage – nay, I demand – you find a Beckett Magazine from that era and just read through it. There are things that you’ll remember immediately and then there are some that you will have totally forgotten about. Those forgotten tidbits are the gems that make the $5 investment worth every penny.

The last post covered the time that Jerome Walton, Ricky Jordan and Ben McDonald were vying for young superstar supremacy with Ken Griffey Jr. By the time this 1991 edition of Beckett was printed, Jr. had left those guys in the dust and a new crop of 2^nd year players were endearing themselves to collectors. Guys like Kevin Maas and Scott Erickson were outperforming Frank Thomas and John Olerud in value. Another hot young stud named Phil Plantier was making Jeff Bagwell and Ivan Rodriguez look like chopped liver. The biggest takeaway from reading this edition was that baseball cards were skyrocketing in value and we were at the very beginning of the bubble that would burst just a few short seasons later.

Card Shows Were As Abundant As 90 Donruss

Perhaps nothing encapsulated card hysteria in 1991 like the card show calendar. The calendar at the back of the magazine was 22 pages long…..22 PAGES!!! There was a card show happening in every state including 1 in Hawaii, 3 in Idaho, 1 in Montana and 1 in the Virgin Islands. There were 143 card shows for November in the state of Texas. This was the height of the hobby that I remember when I was 14. Premium cards were another hot item and they were met with hot and cold reactions from collectors as you’ll see when we get to the “Readers Write” section.

Enough rambling, let’s jump into the card collecting world from November, 1991.

Bo graced the cover of this magazine just like he did in the 1990 edition I covered. However, a lot had happened for Bo since that 1990 Beckett. This cover has him in a White Sox jersey with a card in the lower left that says, “Bo’s Back!” He was about 10 months removed from the hip injury that ended his football career and his time in Kansas City. He was also climbing back up the Hot List as it reveals he was 20^th after being 29^th the month before.

The inside cover is a wonderful artist rendering of Jose Canseco. I would love to have the actual print of this but I’m sure it’s hanging on Eric Norton’s wall at Beckett at this point. What a beautiful photo!

The first article I read was this gem titled, “Ho-Jo’s Ris-in”. It was interesting because I don’t remember Johnson having numbers this impressive. He had reached the 30-30 club for the third time in 1991 and at the time, was ranked 2^nd in franchise history for home runs and 3^rd for stolen bases. I don’t remember Ho-Jo being a base stealer but boy, was he ever. He was a prime candidate for NL MVP in 1991 according to this piece.

The second article was on the superstars from the Mississippi State Bulldogs, beating 30 for 30 to the punch by about 25 years. Included in the article was a rundown of Will Clark, Rafael Palmeiro, Bobby Thigpen and Jeff Brantley. As usual there was a baseball card spin to the article that made you want to seek out those cards.

Then we have an advertisement for the Ken Griffey Jr. Arena Holograms cards. This REALLY took me back. I remember collecting Jr. and Frank Thomas in these cards. They took out a full page ad to display them too. This was one of those forgotten gems.

There’s also an interesting article that could get an overhaul since 26 years have passed. “Most Memorable Mashes” covered a list of memorable home runs over the years. 1988 was the last year featured and it would probably be fun to complete the list with what’s happened since. Mark McGwire, Sammy Sosa, Ken Griffey Jr., Barry Bonds and Albert Pujols are just a few that have had big time home runs since that time.

· 1951 – Bobby Thompson’s “Shot Heard Round the World” Wins Pennant for Giants

· 1953 – Mickey Mantle hits 565 Ft Home Run

· 1960 – Bill Mazeroski HR Beats Yanks in World Series

· 1961 – Maris Breaks Babe’s Season HR Mark

· 1974 – Hank Aaron Breaks Ruth’s All Time HR Record

· 1978 – Bucky Dent Breaks Boston’s Heart

· 1988 – Kirk Gibson Seals Oakland’s Fate

Here’s a nice spread of Bo’s cards from 1986-1991, surprisingly leaving out the ’87 Topps Future Star.

I then found myself at the “Readers Write” section which was fun to read then but is even more of a blast now. It really gives you a look into what was going through our minds as collectors back then.The first was “Bogged Down” in which a reader blamed dealers for “false increases in newer cards just to pad their pockets.” I think the response from Beckett set the record straight on this one by breaking down demand of certain new cards vs. older rookies.“Speaking Out” and “Speaking Out II” covered the frustration that collectors were beginning to see as pricing for singles, packs and boxes were starting to rise. It makes me miss when $4.00 packs were considered highway robbery.The final piece I found interesting was a question about the 1991 Topps Desert Storm cards. With this being 1991, it seems that no one had a real handle on the production. We were all even less sure of how value would look in the future. Hindsight is 20/20 I suppose.

Before we move to pricing, there was the Hot and Cold list. The Hot List had some familiar names with Frank Thomas (1) and Ken Griffey Jr. (2) but Scott Erickson came in at #3. This was right after his dominant rookie season and the ’91 World Series for Minnesota. Meanwhile, Kevin Maas and Todd Van Poppel were dropping like rocks. It was time to get out of those investments but I held on too long. The Cold List featured some solid names with Jose Canseco (also on the Hot List), Pete Rose, Don Mattingly (Hot List) and Bo Jackson (Hot List). But this is the first indication that we are about to see some disappointed Jerome Walton collectors as he checks in at #7.

There is a lot to cover in pricing because we were experiencing some record breaking prices around this time for sports cards.

1982 Topps – Here we are starting to see Cal Ripken’s Rookie Cards start to take off. It was $52 and climbing as of publication date.

1983 Donruss – Here’s that bump Ho-Jo was experiencing.

1983 Topps – Ryne Sandberg’s Rookies weren’t far behind Cal.

1983 Topps Traded – Holy Cow! Look at that Daryl Strawberry XRC!

1984 Donruss – I had to check back in on the Kevin McReynolds from my 1990 post. I found that it was starting to come back down to earth. Side note – Tony Fernandez RC looked pretty good here.

1984 Donruss – This set was also the home of a $75 Don Mattingly RC.

1984 Fleer Update – This set was still rocking and rolling with a huge $240 Roger Clemens, $185 Kirby and a $120 Doc Gooden.

1986 Donruss – Jose Canseco was hovering at $90 and was Priority #1 on my needs list. It was worth $60 in my last post.

1987 – Topps has clung to that wood grain design for 30 years now and when you look at prices of the sets from that year, it makes me wonder where Topps would have been with a generic design.

1989 Upper Deck – The world famous Ken Griffey Jr. #1 card was worth $13.50 in “State of the Hobby – 1990”. One year later, it had risen to $55.00 and wasn’t even half way to its peak. Hide your eyes Jerome Walton Collectors!

1990 Leaf – For a set from 1990, these prices were astronomical. Frank Thomas was $60 and rising and Dave Justice was $28.

1991 Fleer Pro Visions – I’m not the only one who liked Pro Visions!

1991 Leaf Gold Bonus – These were as hot as a firecracker in November 1991.

1991 Stadium Club – The “Leaf of ‘91”, Stadium Club was turning the hobby upside down with its UV coating and partnership with Kodak. We get our first glimpse at Boston Slugger Phil Plantier at $9 and rising.

The last section of note in this edition is the aforementioned Card Show Calendar. This was pretty unbelievable to see with my 2017 eyes. The card shows were blowing up all over the country! Look at this one spread and multiple that for 22 pages. Totally unreal!!

And what’s a card show section without an example of the autographs you could hit at one of those shows. At a show in Arizona, you could get autographs of Rickey Henderson, Rafael Palmeiro, Ronnie Lott and Roger Craig for a total of $53! There were numerous shows in November that were featuring Frank Thomas anywhere from $6-$10. Do you realize how big of a name Frank Thomas was in November 1991?? He was #1 on the Hot List for a reason!

So as you can see by this revisit to 1991, the sports card industry was reaching unbelievable heights. Card shows were popping up everywhere, card companies were starting to innovate in new and imaginative ways, some of the most recognized players in baseball history were at or near their peak and Bo was Back! Hopefully you’ve enjoyed another look back to the heyday of collecting for me. Maybe you collected at that same time and all of this is refreshing your memory. Or maybe you’re a younger collector and don’t really understand just how big this hobby was in 1991. Either way, the examples listed here should give you a pretty good idea. The fun doesn’t end in 1991 though. I can’t wait to get to ’92 and see what pricing was doing on Donruss Elite!

