A Kenner Starting Lineup Story

Iceman44

As I was moving my climate controlled storage location from one to another after about 12 years I got to go through a lot of old starting lineup cases bringing back many memories, both good and bad! I will say that I had a great time busting open probably a 100 or so of these figures to display. And as you know if you own these or McFarlanes, storage or display in the box is a pain.

And yes, McFarlane has great detail and I love those as display pieces and have many "variants" BUT, I really got a charge out of going through my old SLU's again, some of them are really pretty cool. I went into it thinking that I would build a bonfire out of most of them because of the storage (except my 88's of course) and came out of it excited about them again.

I collect mainly graded vintage hoops, 48, 57 and 61 fleer and I somehow got into SLU's through a guy that knew someone at Kenner at the time and we bought a ton of 1988 basketball cases back around 1990 that were in the warehouse returned from the toy stores. The 1988 cases were small boxes that came in team sets with short prints. We bought cases directly from Kenner for the next few years and they have been in storage ever since. Some of the 88 hoops are pristine and some of the 88 boxes came damaged or yellowed.

I also found several old Tuff Stuff's and Beckett's and if you want a trip through memory lane and/or get a perspective on the hobby now versus then go through some of those old issues!

One of the mags I found was "The Tuff Stuff Guide to Kenner Starting Lineup". It has articles by Jeff Clow, who still writes for Tuff Stuff and the Kenner Kid, Carlson. Here is a funny excerpt from this 1992 edition:

Jeff Clow writes, "If I wanted to start a portfolio today with $500, here's what I'd buy, two 88 Nolan Ryan's, two Griffey sliding, two 88 Ripken's, two 88 Yount's, three 88 Birds and two 88 Magic's". "I'd venture to guess that this model portfolio will outperform stocks and bonds for the next ten years, there is still an investment that you can get in on the ground floor. Let's call it the Kenner CD."

Wow, poor Jeff, how many other quote "Investments" in the hobby do you think will turn out like this. Give me your best guess!

"Good buys do still exist, how about a 88 Shawon Dunston at $25, I say it's a nice investment".

"I think it is a hobby with a lot of upside potential. I call it the best $5 lottery buy in America. Prices can double, triple or quadruple overnight and most card collectors haven't caught on to the incredible potential".

Still, try and find 88's in good condition, with white cards and no creasing, good luck, many didn't even make it out of the warehouse in good shape, I know!

Anyhow, I love the nostalgia and the pieces certainly bring me back and the cards are kinda cool too. What I have decided is to open more, Mcfarlane included and really get some enjoyment out of these pieces rather than sitting in a box in storage!

Tell me what part of the hobby you think is on the same track as Kenner.

Stone193

Ice

Not sure where SLU's are now?

I know there is still a group out there who collect and sell/trade them - I imagine the demise of the production killed the collectible to quite some degree.

I know the McFarlanes are way, way better made with incredible detail - but there's something cool about the simplicity of the SLU. Plus, you get a card!

Do you know anything about the production numbers? My understanding is that it is supposed to be on the low side.

As it goes for a parallel collectible with respect to what happened to SLU's? Not sure. Beanie babies and Pogs totally fell off the radar screen.

Anyway - here is one from my favorite group - the Griffey RC.



BTW, I used to wait outside the toy store and Px to get the new ones before they were snatched up.
Chasing this stuff was sweet and painful at the same time. Sorta like marriage!

Thanx for sharing your story
mike

Iceman44

Mike, nice Griffey sliding, on Clow's list!

If you recall, Pat McInally, the old Bengals punter is the one who first came up with the idea of retail sports figures and went to work for Kenner after his playing days.

The guide says that production numbers weren't available during the first two years but that overall prodution had never exceeded "70,000 pieces on any figure for any year, and that the typical production run for a new all-star player in any year has usually been 10,000 pieces or less". Kenner's research revealed that as much as 50% were initially opened by the purchaser.

Back in 1988 it was a national distribution as opposed to a regional distribution. 1988 baseball was over-produced and thus over-stocked. 88 football and basketball were released later that fall in much less production. To make room for the 89's Kenner agreed to buy back the 88's that were over-stocked which is probably how I got mine.

