Starting Lineups- gettem while they're low.......

CDsNuts

I've been sitting on this idea for the past several years as the prices of SLU's have been plummeting. I've always thought they were a great collectible and I always had fun collecting my guys, so I never quite understood why the bottom fell completely out on them. Sure they were badly inflated at some point, but they went from having their own monthly Beckett to being a 2nd thought (Do they still have their own Beckett?). You can get the key unopened figures (excluding the ultra rare) for around $50-70 in very nice condition, and commons rarely fetch their MSRP. From a collecting standpoint, it's a great time to get your favorite players. And from an investing standpoint, I think it's a good time to pick up everything from the 88, 89, and 90 sets, as well as rookie pieces from sure-fire hof-ers (Shaq, Maddux, R.Johnson, Piazza, Duncan, etc...). Any thoughts?

Lee

frankhardy

How much would Michael Jordan bring from 88, 90, and 91?

A761506

I don't think the demand for those things will ever increase. They are in abundant supply, they are bulky to ship & store, and collectors have shown little interest in them, as they have with most mass-produced items that came out in the late 80's & early 90's.

Allen

You never know. A lot of stuff people collect today was once overly plentiful junk. I wouldn't mind picking up a few.

Stone193

Hi Guys
I'm no expert on Starting Lineups but I will say that the total print run on them is not that large. The problem is, as was said, the demand right now is low. IMO, what killed SLU's was the discontinuation of the product and the advent of the McFarlane figures which are much more detailed. Having said that, the allure of the SLU is the "card" that comes with it.

I would agree with CDs, if you can get some of the key ones from 88, 89 and 90, and for cheap, not a bad idea.

With all the steroid crap, and if he has a comeback season, look for Ken Griffey Jr. to come out 'squeaky clean' and may be popular again. He is a 500 HR club guy without roids. His 1990 regular and extended copy were very popular.

The Michael Jordan 1993 is actually a low print addition for that year and desirable amongst the SLU collectors, I believe. Also, of course the Shaq from 93 is a good one.

Just look at the price guide in Tuff Stuff, e.g., and if you can pick up any of the hard to find high end ones - not a bad idea - but they will have to be cheap IMO.

And finally, condition of the package is everything with these - if it's beat up, it's not a keeper.

your friend
Mike

CDsNuts

The 88s and 89s are not in what I would call "abundant supply" unopened. There are a good amount out there, but most are on damaged cards. I remember when the 88 Ripken would fetch $200-300, and now you can find a decent one for $50-75. Same with Nolan Ryan. An 88 Jordan can be found for $25-35. I think it is much tougher to find one of these on a mint card than it would be to find a mint 88-89 Fleer Jordan. I like the fact that they've fallen off the radar with collectors. Stuff like this that was widely collected will usually will find a revival 10-20 years later. Examples: Garbage Pail Kids, GI Joe's from the 80s, Transformers. Even Rubik's cubes for god's sake. Never underestimate the power of nostalgia.

Lee

gregm13

I've always hated SLU's because the dealers would clean out the stores and jack the prices up - it use to piss me off to no extent. It's funny, that I have a renewed interest in them lately because I'm trying to get all the Marino SLU cards graded. They are nearly impossible to find unless you buy the unopened package and break out the card.

Regards,

Greg M.

kingraider75

I use to open them and put them up for display. Never had that many, I think you can make some nice looking displays with a lot of them that are open. However, collectors want sealed one's and I don't know if there is going to be a lot of them unopened that suddenly hit the market.

pandrews

I believe the demand for those things will only increase, considering they are at about rock-bottom right now. I have a few dozen, and I will keep them forever, rather than let them go at the prices they're at now..

Axtell

I think it's another issue over produced modern stuff that was supposedly 'limited' and once that was found out (and demand receeded) the bottom dropped out.

I don't see demand every being big on anything modern unless it's truly someone incredibly talented and popular (read: LeBron) and in truly short supply.

Stone193

<< <i>I think it's another issue over produced modern stuff that was supposedly 'limited' and once that was found out (and demand receeded) the bottom dropped out.

I don't see demand every being big on anything modern unless it's truly someone incredibly talented and popular (read: LeBron) and in truly short supply. >>


Axtell
That's true for all modern - but with the SLU's, there are some gems. In the 88 set, shoot for the Ripken, Ryan or Clemens; maybe the Bonds or Brett. If you can get an 89 Gwynn, Maddux, Ripken or Bonds. There are a lot of minor stars with supposed SP quality but they may be no-names but of value to the set collector. Mind you, the condition and the price have to be right!