J-Dub

Camilla’s Always Home

I like to think I had a pretty normal childhood. I grew up in a small town in Southwest Georgia during what I call, “the greatest time to be a kid”. The town was Camilla and the time was the 80’s. I’m sure people who grew up in the 60’s and 70’s think that about their childhood as well but they didn’t have Transformers, He-Man and VHS tapes! Aside from some of the mainstream items that were popular in the 80’s there were some other local fun that Camilla provided to the kids. I plan to cover a lot of the fun I had as a kid in that small town of 5,000 but I’m sure my readers have some of their own favorite memories that may not be the same in my memory bank.

I moved away from Camilla when I was 20 but I still go back quite often as my family, and my wife’s family, still call it home. I technically still call it home too but I haven’t lived there in 20 years. But that’s why they are called “hometowns” to begin with, right? Because I go back to Camilla periodically, I have been able to see it change over the years, all in the name of progress. And because I don’t live there anymore, I haven’t embraced the changes like a local resident might. So with that in mind, this piece is not meant as a slight in any way to the local businesses in town in 2017. I’ll cover plenty of closed establishments that are now new stores. But this is coming from an entirely nostalgic perspective and is not meant as an indictment on the businesses that have taken their place. This is less about economy and more about memories.

We went to Camilla this past weekend for our niece’s 1^st birthday and we had to stop at Wal-Mart to pick something up on the way in. I think about it often but this time, I really stopped to think about the placement of the new Wal-Mart and the history of the area as it dates back to my childhood. For those of you who haven’t been back to Camilla over the last several years, the old Wal-Mart closed and a new building went up right next door to it behind the old Phillips 66. To enter the Wal-Mart parking lot coming from US 19 N, you have to turn in on the access road that runs between Mitchell County Ford and the “new” Phillips 66. As I rode through that specific area, certain memories flooded back into my mind. That’s what initially triggered this post but as we went through Camilla, my senses were heightened and I rattled off all the “old stores” that used to be around.

Back to the new Wal-Mart, that is always the first place my mind goes because it’s the first location I get to when I come into town. The old Wal-Mart used to be the anchor tenant of the most frequented strip center in Mitchell County. When I was a kid, the strip center was also home to Winn-Dixie, Subway, Video Superstore and a couple of local clothing stores. Subway is all that remains from that time, although Ming Yong opened up when I was a teen and is still there. The old Wal-Mart is now a Marvin’s Home Improvement Store AND a Hibbett’s Sporting Goods. The Winn-Dixie is a dark, empty space. The Video Superstore is long gone and is now the home of a beauty supply. VS is probably the most missed for my nostalgia and got its own post HERE.

This original Wal-Mart location was the first place I ever picked up baseball cards. I remember that card cube like it was yesterday. It was loaded with ’89 Donruss, ’89 Score, card supplies and Beckett magazines. It was the first place I went every time I entered the store. I didn’t care what our reason for being there was; this was the only business I needed to conduct. I don’t miss “Wal-Mart” because it’s right next door. But I do miss the old building because it’s what I grew up with if that makes any sense. I don’t really like the new Wal-Mart and it’s probably just for sentimental reasons. Not only did it move out of the building I was always familiar with, it completed the destruction of another spot that I frequented often as a kid, even though the memories of this place weren’t always warm and fuzzy. But even those memories are a big part of my youth and I always hate to see them wiped out.

The gas station that now sits in the location in front of Wal-Mart used to be a full service gas station, Phillips 66. The gas station I am referring to is the small 2 bay garage type that sat in the middle of a large dirt parking lot. In the back of the station, there was a place to park a couple of semi trucks and that’s where my dad kept his truck when it wasn’t at the house. It was that dirt parking lot where I spent many Saturdays helping him change tires or change oil or replace carburetors. To be honest, I didn’t know what we were doing half the time; I just knew that I was hot, bored and working on a non-school day. Worse than that was the 4:00 mornings that dad would need to go tarp a load to protect it from rain, which couldn’t be done alone very easily. I still remember walking on top of a load of lumber trying to stretch a tarp out in a light drizzle, still half asleep. I’d get back home just in time to fall asleep and have to wake back up for school.

Hardee’s California Raisin Table Ad 1987

Before we leave this northern corridor of Camilla, we have to remember what a big deal having Hardee’s open up was. In the southwest parking area of the Wal-Mart strip center, Hardee’s broke ground and introduced me to my all time favorite breakfast, the chicken biscuit. I still eat chicken biscuits at Pearly’s every Saturday but remember those Hardee’s days fondly. This was where I collected the full set of California Raisins that came with kids meals and the cinnamon raisin biscuit, which Granddaddy (Grover) would often eat. It was also where I would take my lunch breaks when I worked at Video Superstore. The food at Hardee’s sustained me for a good 10-12 years before it eventually changed over to a Popeye’s. Now, it’s a brand new looking Taco Bell and I have yet to eat there.

We have to go back a few years before the Wal-Mart and Winn-Dixie to get to the next memorable location on my list. This spot has been gone for quite some time but my first experience as a student was at the Camilla Playschool. This was my first taste of “school” and “classrooms” and I met a few friends there that would stay with me all the way through High School graduation. I don’t remember a ton from those days but I remember what the class rooms looked like, the playground and some of the faces from there. I have taken a ride by there more than a few times just to remember the area. I don’t really know what the building is now but it hasn’t been a playschool for probably 30 years.

Back when I was going to the playschool on Stephens Street, my grandfather was the fire chief in Camilla. The fire department was a small 2 story building that is still there and operates as a pediatrician’s office if I am correct. This was an old school fire department where the firemen slept upstairs and could look over a railing and see all the fire equipment. There was the famous fireman’s pole that helped them move quickly to the trucks when the bell rang. One of the most vivid memories I have from that old fire department was the wooden ramp that was behind it that had fire hoses stretched out on it. It was as good as any playground equipment I had access to and I would run up and down it much to my grandfather’s chagrin. A newer public safety complex was built within eyesight of the old fire department when I was 11 or 12 and was much more safety oriented and thus not kid friendly.

Around the time I was running up and down on the hose ramp (I don’t know what it’s official name was), there was a store out in front of the P&C bank that had a lot neat toys for us kids to go look at. As far as toys were concerned, there weren’t many places to shop before Wal Mart opened in ’85-’86 so this was a hot spot if you wanted to pick up the sweet item that was running on Saturday morning commercials. The store served a much greater purpose I’m sure but there is one memory that I have about Western Auto that makes it worthy of remembrance still today. The memory is one of Optimus Prime. The #1 cartoon on Saturday morning for me and my friends was Transformers. The series has come a long way from its roots in 1984. But when this cartoon hit the morning rotation, it was can’t miss TV. The hero of the show was Optimus Prime, Leader of the Autobots. This Western Auto is where I scored my first Optimus toy and I will forever have a soft spot for that semi truck that turned into a walking robot. I wish I still had it. Not only for the memory but a quick scan of eBay shows that these original toys sell for around $1,500 today. I always used to mess with my dad about his old baseball cards being thrown out but I guess I did the same thing with ole Optimus Prime.

Another retail hot spot before the chains and supercenters arrived was the Curtis Mathes TV Store on Broad Street. As a matter of fact, I think I found a photo of the exact TV we owned when I was a kid. You know, back in the days when the kids were the remote control. I remember seeing the end of Friday the 13^th on this TV and being scared of The Incredible Hulk. Aside from the TV though, the big draw for me at Curtis Mathes was the VHS rental room they had in the back of the store. This was the first place I found VHS tapes and likely began my lifelong obsession of watching corny horror movies. I can close my eyes and still see the way the videos were all lined up. Even though I went on to work at the epic Video Superstore and Movie Gallery when I was older, I cut my movie teeth in that Curtis Mathes.

Parking Lot of BC Moore’s Looks Much Like It Did In 1988

You can’t talk retail and 80’s without a mention of B.C. Moore’s on Scott Street. I probably got 95% of my wardrobe from B.C. Moore’s when I was 12. They had t-shirts, shorts, church clothes, ties and belts. But what I remember most about the store was the shoe section. I got many a Chuck Taylor at that store growing up. When I was a kid, they were neon yellow and orange and were actually original. We never parked in the front, instead opting for rear parking where the concrete ramp where merchandise was wheeled into the store from trucks was located. If the firehouse hose ramp was fun, imagine this concrete ramp for an adventurous young boy. It’s so weird the things that stick out in your mind when you think about some old memories.