In 89, they went regional, which is why the football is so tough to find and has retained some value.

They say that production numbers became available in 1990. For example, baseball extended from 1990 Kenner shipped 3,000 cases. Your Griffey sliding was packed one per case in the American league all-star assortment case with a print run of about 10,000 pieces. The lowest print runs were 3,000 to 5,000 pieces, with the highest being 30,000 to 50,000, many of which were opened.

They say basketball had the shortest print run of any kenner product, however, the 1990 Jordan had a print run of 50,000 pieces, while David Robinson's rookie piece was at 25,000, not exactly short printed. Mullin, Stockton, Chambers, etc. were in the 5,000 to 8,000 range.

Another infamous quote from Clow, "1991 non-allstar players were produced in quantities less than 8,000 each. In my opinion, this makes players like Kevin Maas and Matt Williams great investments, who have never been released before."

Believe me, there were thousands of collectors back then and many of those who lurk on these boards, even if they don't wan't to admit it!

It has been estimated that there are only about 100 carded copies of the Jazz figures left. My theory is that there weren't many returns from Salt Lake because basketball was hot there with Stockton and Malone, coupled with the fact that they weren't included in the national cases and I think that Carlson probably got first crack at the leftovers at the warehouse. And/or they simply got too damaged in storage.

Anyhow, some Kenner info overload for those who want to go down memory lane!

AkbarClone

Iceman--if you are mainly into the figures, do you happen to have any of the cards available for sell/trade?

Iceman44

Also, when I think about the simplicity of the SLU's it doesn't mean that I like them any less just because Mcfalane came along. Something will supercede Mcfalane in the future.

It is kind of like my 61 fleers, 71 topps and 57 topps, some of the most simple card designs ever, the 61 fleer for sure, yet they are my favorite cards of all. I don't care that they aren't foil stamped, don't have cut signatures or have a production number of 1/25 stamped on the back, in fact, isn't it better that they don't! How can you go wrong with the 71 short printed ABA players?

Stone193

Thanx for the info Ice

I have some of the 1990 Jordan - "jumping" figures - I think they have a coin?

I'm in the process of working on inventory - and this stuff will be included.

I have no idea what I have.

I wish my wife would give me the living room!!! I would get a top flite carpenter to build me wall to wall shelves with lighting!

I would display all the SLU's, cereal boxes, Hartlands, board games, whiskey decanters, books, balls and whatever else I can find!

Plus, the hallway is 20 feet long and 14 feet high - it would be covered with photos and stuff!

To dream...

Iceman44

Akbar, which cards are you looking for? I've got many multiples of some of the 88 hoops, and various cases of early 90's. I'd be happy to trade with you. LMK.

Iceman44

Mike, it is the only reason I keep these things and the other balls, helmets, jersey's, cards, etc., like you, I hope to have a house big enough one day to have my own sports wing! Why else would we put these things, including cards, in storage? There has got to be more to it than taking them out and looking at them every now then! I understand that the guy in NJ has quite a display and collection, Davillilo I think.

onlyanumber

Iceman--you seem to know a lot about the SLUs, which is somewhat of a rarity these days. I think you keyed in on one aspect that was important to the demise of the SLUs--the buyback of the unsold pieces. Kenner was selling those off to discounters far earlier than people realize. I think it was the mid to late nineties that the pieces showed up in the Dollar Trees and other discount chains, and the hobby magaizines noticed it. But it was back in 1989 that they started rebuying (as you mentioned) and subsequently selling them to regional discount stores. I'll never forget going into Sands Salvage on Long Island in early 1990 and seeing a table full of Michael Jordan and Hakeem Olajuwon figures lined up for $1.00 each. I thought I had hit the collectible lottery and bought them out, all the while still going to Toy's R Us and Playworld and cleaning them out of the tough pieces. I think I knew then that it wasn't going to last forever for Kenner, but something about the figures made them unique and desirable. I actually gave up cards in the early 90's for the SLUs and bought and sold countless figures. I made my money on SLU's and eventually got out almost completely back in the early auctionweb/ebay days. I just wish I had held on to a few of them...