Just some thoughts
your friend
Mike

CDsNuts

Try finding an 88 Stockton or Malone, or an 89 Elway or Marino. I would relate the figures to a late 70s baseball card set. They were plentiful when released, a lot were opened, a lot were damaged, and now there are some decent copies in great condition, but not nearly as many in desirable condition as there once were. I don't think it's fair to lump them into the 88 Topps/90 Donruss/etc... category of overproduced crap. There aren't as many of these out there as you may think, and to reference greg m., I remember when it was really tough to get the players I wanted every time a new set was released because the dealers would swallow them up. If there really were that many made, the dealers couldn't possibly have cornered the market on the top pieces like they did. I don't recall 89 Score or 91 Donruss boxes ever being tough to come by. And yeah greg, I used to hate getting all geared up to go to Toys R Us only to find a bunch of Matt Nokes and Ron Darling figures., then going to a card show and having to pay 3-4x MSRP for Eddie Murray and Bo Jackson. Fockers.

Lee

pandrews

anybody got any 1989 ron gants?

RubberBiskit

Never understood the nostalgia with SLU. I think they're hideous figures, and poorly made.
I wonder if the drop in prices are due to the better looking figures by McFarlane. Those are awesome!
I buy these and could care less about condition. I just break them open and display them (McFarlane).

Stone193

<< <i>Never understood the nostalgia with SLU. I think they're hideous figures, and poorly made.
I wonder if the drop in prices are due to the better looking figures by McFarlane. Those are awesome!
I buy these and could care less about condition. I just break them open and display them (McFarlane). >>


Good point Ethan
You are a collector. A lot of people keep them pristine, in the pack, for investment purposes, I believe.
Comparing the two products is apples and oranges. For one thing, the "card" in the package is part of the allure of SLU. Plus, some people like the simplistic nature of the figures. It's sorta like comparing the Hartland figures to McFarlane - no doubt which one looks better but there is a "group" who swear by the Hartlands.

your friend
Mike

doog71

I actually WAY prefer SLUs to McFarlanes. No doubt the McFarlane pieces have way more detail, but I really enjoy the almost comic book look to the SLUs. Plus, loved 'em as a kid!

Doug

Stone193

<< <i>I actually WAY prefer SLUs to McFarlanes. No doubt the McFarlane pieces have way more detail, but I really enjoy the almost comic book look to the SLUs. Plus, loved 'em as a kid!

Doug >>


Bingo!
They came first...have the simplistic look...got collected for cheap....had the sportscard and have the "nostaligia" factor going for it in the future IMO.

your friend
Mike

goudeygold

I don't know. While anything is "possible" I think the time has come and passed for SLUs. I have been staring at my 91? Nolan Ryan so long, I finally said screw it and opened it up. He now sits on my desk in his wind up pose and I gave the "score" card I thunk it was to my son to slobber on. Makes me 10X happier than having it sealed. Truth is, MAYBE I could have sold it for $5, shipping would be $8, plus time and fees, means I've been saving it for 14 years for a big mac value meal. I don't think the market will return. Too clumsy, bulky, hard to store in quantity, etc... Its a shame I agree though.

GG

TheCARDKid

How many of the '88 Utah Jazz exist? Or some of the rare football and baseball figures?

I didn't follow the SLU market very much. The discontinuation probably made them look more like a novelty than an iconic brand (i.e. GI Joe, Hot Wheels).

CDsNuts

CARDKid, I agree with you that the discontinuation hurts them. I think their problem was that they tried to change with the card market and started throwing all kinds of new gimmicks in with each set produced, and the people that collected sets of the 88s, 89s, and 90s lost interest because of the coins, posters, decoder rings, and whatever other kinds of bells and whistles they threw in with the figure, similar to what happened with the original Star Wars figures. I also think people got sick of the dealers swallowing them up and it no longer became fun to hit the toy stores every week. With that said, I still think the early figures in good shape will make a comeback in the next 10 years or so, especially as those guys keep getting enshrined. As far as the rarity of the hard to find pieces, I've always been a huge Stockton fan, and I know they were distributed in Utah only. Still, in all my years of collecting and going to shows in Maryland, I never came across an unopened Stockton or Malone. Who knows how many exist, but judging from what I've seen on ebay over the years, I would say definitely less than 500 of each is left unopened, and maybe even less than 100. Also, I know lots of the 89 FB are hard to find. I don't think there are any super rare baseball figures except certain variations.

Lee

kingraider75

football SLU are harder I thihk. Seemed the stores always had 4 to 1 in favor of baseball on the shelves.

Sets

FYI: I recently acquired 4300 pieces, if anyone collects them, I can let them go fairly cheap. They are mostly unopened cases. Talk about a headache for storage I know. If you do collect them email me your want list, and I will see what I can do. The years go from 1988-1996, I think, but there could be later ones too. I don't know, I haven't looked at them since I packed away the boxes.

kingraider75

how can you store that much stuff? Do you use storage rental box somewhere?

NickM

goudeygold - there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it's a great way to have an inexpensive neat display item of a favorite player. A SLU figure out of the box has a "cool factor" that a loose card just will never have (and it's a lot more resistant to damage).

Nick

Sets

yes, a very large expensive storage box

pandrews

1989 Ron Gant..

Sets

you have got to be kidding me, are those real prices without pictures? I have some work to do...........attn slu collectors...................get ready.