Old Piggly Wiggly – Now Farmers Home Furniture

Before Winn-Dixie came to town, the grocery store that got all of our business was the great Piggly Wiggly. I remember loading up on 1989 Topps baseball cards at Piggly Wiggly because I could get Donruss and Score at Wal-Mart. But interestingly enough, that’s not the most vivid memory I have of the store. That memory belongs to the old President’s card game that was an occasional promotion there. I can’t find any information on it now but back then, you received a card with all of the president’s names. If memory serves, you were given a couple of tags or tickets when you bought groceries and you peeled them back much like the McDonald’s Monopoly game of today. You had to match up all the tags with the names on the card and you would win some extravagant prize. Not surprisingly, we never completed the cards but I can always remember a couple of presidents that were rumored to be very rare. For some reason, I remember pulling a ton of McKinley’s and Taft’s. I learned more about our presidents playing that game than I ever did in school. In the not so fun memory department, I remember flipping a grocery buggy with my baby brother in it one time. I got a good whipping for that one.

Middle School – Front, 7th Grade Homeroom, 5th Grade Hall and Gym

Speaking of what I learned (or didn’t learn) in school, there has been a complete restructuring of the public schools in Camilla. Now, the Elementary, Middle and High School are all at the same location. When I was young, they were in three different areas of the city. I’ve written before about the Elementary School HERE and the High School HERE but one I haven’t written about in great detail (yet) is the Middle School. The Middle School I went to was on South Harney Street and used to be the High School if I am not mistaken. This school holds a ton of memories for me. I played marbles, started collecting baseball cards, went to my first school dance and learned how to play basketball at this school. While a lot of memories are vague and spotty before Middle School, there are many that come in to focus during those years.

Methodist Church & Office During Rebuild

The Middle School was centrally located for the places I went after school. My mom worked at the Camilla United Methodist Church, before and after the lightning strike and I would go to her office most of the time after school. Even when the church was being rebuilt and the office moved to one of the historic houses on Broad, I would still walk up by the hospital (where my grandmother worked) and Dr. Shiver’s office (where my aunt worked) to use the emergency room alley as a shortcut to my destination. Whether it was the actual church or the temporary office, I could get there pretty quickly after school and those were the days when it was much safer to allow your 10 year old to make that trip on foot.

There was another destination I would head to on some school afternoons that was within walking distance. That destination was the old Ambulance Service on East Stephens Street where my aunt worked. As far back as I remember, my aunt was the director of the EMS in Camilla (until a recent retirement) and I would go to her office sometimes with my cousin Adam. We would play basketball or hassle the EMT’s inside about mundane kid problems. There was also a small wooden house across the road that was a storefront aptly named Shiver’s Store. They had candy, drinks and any other snack a 10 year old could desire. The big memory I have of that store was the huge jar of sour pickles they kept on the counter. I bought one every time I went in there and still think about it when I see pickles in a convenience store today.

The other two convenience stores I would frequent in those days were the Stop N Shop at the fork of Scott and Butler and the Suwannee Swifty on Highway 97 at the exit of my neighborhood. I went into the Stop N Shop almost daily either with my dad or granddaddy and would later use the parking lot as a “cut through” for when I was going uptown. The Suwannee Swifty was my before and after school stop where I would get a breakfast hot dog or an occasional pack of ’89 Donruss. Next door to the Suwannee Swifty was Big Boy Meats and next door to that was Cagles, at full operation before the new plant on US 19 was built. That area has changed so much. The old Cagles looks like a kudzu factory now and the Big Boy Meats building was leveled.

Later in my teen years, I would go to Danny Newton’s store late at night with my buddies on the way to Huddle House for a midnight egg sandwich. Newton’s was the only place in town you could get a Mountain Dew and a Fur Coat Care Kit in the same visit. I remember him telling us that he bought about 50 of the fur care kits for $10 at a flea market and was then trying to sell them for $5 apiece. I didn’t even know anybody with a fur coat. I am certain that fur coat owners didn’t frequent that store. You could also stumble in every now and then on a horror or adult movie playing on his black and white TV. It was probably the oddest store in town but we would somehow end up there several times a week. Probably because it was open later than most but the stories we picked up were also a driving force. That location is Kebo’s BBQ now and is still a mighty fine stop on a trip through C-Town.

As the chain stores and strip centers started to pop up in town, one that was a frequent visit for me was the Big B Drug’s shopping center. Big B had a good selection of baseball cards which, if you haven’t guessed by now, is one of the selling points for me in regards to the value of a store. Big B was also a smaller, quicker alternative to having to go to Wal-Mart for essentials. A couple doors down from Big B was “The House of Music” which provided one of the greatest technological advancements ever, the cassette single. I was going through a rap phase when I first started driving and I could buy one song on a cassette there for around $2.50. I didn’t invest in full albums back then as I only wanted what was hot at the time.

At the end of the strip center was the Movie Gallery. When my days ended at the Video Superstore, I moved over to the Movie Gallery to continue my development as a VHS expert. Movie Gallery was a larger corporation and more structured than Video Superstore, which ultimately led to my dissatisfaction with the job. But I was known in my circles as the video store guy for several years of my teen life. I don’t know if that was really good or bad but I still wear it as a badge of honor and have a strong connection with Randall from Clerks every time I watch that classic.

Legion Entrance – Courtesy of Shaun Hall

While all of these places have special memories for me, there is one place that is as bold and vivid in my mind as any memory I have from my Camilla youth. Unfortunately, it has deteriorated beyond belief and is no longer a place of joy and laughter. The American Legion Pool was THE spot to be on a summer afternoon in the late 80’s and early 90’s. The legion was a huge spring fed pool that had a high dive, springboard and the locally famous Super Slide. The water was freezing cold and perfect for the 100 degree South Georgia heat. The pool would open around 1:00 and close at 6:00 if memory serves and those 5 hours were never enough for one day. The Legion is where I mastered the art of being shot down by pretty girls in bathing suits. I was no Rico Suave like Jason Lee or BJ Harris.

Snack Bar and Volleyball Court – Courtesy of Shaun Hall

Aside from swimming, you could spend the day playing a couple of video games (1942 is one I remember), playing ping pong and of course, playing volleyball. Volleyball was where you went to get noticed. There and at the top platform of the Super Slide, where you would stand until the lifeguard blew the whistle to get you down. The worst part about volleyball was that one of the out of bounds lines was the bathroom building and if you hit the ball on the roof, it was slanted away from the volleyball court. You would have to exit the facility altogether and walk in the stickers to go get the ball. The rule was that if you hit it over, you had to go get it, unless you were the young kid that could be forced to go get it. The last time I went to the Legion was for my 10 year High School reunion and I believe I am one of the only ones that swam and tackled the Super Slide. I still have a hard time growing up and I’m 40.

Alas, like many of these other locations from my youth, the Legion is just a memory kept alive through pictures. I don’t know why it fell apart like it did. Maybe the spring stopped feeding the pool and the cost was too high to maintain otherwise. Maybe interest waned but that is hard to believe. Alicia and I both wish it was still open if for no other reason than to take our daughter to experience a fun place we experienced growing up. Unfortunately, I don’t think I could drop her off and pick her up 5 hours later like our parents used to. Things were different in 1988 in more ways than one but I sure do miss those days.

Times change and I understand that as much as anybody. Stores come and go and economies evolve. But that’s not what this was about for me. I truly miss walking into the old Wal-Mart and knowing exactly where I needed to go. I miss Friday Nights at the Video Superstore, where every 17 year old wanted to be. I miss going to see my Papa at the fire department and then riding over to Curtis Mathes to have my mom rent Ghostbusters. I miss hiding from my parents in the dressing room at B.C. Moore’s because I didn’t want dress pants to wear to church. I still wonder about what my life would be like today if I had hit that big prize in the Piggly Wiggly President’s Game.

There are places I didn’t even touch on that are long gone in my hometown. The old wood yard across from Centennial Stadium is now part of the rec department and is cleaned up for soccer fields. The Huddle House closed, AC’s Steakhouse is history, Estelle’s is no more and my high school isn’t even Mitchell-Baker anymore as Baker went back to their county and we are left with just Mitchell County. Many of my friends have moved away, neighbors have changed and I see more people I don’t know than familiar faces when I visit. But some of the faces have remained the same and some of the stores are still open. And every time I go “home”, I see something that reminds me of another time in my life and it takes me back to that familiar place where life was a little easier. And regardless of the modifications to the landscape, that will never change.