AkbarClone

Iceman--for basketball, I'm mainly looking for the Micahel Jordan cards from 1988 and 1990, and also a Walter Davis from 1988 (which is listed as "Unissued" in my checklist, so I am confused about whether it really exists. Maybe the figure was never released, but some cards were made anyway?). If you have any baseball or football, please let me know what years and I can provide more needs.
Thanks,
James

Iceman44

Onlyanumber, sounds like you hit the SLU market just right! It will be interesting to see if Mcfarlane can maintain it's line. I have zero interest in Mcfarlane anymore, other than what I already have. You can get any piece you want, variant or otherwise, at any time on ebay, no challenge. I don't know how they keep up the demand in the future, there seems to be an awful lot of peghangers out there. Kenner certainly paved the way for Mcfarlane, lessons learned, etc.

James, no 88 Jordan cards but I'll check storage for the 90's, I know I've got some. As for Walter Davis, I've never seen it and it's not in the "Kenner Guide" but there is some lady from Cinncinati whose husband apparently worked for kenner back in the day and had sold a bunch of oddball kenner stuff on ebay a while back. Mcgee is the only one with a psa set registered of the five "unissued" cards, you might want to email him. (I'm sure Clow knows too) I can't figure out why they didn't include Davis, I think player selection was part of their problem, Gilliam, Eddie Johnson, Chambers and Hornacek from the Suns. Hornacek was the short print.

Stone193

Remember when they started Hockey in 93 and people went nuts for it - the book on the set went thru the roof!



Here's a 93 Hull - no takers with 15 hrs left - starting bid 2.99$.

And no takers at 99cents for this 93 O'Neal - 7$ shipping may have something to do with it - but a bargain at a few bucks - even with that shipping.



This was his first piece.
mike

montanafan

those things and mcfarlanes are a freakin' nightmare to sell on ebay.

ColleSystem

go to www.toygrader.com. This is the website for AFA, which is the PSA of action figures. 11 of my 12 original unopened star wars action figures are AFA "slabbed". However, if nobody wants them, it really wouldn't be worth slabbing them.

RedRomad275

Ok, I'll admit it. I'm one of those people who collected thses and still have a huge amount in my attic. I mostly have football and hockey from 95/96/97. I sold all my baseball in a lot acuction on EBay years ago. I took a beating on that. Loved them. Can't get rid of them now.

Red

helionaut

It looks like the highest sales on ebay recently for an individual SLU figure is a 1989 Danny Noonan, followed by 1988 Kellen Winslow and Dan Marino, all over $90. Looks like the scarcest pieces still sell well, and the "rookie" pieces of the biggest names hold value. I didn't get back into the hobby until 1991, and didn't have a car until 1997, but I would take the bus one or two Saturdays a month to check out TRU, Target, etc., seeing if I could luck into a decent find of SLU, Hot Wheels, toys, cards, or whatever. I think the best SLU I ever found at retail was a 1992 Roberto Alomar, which pretty much sums up my luck. I did pick up a couple 1995 A-Rods and a 1996 Jeter at shows for what was then half book ($25), and they look like they're still worth that much. I read that same issue of Tuff Stuff, and used to pore over their price guides, thinking how cool it would have been to walk into a toy store in 1988 and walk out with cases of Jazz, Lakers, Ryans, those team lineup sets, etc., but I basically got in too late.

I wonder if the market would have dropped as much if Kenner still had the license and was still making similar figures. Coming up on 20 years, they might be stronger than ever. If McFarlane was made in addition to SLU, would SLUs have stayed the same, or would they be in the same shape they are now? The thing about SLUs is the larger checklists, even if they lack the detail to make any one player identifiable by anything other than jersey number, so it was easier to make 50 different pieces a year. A new pose was a big thing.

aro13

Yikes!! I did not realize the hockey figures had dropped in value so much. I remember trying to find all of the goalie pieces but most of the store employees would pull them and buy them for themselves. I can see them not selling on ebay with shipping but do they sell at shows?

onlyanumber

<< <i> The thing about SLUs is the larger checklists, even if they lack the detail to make any one player identifiable by anything other than jersey number, so it was easier to make 50 different pieces a year. A new pose was a big thing. >>



I always thought it was amazing that George Bell and Mike Schmidt could have passed for brothers

GoDodgersFan

Nice post here. I am a SLU collector since 1993. I sold a most of my collection back in 1998 and I am now collecting again.

