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1991 Stadium Club Baseball Memories
dcaudle70
Posts: 124
Just wondering what stands out for those who were collectors back in 1991. At the time the cards and pictures were stunning to me being used to Topps cardboard stock. Of course being 23 and broke I could only watch others open them up. I can remember packs being $5 each and the Frank Thomas being the card to have back then at roughly $25-30 I want to say. I picked up 7 wax boxes of Series 2 today for $7 each to show you how far the stuff has fallen. That's 36 packs for $7!! I would have liked to have been able to buy them for $7 a box in 1991. Wasn't the Ryan tuxedo card pretty sought after in the day as well?
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WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
Nowadays, alot of those packs contain cards stuck together and ruined, depending on how they've been stored over the years.
Always buying Bobby Cox inserts. PM me.
<< <i>Good times. I remember paying $10 a pack for series I. They came down quickly, though, and series II packs could be had for a couple bucks.
Nowadays, alot of those packs contain cards stuck together and ruined, depending on how they've been stored over the years. >>
Yeah i've had a lot of problems with the cards being stuck together even in 2 complete sets I bought that were stored in cardboard boxes. Very frustrating to say the least.
I was collecting with my son back then - the full bleed/UV coated cards were all the rage - for me the next year - 92F Ultra cards were incredible - crystal clear photos and great subsets.
I went nuts and bought a ton of 92TSC - wish I had that money back and had spent it on something else! You can't give away packs of that crap!
The hobby exploded during that period - but - that period of overproduction scared more collectors away from the hobby than it created.
Ryan, Griffey, Thomas, and Justice led the "pulls" back then.
I also remember the charter member TSC Hockey. I remember selling the Lemieuxs and Gretzkys for like 40 bucks a piece.
<< <i>I spent all my lawn cutting money on that crap.
I also remember the charter member TSC Hockey. I remember selling the Lemieuxs and Gretzkys for like 40 bucks a piece. >>
Could've been worse, you could be a few years older and have spent all of your lawn mowing money 1986 Topps Mini All-Stars and more 1987 Topps packs and boxes than I care to remember. 1991 was a good year. Plus, you really might've hit the tank and sunk all of your lawn mowin' cash into 1991 OPC Premier Baseball.
WTB: 2001 Leaf Rookies & Stars Longevity: Ryan Jensen #/25
I think I still have the unopened pack with Frank Thomas on the back that I saved, knowing it would be worth at least $500 someday.
<< <i>Could've been worse, you could be a few years older and have spent all of your lawn mowing money 1986 Topps Mini All-Stars and more 1987 Topps packs and boxes than I care to remember. >>
By the time '88 Topps came out I had at least 15 hand collated sets of '87 Topps. Set had about 20 "future HOF" rookies in it like Dave Magadan and Pete Incaviglia.
When '91 SC came out the '90 Leaf Thomas and '89 UD Griffey were still the hottest cards in the market. Our local shop would trade you 2 packs of '91 SC for a Thomas or 3 packs for the Griffey.
so that makes my score stupid purchases 692/stupid purchases avoided 3.
<< <i>i was at a card store when the only box they had ordered came in. i wanted to buy the whole box at $180 but the store owner said he had to limit it to one pack per customer. i wasn't mad about it and i did not even buy the one pack that i could.
so that makes my score stupid purchases 692/stupid purchases avoided 3. >>
Seems everybody was limited back then to what they got which makes one wonder how it can still be so plentiful now almost 20 years later. Did Topps print more after the fact or did they create the illusion it would be super rare by only letting dealers get it a box or two at a time?
<< <i>I was turning 12 and we used to ride our bikes up to the card shop and watch people open them. I remember there was a way to count the cards and packs and pull the Bagwell, Thomas and Chuck Knoblauch. This was such a nice set at the time picture wise like you said. Then came the Leaf Gold Rookies!! I had the whole set and thought I was rich.
The series 2 packs with Mickey Morandini on the back always contained Jeff Bagwell - an $18 card if I remember correctly.
I really like these cards, may be the best looking standard set from the 90's.
saucywombat@hotmail.com
<< <i>
<< <i>i was at a card store when the only box they had ordered came in. i wanted to buy the whole box at $180 but the store owner said he had to limit it to one pack per customer. i wasn't mad about it and i did not even buy the one pack that i could.
so that makes my score stupid purchases 692/stupid purchases avoided 3. >>
Seems everybody was limited back then to what they got which makes one wonder how it can still be so plentiful now almost 20 years later. Did Topps print more after the fact or did they create the illusion it would be super rare by only letting dealers get it a box or two at a time? >>
I don't know if they printed more after the fact, but after the success of series I, they really went to town on series II. I recall series II packs were everywhere.
Man did I ever chase his cards. Phil Plantier and Kevin Maas owe me some money for sure.
<< <i>Wasn't the Phil Plantier card in there as well?
Man did I ever chase his cards. Phil Plantier and Kevin Maas owe me some money for sure. >>
Yeah, Plantier was in Series II. I did really well at local shows selling all of those Series II RCs. I was a junior in HS and always had plenty of spending money. That Bagwell sequence was awesome!! There was another RC whom I can't remember now was was also in the same packs. I think he was on the Royals maybe?
<< <i>Wasn't the Phil Plantier card in there as well?