Now, if Krispy Chik ever closes, we are going to have some serious problems at the Shiver house.

J-Dub

2017 Panini Classics – Throwback To Junk Wax

Much like Topps Archives, Panini Classics is one of my preferred sets for building among current releases. With so many football releases, I have to just pick a couple that I am going to invest in for boxes and focus on them. I like to pick up packs of as many products as I can get my hands on to experience them but this is one that I really enjoyed ripping last year. It’s a very reasonable set when it comes to pricing and has a very interesting checklist with current stars, hall of famers and some past stars I haven’t thought about since I was a kid. A lot of Panini sets include retired stars but this one has a legitimate vintage feel to me.Much like Archives, you also get a shot at a retired player autograph which is something I love adding to my PC. I remember pulling Harold Carmichael last year and was pretty excited about it. My biggest football pull in the last few years came in 2016 Classics with this Hines Ward #’d to 25! By the time I pulled this, a Classics box was down to about $36. So again, similar to Archives, you can pull a lot of basic semi-stars from yesteryear but you can also stumble on a big hit every now and then. For me, I don’t ask for much more than that. You know me as the guy who loves to break ’89 Donruss so do you really see me busting National Treasures to get those huge hits that are floating around?Today, many of my life’s decisions are about the level of risk I’m willing to take. A nostalgic guy who loves collecting at its roots is not a big risk taker by nature. And that’s really what Panini Classics is; a fairly low risk with a heavy dose of nostalgia, a guaranteed auto and the chance for the occasional jaw dropper. The box is currently running about $70 for 14 packs. The average box promises one autograph, one memorabilia card, a rookie in each pack and one sepia short print (new for 2017). The base set is 300 cards with Current Stars located 1-100, Legends 101-200 and Rookies 201-300. The design itself does not pull from a previous set like Archives and is simply a play on the card sets of my youth. Think about the old Wax I talked about HERE and add some gloss to them. Even the box and packs have a retro look to them. I was able to save a few packs in this box break for my pack collection.

Base Set – Current Stars

The checklist for 1-100 is just how you would imagine. The likes of these three players pictured along with Brady, Luck, Julio, AJ, Freeman and others. Each photo has a pretty cool shot of the player that is very clear with the background being a bit hazy. It reminds me of the new “portrait” feature on the iPhone, which I love by the way. I may have to use that feature for my next personal Topps card!

Base Set – Legends

Here is where I get my money’s worth. This is an unbelievable checklist for an 80’s-90’s DORK such as myself. No retro set is complete without Bo. And look at that sweet Deion in the black jersey. There are also 2 TSB Legends in Ickey Woods and Christian Okoye. I love this section of the checklist.

Base Set – Rookies

I’m not sold on the 2017 rookie class just yet outside of the top running backs but I’m sure there will be some that hit. One thing is for sure; it’s got a fair share of Alabama players which hopefully is a good sign for the rest of us in the SEC this year. Odds are that they’ll just reload like they always do but they lost some major talent.

Career Colors

This insert shows a player in the uniforms they wore during their career. There are some solid names here with Peyton Manning, Jerome Bettis, Marcus Allen and others. The most teams I’ve seen on a card in this checklist is 3. I actually forgot about Emmitt’s time in AZ until seeing this card.

Classic Clashes

This insert features 2 players that had epic matchups over the last 30 years. There are duos like Rice/Deion, Montana/Young, OBJ/Norman and Favre/Rodgers. You know that Howie and Montana had some memorable Bay Area matchups back in the day!

Idolized

As you can guess by the name and this card, this insert features a current star with a player that they emulate or were similar too from the past. There are duos like Ronnie Lott/Kam Chancellor, Brett Favre/Matt Ryan and Devin Hester/Ty”Freak” Hill included.

The Next Level

This insert features a coordinated front and back effort to show stars in their NFL and College uniforms. Brett Favre, Cam Newton, Brian Urlacher and Julio Jones headline this checklist. I always enjoy seeing players in their college colors.

Record Breakers

I don’t know what it is but this is already my favorite base insert of the last several years. I don’t know if it’s the Atari look or what but this design just hits me hard! Luckily, I pulled a Matty Ice as my first card too. Unfortunately, I also pulled Cam Newton and Drew Brees, division foes. But this card is slick! Autographed would be the only way to top this design.

Super Bowl Heroes

This insert set is just what you think by the name. And what Super Bowl Hero set is complete without Joe Montana? The checklist includes Terrell Davis, Eli Manning, Tom Brady, Terry Bradshaw and others.

Gold Parallel

Each card in the set has a gold parallel but they don’t appear to be extremely rare. I pulled 4 in the box of 14 packs.

Sepia Short Prints

These are found one per box on average but I got lucky and pulled a second with Steve Largent, not pictured. Not only is it a sepia exposure, the image is different as well, as shown above.

Memorabilia Card

I pulled a nice Russell Wilson patch but it was a basic one color, numbered to 250. I don’t get overly excited about patch cards but I’m pleased it was a star player.

Autograph

I didn’t pull a retired player like I prefer but I did pull a rookie I have some familiarity with. I hope he performs well in Minnesota and not just because I pulled his auto. The Auto is numbered to 199 and it is a Sticker Auto. We will save the Sticker vs On Card debate for another post.

Surprise Hit!

After I pulled the stated hits in the box, I was excited to see this 1/1 Cameron Wake Timeless Tributes. I like the way Panini makes their 1 of 1 logo a little different than all the other serial numbers. This was an added bonus!

Classics is one of those sets that people either really like or they feel is just “meh”. It’s not a set that will grab the attention of the thrill seekers but it is a solid set for the old school collector in my opinion. In a world where hobby boxes continue to increase in pizazz and cost, Classics remains a reasonable option for the simple cardboard cravings of a collector on a budget. You can still go out and buy 2016 for less than $40 and there are some solid stars to be found. I’ll be picking up a couple more boxes of the product this year. I’m going to give it a 4 on the Dub-O-Meter. Because of the cost and checklist, it’s worthy of ripping and collecting. If it provided 2 autos or 1 guaranteed veteran auto, I could stretch it to a 5. No matter how I finish off the scoring, it is a product I’d recommend if you are a collector like me.

J-Dub

Scoring Scale

1. Let me be the sacrificial lamb so you don’t have to buy these cards. Just read the post and thank me later.
2. There is worse but there is much better – not worth the effort though.

3. Middle of the road – I wouldn’t talk you into buying these but I certainly wouldn’t talk you out of them.

4. You should probably go out and buy a box and enjoy the rip – I did! It has some downside but worth the ride.

5. Stop reading and find a box to buy and get to Breaking! What are you waiting on?

Pigskin & Wax

I made a cheap eBay purchase a couple of weeks ago purely for some nostalgic fun. I bought a series of Topps Football packs from 1987-1991; one pack for each year. This lot intrigued me because I hadn’t opened these particular years of Topps Football in quite some time and there are some pretty solid rookies to be had. Randall Cunningham is in ’87, Bo and Okoye in ’88, Barry, Aikman and Deion in ’89 and Emmitt in ’90. I wasn’t too interested in ’91 but it completed the 5 year stretch. Spoiler alert – I picked up my best rookie card in that ’91 pack. The other intriguing part of the deal was that it was less than $10 shipped.

Topps really didn’t change a whole lot from 87-90 and it wasn’t until ’91 that they came close to matching up with the baseball design. All of the sets have a basic white border and they really only evolved just a tad from year to year. Each pack comes with a 1,000 Yard Club card showcasing a player that topped the 1,000 yard mark the previous year. I don’t suppose I really had to explain that. The packs themselves are almost identical with only color schemes being different. Each pack from 87-90 are wax packs but changed in ’91 to the new cello type material, just like baseball. In ’91, the gum was replaced with one more card increasing the pack size from 15 to 16. I was prepared to pull some of the star players because we all remember them. But there were a few players that I had totally forgotten about until ripping these packs. I won’t cover every player in every pack but there are a few in each that deserve a comment.

1987 – ’87 has a pretty basic design with dualing flags at the top of the card with the players name and team name opposite each other’s. Those flags were the two main colors of the team uniform. The plus for this set was that I did like the 1,000 Yard Club card better than the others but that’s not exactly a huge compliment.