The new twist now is graded figures and the actual cards. I recently busted several Ripkens (from my original collection)
and got 4 PSA 10s. I still have an awesome Ripken SLU collection and I just love these darn figures.

I hope to locate some quality SLUs at the National Show later this month.

Tom

ColleSystem

If people are busting them to get the cards, then the sealed specimens will probably go up in value. The packaging on these shouln't be handed. More than likely there are action figure cases to hold these in.

RedRomad275

There are protective cases for unopened SLU's. I bought some several years ago and they were a bit expensive. I think they were $5-6 each which is hardly worth it to me. I'm sure they have gone down in price since then.

Red

gregm13

Let me know if anyone has any Marino SLU's they want to sell.

Regards,

Greg M.

Stone193

<< <i>I wonder if the market would have dropped as much if Kenner still had the license and was still making similar figures >>


Helio

Great question.

I often wondered that myself. I was a big SLU fan. I think they would still be going strong and perhaps McFarlane wouldn't have been as quick to jump in if Kenner was still producing them? Didn't he go in because Kenner was out?

One thing tho - ya gotta have a lot of wall space.

Not to go off SLU's but here's the kind of the action figures, displaywise, for anyone who hasn't seen Roasted "aka Jery" cat's setup! Just call him MR STAR WARS! It's like a museum!!!!!!

onlyanumber

Stone--that's in someone's house!? I thought I was looking at a Star Wars store.

Stone193

<< <i>Stone--that's in someone's house!? I thought I was looking at a Star Wars store. >>


Paul
That's in his office.
I wish I had that kind of space!
I will eventually do something with my office - it's about 14x11 - don't have the money - but when I do - LOOK OUT!!!

mike

Iceman44

Wow, Mr. Star Wars, now that is what I'm talking about. That's passion folks. If you don't have a goal of displaying your "stuff" like that then why do you do it, really?

I have some 1993 hockey cases and one set in zip lock bags and a nice container. The bags and container are going to get used on more of my 88 hoops. I'll probably rip the hockey open just for the thrill of it!

Cmon now, I know there are more of us closet SLU collector's on this board. How about the fever over those Shaq rookies, Alonzo and LJ pieces when they came out?

As for Mcfarlane, I honestly don't think he goes into the market if Kenner doesn't quit. He took a great idea and made it a thousand times better. If you could only display the damn things without getting divorced.

Stone193

I missed out on getting the 93 Shaq - did get the 94 I think.

I did pick up the Hardaway - that was hot at one time...now? It's a push toy for my cat!

I didn't collect them until 1992 - picked up some left over ones at the Px around 1991 in rough shape for a buck.

Not sure how many I have? Guess? About 100?

I do have the "club" Shaq.

Ya know - if anyone wants to talk about SLU's - they can always go back to this thread.

mike

Iceman44

Mike, is the star wars guy in S.A.? That is incredible!

How about Davallilo, has anyone seen his spread?

Stone193

<< <i>Mike, is the star wars guy in S.A.? That is incredible!

How about Davallilo, has anyone seen his spread? >>


No Jery is from Lake Forest, CA.

I live in the west, am not a friend or acquaintance so would never get the invite.

People who have been over his house say his collection is off the chart!

The room is good size - I think like 6-800 sqft. - the stuff is on shelves and tables.

And he probably has more on one table than I have in the whole world! Or ever will.

I can't even finish one set in 8 let alone 100!!!

mike

brian26

<< <i>No Jery is from Lake Forest, CA. >>



Hmmm. I've seen this "Jerry" referenced here before. Those photos are from Philip Wise's room (which is posted on a Star Wars site called Rebelscum.com, and the collection was taken down in 2002). Am I completely offbase here, or is Jerry lying? Is Jerry really the same person as Philip Wise? Something is funky here. Philip Wise is also in Texas, not CA.

http://www.rebelscum.com/pwroom.asp

Stone193

<< <i>

<< <i>No Jery is from Lake Forest, CA. >>



Hmmm. I've seen this "Jerry" referenced here before. Those photos are from Philip Wise's room (which is posted on a Star Wars site called Rebelscum.com, and the collection was taken down in 2002). Am I completely offbase here, or is Jerry lying? Is Jerry really the same person as Philip Wise? Something is funky here. Philip Wise is also in Texas, not CA.

http://www.rebelscum.com/pwroom.asp >>


Brian

Could Jery have purchased it from Philip Wise? Since it was taken down in 2002?

Jery doesn't strike me as the kind of guy who would make up something like this.

Here's the original thread.

mike

brian26

Mike-

Those photos are of Phil Wise's collection, which I've seen on Rebelscum between 1998 and 2002. Jery seems to be taking credit for those photos like they're his house. Something weird is going on.

Has anyone talked to Jery lately? He might be pulling our legs. If he actually did buy Wise's collection, he would have mentioned it, instead of saying he's buying small lots on Ebay. Something isn't right here.

Stone193

<< <i>Mike-

Those photos are of Phil Wise's collection, which I've seen on Rebelscum between 1998 and 2002. Jery seems to be taking credit for those photos like they're his house. Something weird is going on.

Has anyone talked to Jery lately? He might be pulling our legs. If he actually did buy Wise's collection, he would have mentioned it, instead of saying he's buying small lots on Ebay. Something isn't right here. >>


Can't argue with you Brian.

He may have just been pulling our leg and no one picked up on it?

Either way - not only is the collection off the chart, but the workmanship on the set is INCREDIBLE!

When I do my office, I can only hope to find a carpenter/cabinet maker that good!

mike

pandrews

<< <i>Mike-

Those photos are of Phil Wise's collection, which I've seen on Rebelscum between 1998 and 2002. Jery seems to be taking credit for those photos like they're his house. Something weird is going on.

Has anyone talked to Jery lately? He might be pulling our legs. If he actually did buy Wise's collection, he would have mentioned it, instead of saying he's buying small lots on Ebay. Something isn't right here. >>

markmac

Hello all. I also collect 1988-1992 basketball figures and I am McGee collection with the finest 1988-90 slu collection. I have always loved the cards and figures. The Walter Davis, Tyrone Bogues, Reggie Theus, Charles Oakley, and Orlando Woolridge figures were never made. I bought a lot of these cards from the same Cincinnati collector mentioned above. I'm not sure if they will ever have any value, but I am a big 1980's basketball fan and I have always loved these cards. If anyone has any that would upgrade my set, send me a PM. I also have many extras graded and ungraded if anyone needs someone in particular.

AkbarClone

So the Walter Davis figure was never made--but they did have cards produced? If so, do you have an extra Walter Davis?

markmac

No I do not have an extra. If you are patient, you will pick one up on ebay. The Kenner Kid (Carlson I think is his last name) should have this card. I used to have his email address but I can't find it. Try googling that and you might find him.

Stone193

Mark

What's your favorite SLU?

mike

markmac

I'm not sure why, but the 1988 basketball Sam Perkins is probably my favorite. I love the uniform and Sam was my favorite Tarheel during the early 80's. I am from North Carolina and eventually attended NC State but I still love those early 80s Tarheel teams. I was and still am a huge Michael Jordan fan but I was shouting "Give it to Worthy" when MJ took the famous shot to win the 82 Championship.

Stone193

I'm working on my inventory...

I'm up to 90 and counting!

I have doubles of many - some even more - I will list them and talk trades?

mike

blade35

Hi guys. 1st post.

I always wondered what had happened to SLU. I haven't really been collecting in a long time. I used to be a member of the SLU club and I collected mostly Hockey.

I love reading all of the dreams of a collector's room. I bought my house over 7 years ago and I still have so much stuff still in boxes. It's really tough and really expensive to display all this stuff. Plus, when you have almost 2,000 DVDs, SLUs, Macs, Action Figures, toys, comics, cards and tons of Hockey stuff, it's hard to get a good setup. I have a finished basement(which is my domain) and I'm always looking for cheap shelving.

AJ

riccaboni

Have close to 300 SLUs. These pretty much held me over inbetween "collecting" baseball cards and really collecting PSA graded cards. I got on the boat too late, though, and have the easy pieces from 1995-2000.

If anyone is looking for anything in that range, let me know. Dad is starting to complain so you can pretty much have whatever you want for VERY reasonable prices.

-Ian

Stone193

OK - I'm up to 154 and counting!

Here's a couple of SLUs that I kinda liked:



This 1993 Griffey has two cards - and ya can always be happy when ya get 2!

In 1993 they came out with the Cooperstown Collection - I like this Ruth.



And, tho, not in the best shape - I like this 1991 Jordan SLU with a coin. I do have a few and this is not the best in terms of condition.



mike

Stone193

<< <i>Hi guys. 1st post.

I always wondered what had happened to SLU. I haven't really been collecting in a long time. I used to be a member of the SLU club and I collected mostly Hockey.

I love reading all of the dreams of a collector's room. I bought my house over 7 years ago and I still have so much stuff still in boxes. It's really tough and really expensive to display all this stuff. Plus, when you have almost 2,000 DVDs, SLUs, Macs, Action Figures, toys, comics, cards and tons of Hockey stuff, it's hard to get a good setup. I have a finished basement(which is my domain) and I'm always looking for cheap shelving.

AJ >>


Hi Blade

Welcome to the boards!

Having your own basement if off the chart! What I could do with that!

I have a small office/room in the house - it's about 11X13 - not enough wall space.

Good luck on the shelves - I would like build-ins with indirect lighting - would really make things pop!
But that would cost a bundle.

So, I look forward to hearing about your collection.
Don't be a stranger; shoes optional.
your friend
mike

blade35

<< <i>Hi Blade

Welcome to the boards!

Having your own basement if off the chart! What I could do with that!

I have a small office/room in the house - it's about 11X13 - not enough wall space.

Good luck on the shelves - I would like build-ins with indirect lighting - would really make things pop!
But that would cost a bundle.

So, I look forward to hearing about your collection.
Don't be a stranger; shoes optional.
your friend
mike >>



Hi Mike,

Don't do too much collecting, anymore. Whatever sports related that I collect now is Hockey. I like to buy low priced Hockey cards and get them autographed and pucks now. Way too much baseball stuff out there today.

That's how I came to find these boards. I still have a bunch of baseball & football cards left and I wanted to get them graded. I had sold off a ton of stuff about 10 years ago, pay off CCs and buy a house. While I was never a big fan of grading, after seeing prices vs. raw cards. I decided it was time to wake up.

My cards just sit in boxes collecting dust, time to go. However, I still like bigger items to display on shelves or to frame. I buy whatever catches my eye: Macs, Horror figures and Hockey stuff.

AJ

Stone193

For the (2?) SLU collectors out there, I found this one - a Ruth SLU Stadium Stars - people went nuts for these!

I was lucky to find one in a Kaybee store - I thought I had the Mantle but have not seen it?

mike

HoofHearted

Stone,

What's the final tally of your Kenner figures?! We should take a poll as to what the final number will be...

As I shared on the "Mail Call" thread, or some similar thread, I was able to score some Kirby cards in one auction:



And the four SLUs I own -- Kirby of kourse:

curch

Can't believe I'm just seeing this post now

BaltimoreYankee

You and me both, Curch. It took a good while before I realized this was an old thread.

countdouglas

Oh wow! This takes me back! I'll admit it, I had a passion for the SLUs back in the day, and still own way more than you should ever mention today in polite conversation to unsuspecting adults! Haha!

I remember when they first came out, while I would be envious over whatever star, super or semi, that my friends would have, I would only ever see the leftovers hanging up at the local Wal-Mart. Heck, even my 8 year old cousin, who couldn't have cared less, somehow scored an 88 Gwynn and Saberhagen from his birthday party that he had ripped open and displayed on his shelf. My choices would always be the likes of Glenn Davis or Mickey Tettleton or Dave Stieb or Steve Buechele, so I would rarely buy any at retail prices. I'd have to go to the local card shop, or card show, or hope a friend somehow picked up a few extras. I had an 88 Brett, an 89 Bo Jackson, 91 David Robinson, and a few others that I bought here and there at roughly "book value" prices, and had left all of them intact on the card. I liked them immensely, but it was impossible to find the players that I wanted to collect, so didn't really get that involved with them.

That changed in 1992. I just happened to be in the Kmart when they were setting out some of the 92 football pieces. I started loading up my cart with Emmitt and Barry and Thurman, and then Joe and Jerry, and also Dan and Derrick. I was about to leave, when the clerk casually mentioned that there was also some basketball in the back, but they were just waiting for there some vacant shelf space... and since I'd just created some, they were going to ahead and put those out, too. So into the cart went Larry and Magic, David and Dikembe, Charles and John, Michael warming up and Michael driving...I had become the guy that just a couple of years earlier that I would curse at under my breath. The college town that I was living in at the time also had 3 Wal-Marts, a Target, a Toys R Us standalone store on one side of town, as well as one connected to the mall on the other side of town. The mall also had a Kaybee, and for some reason, the shoe stores and music stores in the mall would also occasionally get a case of SLUs in. I started figuring out where and when to go to keep me in stock with the desirable pieces.

Back in my hometown, one of my friends owned a sporting goods store that sat in the strip mall connected to the Wal-Mart there. We had maintained a symbiotic relationship for some time, where I would swing by and hang out and "work" (mostly just sit there watching WGN or ESPN, making sure nobody was tempted to steal while he went in the back to get shoes for people to try on) for him when I had time. He wouldn't pay me, but in return, he gave me an 8 foot glass display case in his store that I could use to sell my cards and collectibles. Anyway, from 92 to about 96, probably half of the case was devoted to SLUs. I'd buy them for roughly $6 each, and routinely get $25-$50+ each in return for them. My friend also did a lot of business with trophies and plaques and medals, so I'd provide the cards and he'd put together various incarnations that were similar to what you'd see in the stores back then, with the wood backing and engraved name plate. He put a few monstrosities together that must have been 2'x3', with a 5"x7" photo, a couple cards, and an intact starting lineup package affixed to it, for like $99 or something crazy, and even then, they'd sell rather quickly. In 1993 and 1994, with those Chiefs teams we had with Joe and Marcus and Derrick and Neil, my friend literally started getting tendinitis from all the engraving he was doing during the Christmas season making the various incarnations of plaques people were requesting...remember, this was also the height of the junk wax and Jordan and Pippen, Griffey and Frank Thomas, the Cowboys Triplets. He'd created more business making those plaques than anything the county fair or wrestling tournaments, etc, would ever generate for him. Boom times!

Anyway, I digress... while I still have probably 400+ SLUs still on the card packed away in boxes, and likewise, at least 50 McFarlanes, I likely sold at least 3 times that many figurines over the years at ridiculous markup. Of course now, the ones that I have left, you can't give away. But that's ok...I still love 'em and dig them out from time to time.

One thing I want to mention, and my memory may be a bit off, so feel free to correct me, but there was a slight overlap between the SLUs and McFarlanes. In reaction to the complaints that the SLUs were too generic looking, there was a year or 2 where they produced a second generation figure that was an inch or 2 bigger and more detailed, and packaged as "Starting Lineup 2" at maybe $2 more in price than the originals. At the same time, MacFarlane released a handful of figurines of MLB players without the licensing agreement so they didn't have logos or team names. I recall seeing Bonds and A-Rod, and thinking those would be cool if they ever corrected the generic uniform problem. They were priced a couple dollars more even than the SLU 2s. I believe the very next year, Kenner lost the MLB license to McFarlane, and that was that. Kenner may have released an NFL issue still, or some collegiate superstar issues, but with the loss of the MLB license, they quickly circled the drain.

Ahhhh, the things we collect... the things we remember... and the things we forget... until someone jogs your memory with a random old thread!

OddRodz