Pack – 1994 Collector’s Choice 1 – NL

This is the first in a series of three posts.  This post features three 1994 Collector’s Choice packs with NL players on the front.

Beckett Set Notes (from set page)

“Produced by Upper Deck, this 670 standard-size card set was distributed in two series of 320 and 350. Cards were issued in foil-wrapped 12-card packs and factory sets (of which contained five Gold Signature cards for a total of 675 cards). Basic card fronts feature color player action photos with white borders that are highlighted by vertical gray pinstripes. Subsets include Rookie Class (1-20), First Draft Picks (21-30), Top Performers (306-315), Up Close (631-640) and Future Foundation (641-650). Rookie Cards include Michael Jordan and Alex Rodriguez. A legitimate variation on the Alex Rodriguez card (#647) was verified several years after release. The standard card features the “A” from Alex on the card back text in grey/silver whereas the variation features his name in white. It’s believed that the A-Rod “White A” variation is a significantly tougher card but exact estimates of it’s scarcity are not known. In subsequent years other cards (such as Johnny Damon) were also verified to have this White Letter variation – thus it’s generally believed that the entire Future Foundations subset was produced with white (and standard grey) letter variations.”

Pack Contents

12 cards each

Cost

$0.40 each (part of a large group of packs picked up at a show)

Description

This post is for three different packs.  Each has an Andy Warhol-esque picture of an NL star on the front.  One is Deion Sanders (Atlanta Braves); another is Mike Piazza (LA Dodgers); and the last is a very svelte Barry Bonds (SF Giants).  There may be other NL players on these packs, but these are the only three of which I’m aware.

Insert / Parallel List (taken from the pack)

Silver Signature parallel – 320 cards – 1:1 packs
Gold Signature parallel – 320 cards – 1:36 packs

Base cards

220 – Alex Rodriguez (front and back)

14 – Luis Gonzalez (front only)
49 – Lance Johnson (front only)

169 – Ryan Christenson (front only)
220 – Dan Wilson (front only)

Inserts and parallels

235 – Copper Parallel – Rusty Greer (front and back)

Complete pack contents

Deion Sanders
67 – Dave Burba
82 – Jeff Conine
86 – Tim Costo
117 – Ken Griffey Jr.
148 – Gregg Jefferies
218 – Paul O’Neill
224 – Mike Pagliarulo
251 – Tim Salmon
290 – Turk Wendell
306 – Top Performers of 1991 – Wins Leaders
307 – Silver Signature – Top Performers of 1991 – Strikeout Leader

Mike Piazza
1 – Rookie Class Rich Becker
14 – Rookie Class Marc Newfield
109 – Bernard Gilkey
113 – Jim Gott
120 – Juan Guzman (x2)
180 – Scott Lydy
236 – Pat Rapp
244 – Mel Rojas
289 – Bill Wegman
86 – Silver Signature – Tim Costo
73 – Gold Signature – Cris Carpenter

Barry Bonds
4 – Rookie Class Carlos Delgado
54 – Mike Blowers
67 – Dave Burba
102 – Darrin Fletcher
134 – Roberto Hernandez
142 – David Hulse
206 – Blas Minor
209 – Raul Mondesi
296 – Bob Wickman
302 – Dave Winfield
320 – Checklist Nolan Ryan
84 – Silver Signature – Scott Cooper

Comments

There’s not much to add to this post.  The images pretty much speak for themselves.  I’m normally not a fan of white borders on cards, but these seems to work OK.  For a bottom level set for the budget collector, these cards are alright.  They are nothing fancy, but of course nobody should expect them to be.  Nothing wrong with that for this set.

These cards didn’t fare too well since their printing nearly 20 years ago.  They stuck together like crazy.  A recent 1993 Upper Deck pack did the exact same thing on me, but these packs were quite a bit worse.  Maybe there was something about Upper Deck’s cards that made them very prone to sticking.  It’s something to consider if you plan on breaking a box of this stuff and hope to find really nice cards.  Regardless, you can’t exactly blame Upper Deck because their cards don’t store for two decades in packs.

One pleasant surprise was the Gold Signature card.  That is a 1:36 pack pull.  Pretty good.

Other 1994 Collector’s Choice 1 pack rips or box breaks

Pack Rip (Mike Piazza) by A Pack To Be Named Later

Pack Rip (Jumbo Deion Sanders) by Cardboard Collection

Box Break (retail) by Fan Stuff

Part of a box break by Nachos Grande

Pack – 1999 Paramount

Beckett Set Notes (from set page)

“The 1999 Paramount set was issued in one series for a total of 250 cards and distributed in six-card packs with a suggested retail price of $1.49. The set features color action photos of some of today’s biggest superstars and tomorrow’s up-and-comers in their 1999 uniforms. As was typical with 1999 Pacific products, a Tony Gwynn Sample card was produced and distributed to dealers and hobby media several weeks prior to the product’s release. The large “SAMPLE” text running across the back, and lack of a card number make this an easy card to distinguish.”