The first time Todd Christensen makes an appearance in my memory is courtesy of original Tecmo Bowl. That version only had 12 NFL teams and 4 offensive plays but the Raiders were one of the best on offense. If Bo, Marcus Allen and Tim Brown weren’t enough, Christensen was one of the fastest tight ends on the game. He became even more memorable for me but I’ll save that for the second card I pulled of him, hint-hint.Anthony in Minnesota was one of two receiving Carter’s and together with Cris, made a formidable duo. He began his career in the USFL and caught the game winning TD pass from Bobby Hebert in the USFL Championship his rookie season. He seemed to rise to the occasion come playoff time. He still holds the NFL record for most all purpose yards in a single postseason with 642.Steve Largent is another Tecmo Bowl Legend. Largent is a member of the NFL Hall of Fame and is the first WR to catch 100 passes in a career. He once held the record for consecutive games with a catch at 177 until Jerry Rice obliterated it on the way to 274. Largent is also the only player I pulled in this lot that went on to be a congressman.Ozzie Newsome is better known in today’s NFL as the General Manager of the Ravens, for better or worse. But for some of us older guys, he was a helluva tight end too. He’s historically been ranked around #5 on all time lists from various outlets. He’s a member of the Hall of Fame and gave the position some punch from an offensive perspective. And not to mention, never missed a game in 13 seasons.Most packs from the 80’s include an oddball of sorts. Mark Gastineau is the oddball in this one. He may be an oddball in this pack but he was a stud on the field. He still holds all of the major sack records for the Jets and made the Pro Bowl 5 times. After football though, he spent some time behind bars for various crimes in the late 90’s. Some people may know his daughter Brittny more than Mark but he was a very good player in his day.

1988 – ’88 was my best pack as a whole. The ’88 base design is probably my favorite of this group. The card uses the two primary team colors in the design at the bottom of the card in a very cool visual.

Henry Ellard was a stud with the Rams. Everett to Ellard was a vastly underrated combo on my opinion. This 1,000 Yard Club design was not underrated as it was rightfully poorly rated. Out of the 5 years, this was probably ranked #4. Lame is all I can say about it.Art Monk – Hall of Famer – 3x World Champion – 3x Pro Bowler – First WR to 900 receptions. What else do you need to know?I’m sure Jim Kelly asked Topps if this was the best picture they could find in their file. It’s just a terrible shot of a star QB in ’88. Kelly is another Hall of Famer with impeccable numbers. But he’ll always have to carry around that 0-4 label in the Super Bowl, which is very unfortunate.Eric Dickerson was indeed an All Pro as this card would indicate. Dickerson was a 6x Pro Bowler, NFL Rookie of the Year and led the league in rushing 4 times. He even played for the Falcons for a short period.The only way you can really describe Ronnie Lott is “absolute beast!” He could strike you, he could pick you off and he could sack you. Extremely gifted with a combination of speed and hands at safety puts him on my favorites list.The ’88 oddball is the same player as the 1,000 Yard Club member in ’87. But this is what he looked like the second time he enters my memory bank. He was a commentator on American Gladiators and rocked the worst Afro/Mustache combo of the late 80’s.

1989 – ’89 had my second favorite 1,000 Yard Club design from this group. I also like and remember the base designs well. They come to mind when I think “Topps Football”.

Neal Anderson first got my attention on NES Play Action Football. In 1990, it was the best attempt at the real thing on Nintendo. It would only survive one year though as the king of all NES games would hit shelves in 1991. Anderson was really good and ran for 1,000 plus in 3 consecutive seasons and he’s the #3 all time rusher for the Chicago Bears. His career was cut short because of injuries.Andre Reed was an absolute beast in the Bills K-Gun offense. Reed ranks 12th in all time receptions with 942 and was a 7 time Pro Bowler. While he missed that elusive Super Bowl ring, he did get elected to the Hall of Fame in 2014. The football stadium at his alma mater, Kutztown University, is even now named André Reed Stadium. Reed caught 3 second half touchdowns in the great comeback against the Oilers in January 1993.While we are talking about the Bills, we might as well mention Scott Norwood. I am not going to beat up on Mr. Norwood because I think he has probably taken enough abuse over the years. True, he did miss the decisive field goal attempt vs the Giants in Super Bowl XXV but he was historically a very steady kicker in Buffalo. He passed OJ Simpson as the Bills all time leadin scorer while in NY. He no longer holds that record but it speaks to how many times his field goals were true.I included this card but I don’t really have anything nice to say about Mr. May. He’s ruined his legacy with me with his college analysis on ESPN. Oddball!!

1990 – More subtle changes from the previous year. However, the 1,000 Yard Club design was the worst in the set history for me. Can you say 1991 Fleer? These were just horrible. The ’90 pack was the slimmest on decent pulls but I did get my biggest star QB.

Brian Blades from The U! He played college ball on the far southeastern tip of the US and pro football in the far northwestern tip. That’s the farthest jump from college to the NFL if you exclude Hawaii. Aside from Pro Football, Blades has one of the strangest convictions followed by acquittal you’ll see with an athlete. He was charged with manslaughter in the death of his cousin. He was convicted by a jury but the judge overturned the verdict and he walked. Later, a discovery was made that the judges father employed Blades when he was a player at UM and the defense attorney was a part of the judge’s divorce case. That is a strange one that probably needs its own 30 for 30.One of the best! John Elway was a true gunslinger but also had wheels for a big QB. We won’t rummage through all of his stats and achievements because you probably already know them. I will say that when the Broncos played the Falcons in Super Bowl XXXIII, I pulled for the Falcons but was torn with Elway and Terrell Davis (UGA) on the opposing sideline. If the Broncos had played ANYONE else that year, I would have been a happy man at the end of that game.

1991 – As I said before, the packs changed for 1991 from wax to cello and gum was no longer included. There was obviously a shift happening in the hobby towards more progressive packaging and visuals but I miss the wax and gum immensely.

Jerry Rice, the greatest wide receiver of all time! He was a member of the 1,000 Yard Club 8 times and caught 1,549 passes. That’s dang near double Steve Largent and he was amazing in his own right. Happy with this pull.This is the best rookie card I pulled and not even one I was looking for. But super excited to pull it. Hamp is sometimes known for his Pro Bowls and Super Bowl ring and 5 consecutive 1,000 yard rushing seasons in NY. But for me, he’s a Damn Good Dawg that got after it while he was in Athens. Hamp is 7th on an all time list that includes Hershel Walker, Todd Gurley, Nick Chubb, Garrison Hearst and Knowshon Moreno. He was a fine tailback at Tailback U and is a beloved player to Bulldawg Nation!

I didn’t pull any of “The Huge” rookies from these classes but I had a great time ripping these packs and seeing the old designs and players. I had forgotten about guys like Aundray Bruce and Ernest Givens. For less than $10, I could do this 4-5 times a week and never get tired of it. When you are sifting through $7 packs, remember that these gems are still out there and very affordable. If you collected during that time, you’ll love the memories. If you didn’t, you’ll love looking at what the product was like before gloss and serial numbers. What is your favorite Topps set from these 5? Which did you collect most?

J-Dub

State Of The Hobby – June 1990

With my recent post on my favorite Beckett Covers, I took out a few that I kept over the years. If you’re my age, you remember Beckett Magazine before there was internet and eBay and Twitter. We used the magazine as a Bible for collecting and we were able to keep up with who was hot, what products were coming out and where the next show was. While I had the Bo Beckett out, I decided to give it another read. I took my time too. I started at the beginning, worked my way through a couple of articles, the “Readers Write” section, The Hot/Cold List, the price guide portion and then the show list. I wanted to take the temperature of the hobby in mid 1990, so to speak.I was very much a part of the hobby in 1990 and I have many fond memories from that time but I wanted to see it in black and white again. Believe me when I say, it didn’t disappoint. First, let me point out very obviously that our hobby has changed quite a bit since 1990. Card companies were printing cards with reckless abandon and we were buying them up as fast as they came off the press. There is even one forboding comment from a reader in the “Readers Write” section that was a couple of years ahead of its time. There were some hot rookies at the time that were making waves and forcing collectors to grab up their cards that are now only a part of cardboard folklore. There were some sets that were just plain bad, even by 80’s standards and the market reflected it. And let’s be clear about that part as well. These prices we are going to discuss and the hot players were decided by their play and the market. This was a sign of the times, not an indictment on the hobby by any means.Cards were popping up at drug stores, convenient stores, grocery stores, you name it. The LCS was just the pricey alternative in those days. The packs you got at Wal-Mart were the same as what you would get at a hobby shop; you just paid Wal Mart prices for them. As you’ll see with one article that I particularly enjoyed, cards were popping up on Home Shopping Channels at this point as well. Everybody was trying to get in on the action but we didn’t see the train wreck coming, or at least I didn’t. I was 13 years old at the time and I was just trying to get my hands on as many Rickey Jordan RC’s as I could. I hadn’t reached the point where I knew ’88 Donruss was oozing out of warehouses like a scene from the blob or that Jerome Walton was going to be a flash in the pan. Maybe if I had a Beckett Almanac from the future back then! All I knew was that cards had taken over my life and I was 100% sold just like everybody else.

So let’s look at the hobby as it was in June of 1990.

As we begin this trip down memory lane, how many of you remember this advertisement? I always wanted this entire collection of books but was only able to score the Baseball Price Guide. You couldn’t pay me to read a textbook in 8th grade but I would study these publications like my grandma at a book club meeting.

The first article I read was “Top Guns”, which covered the best arms at each position.

C – Benny Santiago
1B – Keith Hernandez
2B – Jose Oquendo
SS – Shawon Dunston
3B – Ken Caminiti – Dude had a rifle!
LF – Bo Jackson
CF – Andy Van Slyke
RF – Jesse Barfield

They also covered some weaker arms by position. Some of the names surprised me.

C – Craig Biggio – Guess the move to 2nd was warranted
1B – Dave Magadan
2B – Ryne Sandberg – Surprise #1
SS – Ozzie Smith – Surprise #2
3B – Bobby Bonilla – Wild Arm
LF – Kirk Gibson
CF – Gary Pettis
RF – Ivan Calderon

The first article was awesome and gave me information I had either totally forgotten or I never knew! The names took me back immediately and made me realize I was going to enjoy this adventure.

Next, I moved to the “Readers Write” section. This is where the readers would write in with a question or observation and get responses from various writers or editors at Beckett. Let me first say that there were some very arrogant readers back in the day. There were a couple of comments that made me bristle at the tone they were taking. While some were cringeworthy, others were pretty interesting in hindsight.

First, the one that made me cringe a bit. It was a comparison between Jim Abbott and Gregg Olson. But the response was dead on. Abbott was a starter and Olson was a reliever. How many relievers have ever looked good in the price guide?

Then there was a reader who was no fan of Rickey Henderson. I get that his career had not completely played out yet but he was not interested in Rickey being a member of the All 80’s Team. The whole thing seems pretty laughable today.

The last one I’ll share is the one that is a bit foreshadowing. M.V. In California seems to have seen the writing on the wall!

Moving on to the Hot and Cold List, this was what we were after in a big way in mid 1990, or either trying to dump.Canseco, Jefferies and Chris Sabo found themselves on both lists. Bo was the hottest player in the hobby and his cover photo (’89 Score) was one of the hottest cards. Todd Zeile was in the Top 5 while Ben McDonald and Eric Anthony were in the Top 10. Delino DeShields was making his first appearance on the list. In August of ’89, Pete Rose was placed on Baseball’s Ineligible List and his spot at #1 on the Cold List was reflective of his removal from the game. Sportsflics was getting hammered too but more on them on a moment.

When I got to the price guide portion, I automatically thumbed to certain cards that I remember being on my want list. While doing so, I stumbled across some that I never knew were as popular as they were in June, 1990. Again, this is a great indicator of where the hobby was at the time. The current market always tells the story. As I said before, the hobby has changed!

The first out of place card I saw was this 1983 Donruss Howard Johnson. It was running only $2 less than Ryne Sandberg.

What was going on with Kevin McReynolds in 1990 to make his already $12.00 RC be on the rise? I can’t figure this one out.

In the 1984 Topps Traded set, two American League pitchers were surprises. Gooden was the obvious stud in the set but Bret Saberhagen at $24 and Mark Langston at $18 didn’t quite hold up.

All collectors from this era remember the ’85 Topps Mark McGwire. Your window of purchasing this card at a reasonable price was closing fast by this point.

The window had already closed on getting the Canseco at a low level. He was a bonafide star by this point and the card would continue to climb.

Here’s a name from the past. Kevin Mitchell was rocking a $9 Fleer card in 1987. For a 13 year old, a $9 card was as good as a $50 card.

Not to be outdone, Will Clark popped in with an ’87 Fleer valued at $35. The last 4 players (McGwire, Canseco, Mitchell and Clark) were fresh off of the “Battle of the Bay” World Series of 1989. Their cards were hot!

Here is where that Beckett Almanac from the future would’ve paid HUGE dividends! I could have purchased 20 Barry Bonds ’87 Topps and made $2,000 on them a few years later. This was a true buying opportunity missed! But at the time, I would’ve traded Bonds and Frank Viola for the Greg Seinfeld RC!

Remember that Sportsflics mention above? This was ’86 and ’87. This is what we call abandon ship time!!

This ’88 Score Update Mark Grace totally took me by surprise. He was a hot young player but this card was huge value for 1988.

Want to know just how much Collectors thought of Jerome Walton? Look no further than the ’89 Score and Topps Traded Sets. In June of ’90, he was valued at a mere .50 cents less than Ken Griffey Jr. and was the second highest value in the sets.

Speaking of The Kid, this was one of the last times you could get his ’89 Upper Deck for a decent price for a long time!

Finally, ’90 Score brought us a hot young rookie who was just starting to blossom. Big Hurt’s rookie card was .90 and would not see a 2 digit value again.

The next section of the mag was the show listings. Shows in 1990 were abundant to say the least. I just attended my first show in many years this past weekend and wrote about it HERE. In 1990, you could take your pick on any given weekend within a 50 mile radius of anywhere in America.What I really found striking in these ads were the players that would be present and how much an autograph would cost. What a time to be alive!

Eric Dickerson and Jim Palmer were free with admission
Barry Sanders – $7
Whitey Ford – $8
Willie Stargell – $5
Brooks Robinson – $7
Johnny U – $8
Al Kaline – $7
Sterling Sharpe – $5

I wrapped up my review with a read of this article titled, “Beware of Mass Media Hucksters”. This just screams 1990 and is a perfect synopsis of how mainstream the hobby was becoming. I tried to scan this so you could read it fully. Great stuff!

This was our hobby in 1990. No Twitter trading, no eBay sales to effect the market, names that we’ve forgotten were household names, a chance at Hall of Fame autographs for the price of a pack of cards today and no filter on collectors who wrote in to magazines. As odd as it all may sound to some of the new collectors, I think I speak for a lot of Junk Wax Era hobbyists when I say it was one of the funnest eras ever! I miss those days and in many ways, never left them. Those that follow me know that I am a sucker for ’89 Topps, Pro-Vision and washed up prospects of the 80’s. That’s because it’s what I cut my teeth on. And we never stray too far from our roots. Even when those roots are made out of wax paper and high fructose sticks of gum. It’s just a part of me and always will be.

J-Dub

Let’s Go To The Card Show

It’s been a really long time since I’ve been to an actual card show. I remember going to a huge one in the 90’s in Atlanta and being on the budget of a 14 year old. As in, I got what mom and dad agreed to buy. I remember the tables and seeing cards I assumed I would never own. I’ve always wanted to replay that day and take my time and let it soak in. I’ve been to every card shop in Georgia, or so it seems. I’ve turned over 100 rocks at antique shops looking for interesting finds. But none of that searching could bring back the excitement and wonder of that card show.That’s where Charlie Heinisch and Middle Georgia Sports Cards comes in to play. I’ve mentioned Charlie and his card shop in Warner Robins here before. It’s the best shop I’ve been to in a long time. Charlie cares about the hobby and the collectors in it. He helped jumpstart an area of Georgia that had really fallen behind in collecting. Along with the card shop, he formed a Facebook page with trading and auction days and general helpful info for collectors interested in the Braves, Hawks, Falcons and UGA.Charlie has also brought back card shows to our area. He has a card show in McDonough, Ga every month and tries to have one in Macon a couple times a year. McDonough is still a decent haul for me (about 2 hours) but is a little closer than Atlanta. But 2 hours is as close as a card show has been to me in the last 15 years. He’s been having them for a little while now but I’ve never been able to make it. I have a wife and 2 kids and the weekend is the only time we really have to unwind. So asking them to take off with me to McDonough to look at cards is not really an option. And I’ve not been able to take off and just leave them with nothing to do either. This weekend worked out perfectly as my wife had a women’s retreat (literally a day at the beach) and my girls went to grandma’s for the weekend. So there was nothing standing between me and that sweet hotel conference room of cardboard this time!