Man did I ever chase his cards. Phil Plantier and Kevin Maas owe me some money for sure. >>
In the 2 sets I got it had the "valuable" cards in top loaders. Included in the top loaders were Phil Plantier and Travis Fryman.
Lots of hot cards came and went through the set at various times between the two series, and many weren't even RCs:
Mo Vaughn
Albert Belle
Juan Gonzalez
Brian McRae
Darren Lewis
Scott Erickson
Travis Fryman
Milt Cuyler
Jeff Bagwell
Robin Ventura
Ray Lankford
The Nolan Ryan Tux card
There are probably others but these are off the top of my head.
Wasn't Sheffield making a run at the Triple Crown that summer? I remember dealers asking $20 for Sheff's 1990 Leaf card the one weekend.
<< <i>By the time '88 Topps came out I had at least 15 hand collated sets of '87 Topps. Set had about 20 "future HOF" rookies in it like Dave Magadan and Pete Incaviglia. >>
Yes, but 87 Topps did not have a Steve Lombardozzi rookie. I wrote to Topps back then to inform them that the complete set I received for Christmas that year must have been incomplete because there was no Lombo. They wrote back and informed me that although he was not part of the 1987 set, he was in the 1988 set and included a minty 1988 Topps Steve Lombardozzi for me.
Made my day back then!
<< <i>Wasn't the Phil Plantier card in there as well?
Man did I ever chase his cards. Phil Plantier and Kevin Maas owe me some money for sure. >>
....and me too. I know I still have about 25 of the Stadium Club Plantier rookies in top loaders somewhere. It still puzzles me what happened to him. His minor league stats were incredible, and his rookie year stats were just as strong. He looked like Wade Boggs but with more power.
<< <i>Plantier was in Series II. I did really well at local shows selling all of those Series II RCs. I was a junior in HS and always had plenty of spending money. That Bagwell sequence was awesome!! There was another RC whom I can't remember now was was also in the same packs. I think he was on the Royals maybe? >>
Jeff Conine?
Fun part? I bought a pack of Leaf, and pulled the Thomas Gold in that pack.
Both happened right in front of the dealer who sold me the packs at the card show.
I can't tell you how happy I was! Still remember it like yesterday!
I remember spending 5.00 per pack in Dallas, TX on a visit/stay with my uncle. I also spent 75.00 for the 1991 Leaf Preview Nolan Ryan. I replaced the Ryan this past year for .50 at a local show. The last place I needed to be buying a Nolan Ryan was Texas at the time.
Does anybody have a picture of the Shane Mack card? It looks like he is on a gravel/light dirt road behind the plate?? Sorry going thru a box I busted from BBCE a year ago or so and noticed this card.
The Orel Hershiser card is terrible FYI
<< <i>i was at a card store when the only box they had ordered came in. i wanted to buy the whole box at $180 but the store owner said he had to limit it to one pack per customer. i wasn't mad about it and i did not even buy the one pack that i could.
so that makes my score stupid purchases 692/stupid purchases avoided 3. >>
I bought a box for 135$ - series I - I believe - and I still have the box - never opened it. Now, I can probably get a whopping 6 bucks for it. I also have a box of the first yr Finest did Bkb - I never opened it - also probably worth 7 bucks? I do have some winners too - but they're older stuff.
There was so little media and stimulus (for a teenager or sports fan to be exposed to), cards like 91 stadium club were revolutionary. Quantum leaps above fleer and donruss in terms of card stock. I think stadium club was too expensive for me at the time. I was into...1991 opc premier baseball! That was brilliant. Theory being..."well, if the hockey cards are hot, then the 91 baseball ones must be too!" Haha. I wonder how many people lost money on that theory. I bet a lot.
I was blowing a ridiculous amount of money on 91 gold leaf cards. Trying to piece together the set. Not very easy for a 13 year old, no internet, on a 13 year olds budget. I think I put in...$150 into the set? $160. It was a lot. And most of the cards I was getting were near mint.
With SC, I liked the cal ripken, dave justice, thomas. But they were too expensive and modern for me to buy in any quantity.
I liked the backs of 91 sc, quite revolutionary. The players rookie card and the overall design was great. Probably one of the better backs in the last 20 years.
Does anyone remember the Stever Decker (giants catcher) card was hot for a while?
For $10 total.
Only an idiot would have a message board signature.
<< <i>I definitely remember paying $5 a pack for these. Which, when you only had $15 total from doing chores that you could spend at a show, that was a pretty big investment. >>
<< <i>Loved the way these cards smelled though. >>
<< <i>
<< <i>I definitely remember paying $5 a pack for these. Which, when you only had $15 total from doing chores that you could spend at a show, that was a pretty big investment. >>
<< <i>Loved the way these cards smelled though. >>
I like the smell too!
I wonder how many here have had the rare privilege of smelling a mimeo?
<< <i>I wonder how many here have had the rare privilege of smelling a mimeo? >>
[hand raised]
<< <i>
<< <i>I wonder how many here have had the rare privilege of smelling a mimeo? >>
[hand raised] >>
Not I, we rocked out the purple Catholic School ditto instead.
Shane Mack:
Wes Chamberlain was another one that was hot for a while back then.
And I just remembered that another favorite of mine from the set was the Eric Show card: