1991 - A turning point in the baseball card collecting hobby? - Part 1

I started putting this post together awhile ago with the premise that 1991 was probably the last year that you could get every card of your favorite baseball player. I decided to use Phillie John Kruk as an example because I had a bunch of his 1991 cards already. I started trolling eBay for the rest.

Beckett.com lists 20 items (not all baseball cards) for Kruk in 1991. I had 10 of them and was able to acquire another 6 on eBay. I can probably get the rest if I persevere. But in the process of doing this, I decided that my premise was probably false. Like I said, I can probably get all these Kruk cards, but what if your favorite player was Ken Griffey, Jr.?  Beckett lists 162 items for Griffey. For sure not all of these are baseball cards. There are postcards, disks, coins, etc. Even subtracting those that's still a lot of cards.

But now I've got all these Kruk cards so I'm gonna post them anyway. 1991 was a year with a few firsts (and lasts) which are well represented by these cards.

1991 Bowman #503

 There is nothing special or revolutionary about 1991 Bowman. In it's third year, Bowman was pretty dull. But in 1992 Bowman became a great set.

1991 Classic III #47

This is one of the new cards I bought. It was $2.30 on eBay. These are easily found on eBay but I don't remember how available they were in 1991. I don't remember ever seeing them. 1991 Classic was released in 3 sets, differentiated by color. The first set was blue, the second was red and the 3rd was green. The third set was also glossy front and back while the other two had no gloss.

1991 Donruss #260

Of course Donruss was easily available in 1991. The set was issued in 2 series, which was something new in the modern hobby. Topps had issued sets in various series in the '50s and '60s but I don't think they made a big deal out of it. This is a Series 1 card. The Series 2 cards had a green border on the front and back. 1991 was the last year that Donruss used this back which they'd been using with slight variations since 1982. 1992 Donruss would be quite a different product. The practice of issuing sets in 2 series continues until today (at least with Topps' base set).

1991 Fleer #402

Everybody loves this set? Right? These cards are hard to scan and get the color right. Like Donruss, 1991 would be the last year for a back design that Fleer had been using for years. 1992 will be a much nicer looking card than Fleer had ever produced.

1991 Leaf #278

The premier year for Leaf. Donruss/Leaf will join Topps as the only major card manufacturer offering more than one set. As with Donruss, Leaf was issued in 2 Series. There is no difference between the cards from each series, except that the series is indicated on the back.

1991 More Little Big Leaguers #23

Now for something completely different. According to Beckett.com this was published by Simon and Schuster as part of a 92-page album featuring pro players from their little league days. At the end of the album there were 5 perforated sheets of cards (9 per sheet). I have no idea how available this was in 1991. I thought I'd have trouble finding this but it showed up on the second search (made weeks apart) on eBay. A bit pricey at $4.33. The height and weight information on the back appears to be Kruk's adult size.

1991 O-Pee-Chee #689

For whatever reason, O-Pee-Chee cards in 1990 and 1991 were labeled with the Topps logo. You have to carefully examine the back to tell it's not a Topps cards. Of course the white card stock is also a giveaway. Topps won't start using white card stock until 1992. I don't remember if O-Pee-Chee was readily available in the US. In 1993, O-Pee-Chee will start selling cards with its own design which I know were available. I just got this on eBay for $2.51.

1991 Panani Stickers

I could not find this on eBay, either by looking for it alone or with the Phillies subset. I don't remember seeing these for sale anywhere back in 1991.

1991 Phillies Medford

Medford was a local Philadelphia meat company who's hot dogs were sold at Veterans Stadium. These were and over-sized card set given away at the ballpark. I have sets from other years so I was hoping these would be an easy find. I could only find the Wes Chamberlain card from the set. 

1991 Score #94

Like Donruss and Fleer, Score had been issuing cards with the same basic design since their beginning in 1989. They will continue to to so for several years. Like Donruss, 1991 Score was issued in 2 series. There is no way to differentiate the two except to know that the 2nd series started on card #441. Yes, this was a huge set, with 893 cards.