I’ve actually been planning this day all week. The show started at 10 so I would get up and leave the house around 7, allowing time for a good breakfast and leisurely stroll up I-75 North. I’d spend half the day planted in front of quarter boxes digging to my hearts content. Mrs. Dub was leaving at 6:30 so it timed out perfect. When this morning finally arrived, she asked me for some help around 5:30 and I laid back down to just catch a few winks before having to get up and ready. After what I thought were a few winks, I woke up and the clock read 9:32. Bad start. I jumped up, hopped in the shower and rolled out about as quickly as I’ve ever moved. I had the truck gassed up, a McGriddle in my hand and was northbound by 10. Only 3 hours later than I had planned.

The ride was nice because I had some Beckett Radio and Wax Ecstatic podcasts to listen to. I made it to the Hilton in McDonough around 12:30 thanks to some heavy traffic for the last few miles and my heart actually started racing when I went to get out of the truck. I am not kidding when I tell you that I was full on excited like it was Christmas morning! I was at a card show, had some change in my pocket and had nothing on my schedule for the rest of the day. Totally unfettered. So let’s get to the fun!

When I walked in, it was hard not to quickly become overwhelmed. I had to slow down and realize that I had all afternoon. I had to pace myself. The first thing I had to do was find Charlie’s table. Another thing about Charlie is that he is the king of the sweet hobby boxes! I have had more luck with his product than any other CS or website. I went ahead and set aside a couple of boxes and started sifting through his quarter boxes. Here are the finds.

I picked up a box of 2017 Classics, which is one of my favorite affordable football card sets. I also picked up my second box of Archives. Maybe a Jeter Auto in this one, who knows? I’ll be working on a review post for Classics as soon as I bust it.

I picked up these 2 Fleer Gwynns that I needed for my 80’s collection.

These vintage football cards had my name written all over them for 25 cents! ’78 White Shoes and Joiner – ’80 William Andrews and ’81 Winslow.

I nabbed this ’80 Largent specifically to try the TTM address that Alex Kent recently shared with me.

How about a couple of ’88 Rookies of Tecmo Super Bowl Legends? The Boz and The Nightmare!

I couldn’t pass up this sweet Pro Vision!

My last .25 pick up was this Eric Lindros ’90 Score Baseball Rookie. Always loved this card! Then I found some autographs at Charlie’s booth!

This would have been the purchase of the day if not for the next Auto that I found! A Tony Pena autograph in the amazing Yellow Pirates uni! Unbelievable!

The Pena finished a close second to this beauty. Yes, your eyes are seeing this! A 1990 design Kevin Maas autograph. If you collected baseball cards in 1990, you know how momentous this actually is. I could have left when I found this and the day would have been complete. But, there’s more goodness to show.

A couple of booths over, I found another Archives Auto to add to my collection. Tony Fernandez was a great name from the late 80’s. Easy call to purchase this.

Then there’s this half naked Willie Gault Pro Line Auto. I won’t spend too much time looking at the front but if you put a Pro Line Auto in front of me, I’m going to buy it 100% of the time.

I then found the vintage booth and shopped there for quite a while. I don’t have much to show because a lot of that got packaged up to ship out to some of my friends when I got home. I did get this ’77 Dave Parker. I think ’77 will be my 70’s PC since it was my year of birth.

I picked up this ’84 Oriole’s checklist because it had Ripken on the front. Couldn’t pass it up for .50 cents.

Very proud of this pick up of a 1958 Curt Flood RC for $2.50. Its vintage and it’s also a very pivotal player in MLB history. Score!

My best pickup at the vintage table was this 1955 Ernie Banks for $10. I did not care about condition as I snapped this up the minute I saw it and the price tag. The price tag was a little higher but the seller cut me a deal when I bought multiple cards. The rest of the vintage cards will be turning up on Twitter over the next week or so.

The next booth was a “Junk Wax” booth so I picked up this ’90 Pro Set and ’91 Pro Set Platinum for $3 apiece. He had ’91 Fleer Baseball too but I just couldn’t pull the trigger.

The final piece for the day was this lot of Junk Wax packs that I bought to refill my “When I Was A Kid” box that gets heavy usage for giveaways. I picked up 15 packs of ’89 Donruss and 5 packs of ’91-’92 Skybox for a total of $4. No brainer.

Well, this was my day at the card show, for the most part. Like I said, there are some things that I can’t really show because it would ruin the surprise for those that are getting envelopes this week. I can’t wait until the next show and I will beg and plead with Mrs. Dub to let me go. But I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it. For now, I’m going to bask in the glory of what was a truly successful day for me and my card habit!

J-Dub

2017 Topps Archives – Different But Still The Same

Topps Archives has been one of my favorite baseball sets for the last few years. I am prepared to take the bashing from the diehards that don’t like it. I know I’m probably in the minority on that but I like the mixture of vintage and junk wax designs. I also enjoy the opportunity to pull the Fan Favorite autographs. Sure, some of them are weak but some of them are pretty solid 80’s-90’s players that I wouldn’t otherwise have the chance for auto’s from. They have also been placing cool inserts in the set like Bull Durham and Major League. I know the set is quirky and I know it isn’t for everyone but I am very excited when it comes out every year. It’s one box that I will buy on release date. I enjoy cheap cards from 1989 so why wouldn’t I like Topps Archives.As usual, I jumped on a box on release day this year and have worked my way through it, studying each design and player. Archives always includes a few players that you won’t find in any other set during the year. This year was much of the same and I was pleased with some of the surprises and I think some of my readers will be too. This year’s “Special Insert” card is a Derek Jeter Retrospective Card, which features a reprint of Jeter from an earlier edition of Topps. These are found in 1:12 packs or an average of 2 per box.Back for 2017 is the Archives staple, “Fan Favorites Autographs”, which is an autograph of a well known but not quite superstar from baseball history. I have pulled Gant, Rollie Fingers, Darren Daulton and Oscar Gamble over the years, just to name a few. Are they big money hits? No, but they are very fun to pull if you are a collector my age. This box is truly about fun and nostalgia for me and is never about big “monster” hits. That may be what turns some people off about the set but it’s what keeps me coming back for more every year.

The other allure for me is the way Archives breaks up the set of 300 into 3 retro sets from their history. This year is 1960, 1982 (one of my favorites) and 1992, which was right in the middle of my teen collecting days! This year, Topps brought variations and parallels to Archives which may intrigue some collectors that love that sort of thing. But Archives has always been a clean, straightforward set for the most part, making the base set easy to build. This year, I am already diving into Ryan Cracknell’s (@tradercracks) variation articles on Beckett. I even pulled a couple with one not even on the master list yet! Let’s take a look at what else was pulled from this first box of 2017 Archives.

1960 – Cards 1-100Card stock has always been the #1 drawback for me with Topps Archives. The cards have historically been thin, flimsy and so glossy, they’re hard to sort. I noticed a much thicker card stock with the 1960 cards this year. 1960 was a classic horizontal design with an inset posed photo and an action shot in a color box to the left. The cards are very colorful and VERY airbrushed in the first block of the set. Pictured are some of the highlights which include Aaron Judge and Jake Lamb as current hot stars. One subject you don’t see very often in current sets is Earl Weaver. I think Cliff (@oriolesrise) might like that one.

1982 – Cards 101-200Card stock for the 1982 block was also a little thicker than normal if memory serves. I am a fan of the 1982 design with several of the cards using alternate color borders for teams that we aren’t used to seeing. The Dansby for instance showcases a neon green and blue which not mean anything to most but it is a nice throwback and is also what the Hawks are using as alternates right now. Killebrew is the one Twins player (besides Kirby) that I can actually collect. I included Pedro here for my faithful Boston readers and Shane Salmonson (@ShaneSalmonson), who PC’s him. Finally, the Ozzie Smith was a special inclusion for Scott Berger (@SBergerBOSTON). I thought of him immediately!

1992 – Cards 201-300Most collectors will immediately recognize the ’92 design. It was a good one for Topps and holds up today in my opinion. Unfortunately, we go back to paper thin card stock for the final 100 cards. Pictured in this group of cards is a color Babe Ruth, which is always fun to pull no matter what set. Then we have a great Reggie Jackson Orioles photo and nice Mark McGwire with his jersey name and number fully visible on the card. The last card included was Yoan Moncada, the hot young rookie for the Chicago White Sox. I was looking hard but missed out on the Gold Variations for this design.
1959 BazookaThis insert is a smaller card that is designed in tribute to the 1959 Bazooka cards. I pulled four of these in the box and they were pretty good players. I pulled Hall of Famers Sandy Koufax and Pudge Rodriguez along with young stars Francisco Lindor and another Yoan Moncada.

