1991 Stadium Club – Cardboard Beauty

I was 14 years old in 1991 and I was really hitting my stride in the card collecting hobby.  Gone were the rookie days of having my card collection seized by a teacher in class to be held until the end of the semester.  I had matured beyond letting some overzealous nut rip my Ken Griffey Jr. Diamond King in a fit of revenge.  I was growing into a serious collector.  I was toploading and binder organizing and trading like a broker on Wall Street.  Baseball fever had been revived for me with the Braves rising from worst to first that year.  Times were good.Baseball cards were maturing a bit during this stretch as well.  In 1990, Leaf and Upper Deck established themselves as premium card sets for the serious collector.  In response to the success of those companies, Topps launched a product named Topps Stadium Club that was advertised as being produced with “Kodak Imaging Technology”.  The cards also set the hobby on its ear with its first set that had a  full color, borderless front, which allowed for total use of the card for images.  And the images produced in this set were unlike any that had ever come before.  I had really forgotten just how groundbreaking the images were until I ripped through this box again for the first time in some 25 years.  This post will likely be photo heavy but I think it’s the only way to do the set justice.  But, these cards look much better in person!First, some stats on the set itself.  The set was broken up into two series’ with most of the rookie crop coming in the second series.  There are plenty of stars in Series 1 but high profile prospects like Jeff Bagwell and Phil Plantier are found in 2.  Each series is made up of 300 cards for a total 600 card set.  The wax (that’s a stretch) box had 36 packs with 12 cards in each.  There were no inserts in Series 1, just base cards with great photos.  The packs themselves were a cello type pack that were very difficult to open 26 years later.  There was an extra card in each pack of 2 variations.  One invited the collector to become a “Stadium Club Member” and the other explained the new statistical reference on the back of the card, BARS.  Becoming a Stadium Club Member was very enticing in those days but was out of my price range.  For $29.95 or $19.95 and 10 pack wrappers, you would be issued a card and member #, a members only set, a Stadium Club Medallion and periodic cards in the mail that celebrated events during the season.  That sounds a lot like “Topps Now” without the internet.At the time, the cards had a different smell than the typical card pack but I don’t remember it being just God-awful.  It is God-awful in 2017 my friends.  I can only imagine that if I had busted a Series 2 box in the same sitting, I may have been found slumped over the kitchen table passed out from the fumes.  They were that bad.  Another knock on this set is that the cards stick together.  The cards are very glossy (I mean, serious gloss) and when stored in humid temperatures, they stick together.  That gloss/UV coating may have been slick and good looking but it came with a price.  That price was a foul odor and damaged cards.  But I’m not going to knock the set too much because it really did set a pretty high bar during a time of baseball card innovation.The backs of the cards featured another interesting element that was a first.  Besides the odd BARS stats and “Evaluation” section, it provided the standard background info on the player.  The stats were limited to 1990 and career to make room for the new stuff.  But the cool part to me was that instead of featuring a profile picture of the player on the back of the card, it included a picture of the first issued Topps card for the player.  There were some really cool cards there when you looked at players like Ozzie Smith, Nolan Ryan and Dave Winfield.  Of course, some of the players had 1991 Topps as their first issue.  There was no visible markings on the card that referenced a rookie other than the back of the card reading “Insufficient Data” in the BARS section indicating that the player had not played in enough games.

Enough about the set, let’s take a look at some of these beauties, hand selected by yours truly.  Shawon Dunston – This card made the step up in photography evident.Dwight Smith – Stadium Club featured several horizontal action shots that made you feel like you were really close to the action.  This is a great example of that.Al Newman – This card was a precursor to the Ken Griffey Jr. bubble gum card that would come later.Omar Vizquel – A classic pose from the vintage card days.  Big smile and up close.Alan Trammell – A beautiful post-swing horizontal action shot.Chris Sabo – Another cool horizontal action shot of a celebration at home plate with Eric Davis and Todd Benzinger.Harold Reynolds – An action shot of Reynolds caught in a rundown with Carlos Baerga.  Reynolds lost his helmet and Baerga is losing his hat.Shane Mack – I don’t know how to explain this one other than maybe he was providing the pitcher a target during warm ups ?Wade Boggs – Boggs is zeroed in on this batting practice pitch.  This is not a welcome sight for a pitcher.Ken Griffey Jr – One of the big cards in the set features Jr in the dugout in front of a bat rack.  Great photo!Frank Thomas – This was a pretty standard looking photo for this set but it was another of the major hits in 1991.Barry Bonds – What is this?  Part 1Orel Hershiser – What in the hell is this?  Part 2Eric Show – Dear God, make it stop!!  Part 3Dave Stewart/Nolan Ryan – This pair of cards were highly sought after in 1991 as they featured both aces in tuxedos in front of a backdrop.Sammy Sosa – Odd looking Sosa photo for sure!  Is that a pinky ring?Ozzie Guillen – As was standard with the White Sox cards, he’s featured in the Nice Sox throwback and is in a pose reminiscent of vintage cards.Gary Sheffield – This was one of my favorite cards in 1991 and it showcases Sheffield’s rarely used bunting skills.Bo Jackson – This action shot looks eerily similar to that of his famous 1987 Topps Future Star.

You don’t have to take it from me as you can see the pictures here.  This was a very cool set for photography and innovative card design.  The set has its flaws too, which will drag down the overall score for this review.  The box was affordable and I put together 289 cards of the 300 card set from one box.  Would you believe that one of the 11 I’m missing is Gregg Jefferies??  What does it take to pull a Jefferies?  Despite the affordability, the chances of pulling many Gem Mint grades from the box are slim with the UV coating issues.  And the noxious fumes were quite distracting at times.  Still, I think a 4 is a fair score for the box.  The positives outweighed the negatives and I did enjoy putting the partial set together.  I will probably buy another box but will likely buy a face mask as well.  That may bring it down to a 3.5, but look at that Ozzie Guillen and tell me it isn’t a 4!

Dub-Score – 4

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?