Pack Contents

6 card

Cost

$0.25 (part of a large group of packs picked up at a show)

Description

Whoo hoo!  A pack from 1999 – absolute top shelf material for this blog.

Insert / Parallel List (taken from the pack)

Platinum Blue parallel – 250 cards – 1:73 packs
Copper parallel (hobby) – 250 cards – 1:1 packs
Gold parallel (retail) – 250 cards – 1:1 packs
Holographic Silver parallal (hobby) – 250 cards – unknown
Holographic Gold parallel (retail) -250 cards – unknown
Team Checklists – 30 cards – 2:37 packs
Personal Bests – 36 cards – 1:37 packs
Fielder’s Choice – 20 cards – 1:73 packs
Cooperstown Bound – 10 cards – 1:361 packs

Base cards

220 – Alex Rodriguez (front and back)

14 – Luis Gonzalez (front only)
49 – Lance Johnson (front only)

169 – Ryan Christenson (front only)
220 – Dan Wilson (front only)

Inserts and parallels

235 – Copper Parallel – Rusty Greer (front and back)

Comments

I have recently liked just about everything that I’ve opened.  From packs of newer stuff to boxes of junk, I have found something redeeming in all of it.  It stops here.  This product, 1999 Paramount, is lousy.  Allow me to elaborate.

The white borders don’t work well.  I have never liked new, glossy cards with white borders.  I think these cards look like some lame effort from Topps.  (That might be hitting below the belt.)  Look around your house.  Are there any pictures framed in a white mat?  No.  Frames are dark.  Maybe in the 70s white borders were OK and accepted without question.  Even I like the look of the 1973 and 1977 sets.  But, by 1999, the white border looks washed out.  (Glossy white borders are also hard to crop and trim in scans.)

What else don’t I like?  Let’s see, the backs don’t look like real card backs.  The font size is so big that I feel like I’m in the third grade.  Maybe the writers at Pacific didn’t feel like creating too much text.  Maybe these cards are designed for the visually impaired.  Whatever the reason, the backs just don’t feel like real backs.  (Whatever that means.)

A final point is that I have no idea whether I opened a retail or hobby pack.  The one insert card looks like a Copper parallel, which would make the pack a hobby pack.  Then again, the insert could be a Gold parallel, which is retail only.  Gold and Copper are kind of hard to differentiate based on foil lettering alone.

In conclusion, this pack is kind of a bust.  Pacific put out a ton of different sets in the late 90s.  They can’t all be great products.

Other 1999 Paramount pack rips or box breaks

Pack Rip by The Priceless Pursuit

Part of a box break by Nachos Grande

Pack – 1996 Denny’s

Beckett Set Notes (from set page)

“This 28-card set was produced by Pinnacle for Denny’s and features a star player from each of the Major League baseball teams. The fronts feature a full motion hologram player image. The backs carry player information. By ordering anything on the menu, a customer could buy two packs. Each Denny’s also sponsored a drawing to win all 48 cards (the regular set and both insert sets).”

Pack Contents

1 card

Cost

$0.25 (part of a large group of packs picked up at a show)

Description

This blue foil pack was irresistible in a bargain bin at a local show.  Somehow I resisted buying the 50 or so that were in the box.

Insert / Parallel List

Grand Slam inserts – 10 cards – 1:56 packs
Artist’s Proofs inserts – 10 cards – 1:360 packs

Card

13 – Barry Larkin (front and back)

information card

Comments

At one time I had a bunch of rules on what I considered to be a set.  This Denny’s pack would not have made the grade.  I’m glad I got over those rules.

As Beckett tells us, these packs could be bought if you ate food at Denny’s.  You’d think they’d throw then in as a promo, but apparently you had to buy them.  With 28 cards per set, that’s a lot of French toast to get a full set.  What kills me is that this issue included insert sets.  The Artist’s Proofs are inserted at a rate of 1:360.  Scarce inserts just don’t seem to fit with the distribution of these cards.

Enough about the particulars of this set, the cards themselves contain a holographic image.  If you get the light just right (no easy task), then you are treated to a color motion clip of the player featured on the card.  Getting the light correct is pretty hard – so hard, in fact, that each pack includes a special instruction card.  The instructions do not say anything about patience or luck.  This is a serious omission in my opinion.

Other 1996 Denny’s pack rips or box breaks

Pack Rip by A Pack To Be Named Later