2016 Retro OriginalThis insert has the vintage design but doesn’t include any of the retired players like other inserts. I pulled two of these; Gary Sanchez and Anthony Rizzo.

Topps Magazine 2017 Rookie StarsTwo solid pulls from this insert set with Dansby Swanson and Alex Bregman.

#’d SP’sI pulled two (Pink?) numbered versions of base cards with Gary Sanchez and Ryne Sandberg. I like when pink is used with cards for some strange reason.

Parallels/Variations

I pulled two of these:Nolan Ryan Gray BackJackie Robinson Base and Variation

Derek Jeter Retrospective Cards

I pulled two of these and they are actually pretty cool looking cards. There are some autographed versions but I am not lucky enough to pull those types of autographs.1995 Topps and 2006 Topps

Autographs

My favorite part of Topps Archives is Fan Favorites Autos and I am always excited to see the names included each year. I was not disappointed this year with my pulls.Brian Jordan – Atlanta Braves

Manny Mota – Los Angeles Dodgers – Really cool to add this one!

Overall, I can’t say that this year was any better or worse than years before but I still look forward to opening a box or two to see who’s included. I will probably buy another box and try to put together the base set like I have in the past. I don’t get tired of retro designs and I don’t get tired of old star ball player autographs. I’ll have to give 2017 Topps Archives a score of 4 on the Dub-O-Meter. Again, I accept that it isn’t for everyone and there are a lot of people who really don’t like the set. But I do and I’m buying for me and no one else so I can live with it. I have zero chance besides Archives of pulling a Manny Mota autograph from a card pack and there is something to be said for that. Even though ’82 is a favorite of mine, it has been used a bit much in the Archives series but I am happy to see ’92 get some run. I just wish the card stock for that group had been better. Do away with the paper thin and give ’92 some decent stock and you have yourself a great retro card. What say you about this loved and hated set?

J-Dub
Scoring Scale

1. Let me be the sacrificial lamb so you don’t have to buy these cards. Just read the post and thank me later.
2. There is worse but there is much better – not worth the effort though.

3. Middle of the road – I wouldn’t talk you into buying these but I certainly wouldn’t talk you out of them.

4. You should probably go out and buy a box and enjoy the rip – I did! It has some downside but worth the ride.

5. Stop reading and find a box to buy and get to Breaking! What are you waiting on?

A Diamond In The 80’s Rough

I have non-collecting friends ask me all the time if their old 80’s cards are worth any money. Just like me, they were collecting heavy during the card boom and have a ton of ’89 Score Jose Canseco’s. But unlike me, they got out and never came back from their Dark Period. The last thing they remember about cards was that Gregg Jefferies was going to help them retire at 35. Of course, for those of us that came back to the hobby (or never left), we long ago accepted that the 80’s are largely a nostalgic era as opposed to an investor era. Our ’82 Ripken’s, ’87 Topps Bo’s and ’86 Donruss Canseco’s are cemented in our collections as reminders of the infancy of our collecting lives and bring back wonderful memories of trading and ripping and asking mom for $1 at Wal Mart. But beyond that, we aren’t getting rich off of them. There’s just too many of them and they are far too accessible to have much monetary value at this point. But if you’re like me, they are priceless.You can buy almost any complete set from the 80’s for less than $100. You can buy 75% of them for less than $50. There are even some you can buy for less than $10. The real money is in pre-1985 unopened boxes. Those are the last bastions of hope for Gem Mint 10 rookies of Rickey Henderson, Tony Gwynn or Wade Boggs. And those hopes fade as time passes and boxes and packs age. I had a box of 1981 Donruss from a few years ago and the cards were in poor condition from just sitting in a Rubbermaid box. The gum in the packs from those days ravages certain cards and the wax packs don’t protect corners from dings. So when I’m asked by friends if the cards their mom found in the guest room closet are worth anything, I generally answer them all the same way. “I love 80’s cards and to me they are priceless. But if you’re looking to sell them, you aren’t going to get very much. Hang on to them if you can.”

However, lost in the tangled nexus of 80’s overproduction, poor designs and slowly fading condition, there remains a set that stands out from the crowd. The 1984 Fleer Update Set remains a valuable set and one that is difficult to find for less than $250. The set itself is only 132 cards but is about 8 times the value of the full ’84 Fleer set of 660 cards. Update sets have long been used by companies to provide the collector access to traded players in their new uniforms and rookies that weren’t included at the time of release of the base set. Most update sets, especially those of the 80’s, are very reasonably priced and accessible. The same can’t be said for the ’84 Fleer Update set. The set has a very good crop of rookies (first year cards) and traded players that remain solid collectible players some 33 years later. More on the checklist in a moment.The design of the ’84 Update Set mirrors that of the base ’84 set. The card features a white border on all sides and a thick blue line above and below the player image. The Fleer name is in the top blue line while the player name is at the bottom. The team logo is featured after the player name. Finally, the player’s position is in the white border below the player name. It’s a simple but clean design that still looks pretty good today. The backs of the cards are classic Fleer with blue and white columns and stats covering the players entire career. In some cases where the career isn’t too long, there is a “Did You Know” section at the bottom of the card, which was fairly standard for the cards of this timeframe. The only difference in the base and Update Set is the “U” before the card number on the back.As with other sports cards, high graded versions can elevate the value quite a bit. It’s difficult to find Gem Mint 10 grades in the set as centering was usually off. The white border cards make the centering an easy catch when looking at the cards with a naked eye. The packaging also makes the cards susceptible to damage. As the Update Set was small and only available in a full set, they were packaged in a small cardboard box, much like other Update sets throughout history. The cardboard was not unlike the stock of the card though and did not provide a lot of protection. So if you can get your hands on a set in very good condition, you have yourself a very nice collectible. Of course, you can also buy cards already graded but expect to pay a premium. As for the players available in the set, there is a good mix of rookies and veterans that were on the move. The value in the set comes from a small group of rookies that went on to have great, if not Hall of Fame careers. There were also a few big name Hall of Famers at the end of their careers that were included. Below are a few of those players and the current price their ungraded cards can be had for.#27 Roger Clemens XRC – Had Clemens not had his career close under the veil of steroid abuse, the value of his card could be much higher. But even with those issues, ungraded versions have recently sold anywhere from $75-$130 on eBay. High grades can sell for north of $750.#43 Dwight Gooden XRC – Another “what could’ve been” player is Doc Gooden. This was his first Fleer card and ungraded versions can be found for an average of $25. The graded versions have sold for as high as $200.#93 Kirby Puckett XRC – Kirby is a much sought after player in the mid 80’s and his rookies remain popular among collectors. This card is his highest valued rookie and can be found ungraded for around $75 with higher graded versions selling between $350-$400.#102 – Pete Rose – Pete was released by the Phillies in the ’83-’84 offseason and signed with the Montreal Expos. His inclusion in the Update Set featured him in the sweet Expos uni that we all love from the 80’s. This card can be found for around $5.00 in ungraded form and around $15 for a grade 9.

#103 Bret Saberhagen XRC – Saberhagen had a very productive 16 year career and this rookie card remains his best. Ungraded, they can be found around $7.50 while graded versions can be had for about $15.00.

#106 Tom Seaver – A Hall of Famer with 311 wins and 3,640 K’s is included in this Update Set at a very reasonable price. You can buy an ungraded version for around $4.00. But you can pick up a Graded 10 version for around $20. Not bad at all!

This is one of those sets that is known for its significant value for the mid 80’s but there may be some younger collectors who have never heard about it. I encourage you to check it out. It’s a buildable set over time with the vast majority of singles being available for $1-$2 per card. If you take your time and try to find some deals on the big 3 rookies, you could likely build the set for less than what it costs boxed up. That’s more fun than buying the complete set anyway, right? This is going to be my next little project and it may take a good while but I can pick up three or four $2 cards a week and put most of the set together in a matter of months. The key again will be finding the big cards at a good value. I don’t have to have graded cards to feel satisfied although it could be an option at some point down the road. What say you about this nice mid 80’s set?

J-Dub

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