Desert Shield Set?

Gemmy10

Did any of you ever hear of it? If so, is there a demand for this set?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=55902&item=5100312697

wallst32

It was petty hot when it came out. So much in fact that there are counterfeits out there (fake stamps). It will probably always hold some value due to perceived scarcity, but I would say it is not widely collected as a set, and more for singles/favorite player type collectors.

wlf3

in 1991 it hit somewhere around $15,000 a set.... i bought one 2 years ago for $800 for my collection. They're still rare in set form but not in demand anywhere near where they were a decade ago.... and it's basically a limited embossed 1991 Topps set...period and boring in that sense.

ajw

There was a dealer near me that had an unopened wax box years ago. One pack was opened to show that the packs were legit, as there was no real way to know if they were Desert Shield or not.

I don't know about the value (short term or long) but I do think they carry more interest than just another "embossed" set. For me, the interest is in how the sets were distributed. The only ones that survived were brought all the way back from Iraq/Kuwait by soldiers that probably had other things on their mind. For me, it's one of the best stories behind a set in the last 20 years or more.

helionaut

Desert Shield is a variation that isn't very highly priced anymore, but they do sell, as opposed to most other 1991 cards. Commons go for a few bucks, and players like Ryan, Ripken, Bonds, etc. will go for anywhere from $50-100. These cards were counterfeited, so be careful. The legitimate cards have a flat bottom edge of the shield, like those in this auction. Fakes have a pointed bottom edge.

Jmnesq

Back in 1991, when Topps Stadium Club was the ONLY alternative to regular Topps, Ultra to Fleer, and Leaf to Donruss, this was quite an interesting alternative set.

Gemmy10

<<in 1991 it hit somewhere around $15,000 a set....>>

wlf3, you are kidding? A modern set in 1991 commanded that price? UNBELIEVABLE!!! That's 4 times as much as a Yankee Collection which were produced 9 years later.

Do you know approximately how many Desert Shield sets were produced?

pandrews

i have the Desert Shield cards of most of the players I like from the set..

wlf3

gemmy, i think they produced some rediculiously low run like 10k cases or something like that. they were only given to soldiers in Iraq, most were lost, tossed or otherwise.

funlover1974

This may or may not be true, I was told that there were less than 10,000 total sets printed. At some point in the mess over there a fire broke out in one the building they were being kept in before distribution and very high number of the sets were destroyed. I know a local dealer who put together 7 sets here and sold them for around 8K a set in 1994 and she had people asking if she had more.

mudflap02

I've also heard that they were sold in PX's on bases. So yes, many cards actually came from the sandbox, but it seems likely that more than a few never left US soil.

Gemmy10

<<put together 7 sets here and sold them for around 8K a set in 1994 and she had people asking if she had more. >>

Wow, a modern set which is in demand with a high price. I am hoping with all of the Yankee fans around the Yankee Master Collections will do the same in future years. But heck, it will be up to my kids sine they are going to get them.

Stone193

I'm a Desert Storm vet and do not have a 'true' account of what happened but this is what I recall or understand may have happened and is coupled with what I just got out of the catalog. The boxes were printed by Topps with the gold embossed 'shield' supposedly enough to make 6800 sets. It is believed that a lot of the boxes were stolen before they could be shipped to Saudi. I heard a lot of the stuff was tossed by guyz in the field who could care less about the stuff. I sent mine home to my son in the US. At the time, I didn't realize the stuff would be so expensive - I want to say my son sold packs to a local card shop for like 25$. That was like a million back then. So, a lot of it did not make it back to US soil that was sent over there.
The 04 Standard catalog of BB cardz lists the set at a grand and the packs at 75$.
That's about all I can contribute.
your friend
Mike

ChrisStufflestreet

I'm a Desert Storm vet as well. I know about the cards because knew that there were some guys in other units who ended up with near-complete sets because they ended up having their buddies give them their allotment.

It must have been hit-and-miss as to which units recieved the cards. By the time I knew about them, the only guys who still had them weren't giving them up, and when I finally went home, I wasn't about to pay the prices they asked for the cards.

Stone193

<< <i>I wasn't about to pay the prices they asked for the cards. >>


Chris
You musta had some 'card-sharks' in your unit. The supply guy got some boxes and most of the people in my unit didn't want them. I got the ones from my buds and I heard a lot got tossed. Perhaps now, after your report, they tossed alright - right into the mail - home!
Mike

ChrisStufflestreet

<< <i>You musta had some 'card-sharks' in your unit. The supply guy got some boxes and most of the people in my unit didn't want them. I got the ones from my buds and I heard a lot got tossed. Perhaps now, after your report, they tossed alright - right into the mail - home!
Mike >>



Judging from the number of Desert Shield cards I saw after coming home, you're probably correct. Imy unit never got any of the cards...I guess I might have seen some if I was buddies with some of the S-3 people, but no...I was a signal guy.