2014 Topps Update - The Inserts

As usual, there are a lot of insert cards and parallels. Which is why you can't buy a blaster box and expect to get anything close to the 330 cards you need to complete the set.  Between the blaster and the rack box I bought, I pulled 107 base cards. Less than 1/3 of the set. I'm sure that I could use something from my college statistics class to figure out how many blasters I'd have to buy to have a good chance at getting the set but my common sense says, many, many boxes.

Anyway, this is supposed to be about the inserts.

Topps Update Fond Farewells Roy Halladay

Experienced collectors can take one look at this card and figure that there are autographed and relic versions of this set. You'd be right. You might think that this 15-card set is taking advantage of the season-long farewell to Derek Jeter. I image that's so. He's the only player from 2014 featured but the rest of the players in the set had long careers, mostly in one place. The other card I pulled is Al Kaline.

Topps Update World Series Heroes Roberto Clemente

 This is a 50-card set with a self-evident theme. I image you could feature Clemente in any themed set you could think of that highlighted some baseball superlative. Except maybe something involving pitching.

Chris Sabo was such an exciting player when he came up but didn't really have a great career. This is the first post-career Sabo card I have.

Among other things, something that Topps has been doing that I don't like, is extending insert sets from Series 1, through Series 2 and into the Update Series.

Topps Power Players Miguel Cabrera

This is one of those inserts that I actually didn't get in Series 1 or 2. This is now a 110-card insert.

Topps The Future is Now Oscar Taveras

This is another set which is now stretched to a 90-card set. I only mention this particular card because of the tragic death of Traveras in a car crash last Sunday. If you were watching Game 5 of the World Series you heard about his death. I was working on scanning my Topps Update cards while I was watching the game. The very next card I picked up after hearing about his passing, was this card. It made me real sad. He was only 22-years-old.

2014 Topps Update - Dull, Dull, Dull

If you think I'm trying to say something about how I feel about 2014 Topps Update by the title of this post, you're right.

I bought a blaster box and one of those hanger boxes, for a total of 148 cards. There were only 3 duplicate cards. I shared the only reall good card last Friday, the manufactured patch card featuring Mike Schmidt.

What is my measurement of dull? I think that cards showing the batter in his batting stance are about as dull as a card can be. I pulled 107 base cards. Of these, 13 featured a batting stance photo. That's 12% of the base cards. Is that a lot? Compared to Topps Series 1 and 2 it is. I pulled 288 base Topps Series 1 and 2. Nine of these were batting stance cards. That's just 3 %.  You decide if Topps Update is dull.

There were a handful of cards whose photos rose above the blandness.

Topps Update #68 Justin Turner

Good action shot of Turner, formerly with the Mets, flying over Paul Goldschmidt of the D-Backs to make a throw to 1st.

Topps Update #174 Jace Peterson

Good catch and throw shot and look at that dirty uniform!

Topps Update #176 Michael Brantley

I'm not suggesting this is an interesting shot. This is to illustrate that most of the All-Star Game subset is about a dull as this one. What is he even doing?

Topps Update #203 Cole Figueroa

Chilling!

Topps Update #230 Kurt Suzuki

You can usually count on a good catcher shot when Suzuki is involved.  I'm used to him in the green and yellow though.

Topps Update #236 Jerome Williams

Williams sporting the pink glove for breast cancer awareness. Williams became the first player in MLB history to defeat the same team 3 times with three different teams in the same season. Williams spent parts of 2014 with the Astros, the Rangers and the Phillies. He beat the A's while with each team. The Phillies were impressed with Williams and have already signed him for 2015.

I'll probably feature some insert cards tomorrow.  If I can stand the excitement.

2014 Topps Stadium Club

I got my box today. More about the contents next week.

2014 Topps Update World Series MVP Patch - Mike Schmidt!

I bought a blaster and a hanger box of Topps Update the other day. I may have more to post about what else was in the box but this quick post first.

Sometimes I just get lucky. Turns out there are 2 Phillies in this set, Cole Hamels from the 2008 Worlds Series is also included. But I got the one I really wanted.

