Sunday, May 30, 2010

1992 Impel DC Cosmic Comics Series I

This pack was actually opened when I got it. My guess is that if it had contained a holographic card, that card is long gone by an unscrupulous pack searcher.  Yeah, I said it.  Each pack has 12 cards with a chance for a randomly inserted hologram.

The cards are flat, meaning no shine at all. The grey borders are drab.  The images on the cards are colorful, but seem to lack something.  Then again, I was not a comic book collector as a kid, so maybe these look mah-vel-lous for all I know.  Each card features a scene with a main character, the DC Comics logo, a caption in the upper corner and the character's name in the lower corner.

The backs feature information about the depicted character or scene.  Lobo looks scary until you see the dog. Frankly, the dog looks like something out of a Tom and Jerry cartoon.

Why do the bad guys always look so much cooler than the good guys?  Mr. Bones would beat Orion down in a flash.

And how about the names?  "Blue Beetle!?"  Heck, even *I* would take on that guy - just bring ye olde canister of RAID.
I'm thinking there is more going on in the "Maxima" card than they're letting on.  I'm just saying, that's not looking like a kid-friendly card there.
Some of the cards feature comics covers.  Evidently, the one shown above was worth $12000 in 1992, book value.  We all know what that means.

I got gyped. Where is my Wonder Woman card? Oh well.

1993 Fleer Ultra

Welcome to another Collective Troll Group Break Pack Rip on a Pack to be Named Later. I was planning on doing a pack of 1994 Fleer Ultra, but that has already been done so I switched gears to 1993 Fleer Ultra. I really didn’t want to post this pack because it has 23 cards in it and that is a lot of scanning, but I am committed. Or should be…
Here is what we got:
Card #285 of Rangers starter Kenny Rogers. Rogers was 3-6 in 1992 working out of the Rangers pen. Of course in 1994 he threw a perfect game. Those used to be pretty special, now they seem to happen every week.
Card #138 of Orioles centerfielder Brady Anderson. Brady was an All Star for the first time in 1992 when he was third in the AL with 53 steals. Card #196 of Tigers pitcher John Doherty.Card #220 of Brewers closer Doug Henry. He saved 29 games for the Crew in '92.
Card #267 of Mariners right fielder Jay Buhner, pre goatee and pre-pine tar stained pants. Bone Buhner hit 40 plus homers in 3 straight seasons and topped 300 in his career. Card #277 of the ageless wonder Julio Franco. The pic on the back shows Franco still playing second base. Injuries limited him to 35 games in ’92, one year after he won the batting title with a .341 average.
Card #65 of Expos infielder Wil Cordero.
Card #76 of Howard Johnson of the New York Mets. Hojo was a bonafide superstar in New York for a while, but ’92 was the start of the downslide…
Card #95 of Pirates pitcher Stan Belinda. It’s nice that Fleer included a Pirate in here. Belinda was the bullpen ace for the Bucs; he saved 18 games in ’92 and 19 more the following year.
Card #54 of Lenny Harris. I seem to have a knack for pulling cards of the top pinch hitter in baseball history. This guy found a niche, worked it, and had an 18 year career and over that time had a bunch of cards that I always seem to pull. Looking at this one, I won't complain because it shows Harris as something I never think of him as, a good middle infielder.
Card #38 of Astros third baseman Ken Caminiti.
Card #184 of Indians shortstop Felix Fermin
Card #18 of Cubs Gold Glove first baseman Mark Grace. Amazing owns 4 Gold Gloves, a World Series ring and a career .303 batting average over a 16-year career. Not enough for the Hall of Fame, but he was damn good.
Card #28 of Reds second baseman Bill Doran.
Card #171 of George Bell, White Sox designated hitter. The former MVP knocked in 112 runs for the Sox in 1992.
Card #207 of Royals pitcher Tom Gordon. Flash was a mediocre starter who became a great closer, for a season.
Card #223 of Brewers reliever Jesse Orosco. Speaking of closers or players who played forever… Jesse O was a spring chicken at 36 years old in ’93; he played for another 10 seasons.
Card #256 of A’s starter Ron Darling. Jesse O’s teammate on the ’86 Mets won 15 games for Oakland in 1992.
Card #146 of Orioles first baseman David Segui. Proof that taking steroids doesn’t make everyone hit 50 homers or even 22.
Card #270 of Mariners third baseman Edgar Martinez. Yep, Edgar wasn’t always a DH. He played third base regularly in 1992 when he won his first batting title.
Card #68 of Expos Ken Hill. Freaking strike in ’94.
Card #4 of Braves first baseman Sid Bream. I can’t possibly think of anything to write about Sid, but I love the pic of him on the back of the card.
And finally, the last card out of the pack is #130 of Will “The Thrill” Clark sliding in safe with a face full of eye black. He was one of the best and most intense players of my childhood. Another Gold Glove first baseman who retired with a .303 batting average. Unlike Gracey, the Thrill never got his ring. His Giants lost to the A’s in the famous 1989 World Series, his only trip to the Classic. Wow, after scanning and listing 23 cards I am pretty freaking tired. I think I deserve a beer. All in all this was a pretty great pack. No Hall of Famers (yet) but it has a couple of MVPs, a ton of All Stars, Gold Glovers, Silver Sluggers and great players from the 80s and 90s. The photography is good and the back of the card is well composed and each card offers 3 seperate sharp color photos of the featured player. I tried to put this set together back in '93 and I probably finished it, too. I don't think I will chase it again, but it aint bad. I hope everyone is enjoying the long weekend. I love this game, I love this hobby! Go Rays! Troll out.

1991 Impel An American Tail

As we have seen often on this site, 1991 was the year Impel decided to make cards with anyone or anything that agreed to have them produced.  This time, we have a tie-in with one of the best-loved animated movies of the time.  Honestly, I don't think I have ever seen it.  Each pack has 12 cards and there is a chance that one could pull a holographic card.  I didn't.

The fronts feature various frames and stills from the movie.  The backs give information related to the depiction on the front. Hey, it's a formula, and it worked quite well for Impel during the time they made all these tie-ins.
Wylie Burp... get it, like Wyatt Earp?  Yeah, that gets me every time, too.

2008 Upper Deck First Edition Update

2008 was such a different time. There were two companies licensed to produce baseball cards, and the economy was such that there was ample opportunity to put together a throwaway set like a second series of Upper Deck First Edition. These cards had a matte finish (as opposed to glossy) and white lettering instead of foil. I almost prefer these to the base set in a way.

370 - Michael Bourn (Bourn has been just about the only thing that's worked out for the Astros in recent years. It's odd, because committing to him as an everyday player was one of their biggest gambles.)

379 - Francisco Rodriguez (What would K-Rod do without his lucky shades?)

333 - A.J. Pierzynski

388 - Rafael Furcal

339 - Alexei Ramirez (Ramirez was one of the key rookies from 2008, but he's had a rough year so far this year.)

419 - Ramon Castro

472 - Skip Schumaker (Schumaker made the conversion from the outfield to second base last year, and even meddlesome Tony La Russa has resisted the urge to throw him into the outfield this season.)

427 - Hideki Matsui

436 - Pedro Feliz (One of the latest Bad Astros Decisions...)

SQ-51 - Ken Griffey Jr. Starquest (This has to be Griffey's last season, right?)