I guess I should have held off on my annual Schmidt card post a little.

My Reference Cards #6 - 2000 Bowman's Best

This was the 7th year for Bowman's Best. In 2000, the base set had 200 cards. I don't have many cards from this set because I didn't buy any of it when it was live.

The first 85 cards were veteran players.

These cards have a golden cast and are printed on stiff white card stock. This is one of only two I have and I got it in a repack in August 2004 for about 8 cents.

Cards 86-100 are the "Best Performers" subset.

I paid $0.17 for this as part of a lot of 50 Bagwell cards I bought on eBay in August 2013.

Cards 101-150 look like the first 85 except with a silver cast. These all appear to be rookie players. Cards 151-200 are serial numbered (to 2999) rookie cards. I don't have any cards numbered over 100.

The set had a number of insert sets, including a 5-card autographed set available through a redemption program.  I only have on of the inserts.

 The "Franchise 2000" set was inserted 1 in 18 packs. There are 25 cards in the set. Lots of silver holographic foil in the front. I got this one for $0.75 at a card show in August 2013.

That's all I have for 2000 Bowman's Best. Coming up next is 2000 Crown Royal.

Random Cards from My Collection #66

Card #41999
1998 Upper Deck #138 Dennis Eckersley

Comments on the card/player: Perhaps the ugliest subset card from the 1990s. It was called "Define the Game". The brown background, the blue tint of the player and the silver foil all add up to a massive fail. 
How/When acquired: Don't know.

Card #36002
2003 Topps 205 #315 Johan Santana

Comments on the card/player: From an ugly insert to one of my favorite sets of the 21st century.
How/When acquired: I paid $0.55 per card for a hobby box of Topps 205 Series 2 in December 2010.

Card #36724
2006 Ultra Rising Stars #4 Felix Hernandez

Comments on the card/player: This was a 20-card insert to Upper Deck's first (of two) seasons of Ultra in 2006. No question that King Felix was on the rise in 2006.
How/When acquired: I paid $0.25/card for a blaster of Ultra in June 2006.

Card #3652
1987 Donruss #83 Shane Rawley

Comments on the card/player: 1987 was Rawley's 4th season with the Phillies (80-82 for the season). He was 17-11, his best year in baseball. In his last year with the Phillies, 1988, he will be 8-16 and by the end of 1989 his ML career will be over.
How/When acquired: Don't know.

Card #36624
2012 Topps Pro Debut #205 Nolan Arenado

Comments on the card/player: Arenado was the Rockies #2 pick in 2009 and made his ML debut on 4/28/13. A 3rd baseman, he was a serious contender for Rookie of the Year on 2013. He also won a Gold Glove in his rookie season. 2014 was an even better year for him.
How/When acquired: Paid $0.30/card for 185-card hobby box of Topps Pro-Debut on eBay in January 2013.

Card #2141
1993 Topps Traded #88 Fred McGriff

Comments on the card/player: The Braves got Crime Dog from the Padres in July 1993 for basically nobody. In 5 years in Atlanta, he hit .293, with 130 home runs and 446 RBIs.
How/When acquired: Don't know.

Card #13652
2009 Topps Update #260 Ryan Howard

Comments on the card/player: Sorry, seeing a 2009 Ryan Howard card makes me choke up for what used to be.
How/When acquired: Paid $0.14/card for a hobby box on eBay in October 2009.

Card #18941
1989 Donruss #547 Hensley Meulens

Comments on the card/player: Meulens had a career that spanned 10 years (1989-1998, only 7 actually in the majors) in which he played in 182 games.
How/When acquired: This card (in fact a whole box of 1989 Donruss) was part of a large box of baseball related items I paid $50 for at a church bazaar in October 2009.

Card #19899
2010 Topps 206 #172 Kid Elberfeld

Comments on the card/player: Not one of Topps' better retro sets. Elberfeld was an infielder who played from 1898 to 1914. Elberfeld was know as "The Tabasco Kid" because he seems to have been an out of control hot-head.
How/When acquired: Paid $0.45/card for 3 48-card blasters at Target in September 2010.