A little help & an odd request
ReggieCleveland
Posts: 3,818 ✭✭✭✭✭
This may turn out to be nothing but as a nerd I am bound by nerd code to exhaust this possibility until it has been beaten into the ground.
I'm sitting here opening a box 1991 Donruss Canadian. Wait. I should explain that. Here's the nickel version:
Donruss did so well in 1984 they wanted to expand to Canada. Boom, here's Leaf. Canadians hate baseball cards (see: Leaf/OPC QC). Leaf sales down every year. Leaf done after 1988. Donruss stays in Canada with regular Donruss, just 10 card packs instead of 15. Cards are the same as American Donruss. They do this in 1989, 1990, 1991. You're all caught up.
I've opened '89 and '90 Donruss Canadian and there wasn't a single difference between the cards there and the cards we got in our 15 card packs here in the States. I never bothered to open any of my '91 because it's next to impossible to find and I only had 3 total boxes for the two series. I recently found two more boxes for each series so decided to rip one to see if I could find a pack with Frank Thomas showing on it so I'd have a cool wrapper variation. Lo and behold, all of these cards don't have a period after INC. All of the American Donruss cards I've been able to find a scan of online have a period after INC.
My question is: does anyone actually have a decent stash of '91 Donruss? Does anyone know of an American '91 Donruss card that DOESN'T have the period after "INC" on the back?
I what I'm asking is akin to asking someone to go hang out at the DMV for a few hours but if anyone else is into this crazy stuff too I would be eternally grateful.
Arthur
Comments
Arthur--- I have no answer for you but the request seems not odd but entirely normal coming form you my friend
Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007
Al
Touche.
This could simultaneously be a cool hobby niche and a kick in the marbles. I've found 1991 Donruss Canadian to be impossible to find. I've seen it for sale twice and both times bought everything they had (which was 1-2 boxes). The question is, is it impossible to find because it is rare or because no one bothers to put it up for sale? I've been looking for 4 years.
If, unlike '89 & '90 Donruss Canadian, the cards can actually be differentiated from the American version, then we have something akin to '90 Fleer Canadian which draws a premium.
Arthur
the first thing i thought about was 90 fleer canadian. I dont know if it they will carry much value as the difference if so subtle, but it is a cool find none the less
George Brett, Roger Clemens and Tommy Brady.
I have a fairly large quantity of 91D Larkin cards and can confirm the INC (no period) are more scarce in my experience, but not nearly as difficult to find as Fleer Canadian. Mine were acquired through purchases of large lots of Larkin cards, however, so I have no idea of source for most.
Do you know if there were Candian Donruss factory sets as well? I currently have 3 versions of each card (DK & base) since there were different splatter patterns in the border on the front between factory sets and wax for INC. at least. I would love to know if a fourth version exists.
ETA: 89 & 90 also had the INC/INC. variations, do you believe those are the Canadian release as well? Some pics: https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/comment/11038370/#Comment_11038370
No, I've opened both '89 and '90 Donruss Canadian wax and the cards that came out were carbon copies of what came out of American packs. In fact, that's why I never opened any '91; I assumed the same and had much less of it so just skipped it. Which is why I found it odd that every card in the whole Canadian box was "no period." Of course, all it takes is opening one box of American Donruss and finding a card with "no period" and the relevance of the point is lost entirely. And I'm fairly certain there are "NP" American cards so this is all likely just an exercise in futility.
Arthur
I just ran across 2 boxes and a loose pack of 91D Series 1 (15-card American packs). The loose pack cards all had 'INC.'. Someday when I feel I deserve to be punished, I'll crack the boxes and report in.
As I've said elsewhere, it's downright Alighierian. I opened 10 boxes of '89 the other day and they only contained cards from two sheets. I consider that one of the larger character-developing events in my life.
Arthur
I believe Donruss double printed cards in '89 and '90 to make room for the 26 MVP cards
buying O-Pee-Chee (OPC) baseball
They did but I'm talking about receiving zero copies of many players over the course of ten wax boxes.
Arthur
These were the only 91 Donruss that I could locate with ease. I don't know if you can zoom in, but the column of cards on the left is all INC with no period, and on the right, the period is included. I can't tell you with certainty how I came about owning these cards, but all were likely purchased in the Midwest USA.
Again, not sure the difference can be detected in the photo, but the series 1 cards with the period appear to be a darker blue than those without the period, while the opposite is true of the series 2, with the cards with the period being a much lighter shade of green than those without.
I don't know if this helps at all, but I never would have known that I owned these variations without your mentioning their existence.
Picture didn't load the first time? Pending approval?
Thanks Doug. I think I have to accept that my desperate attempt to bring importance to something that only I care about turned out to be far-fetched reach. My uber-nerdness will require me to leave the door ajar just until I rip some American Donruss and pull a card with no period, but that seems more like a foregone conclusion now more than anything else.
I do appreciate the help you all gave me while I entertained my delusions of grandeur. It is once again safe to use '91 Donruss for beach bonfire kindling.
In an interesting side note, I did learn that the '91 Donruss Mo Vaughn Rated Rookie is only a pop 3 with like 30+ submissions (!) so I've got one going into PSA on my next bulk sub. Ha, me and my "get rich quick" schemes.
Arthur
If you're subbing 91D, I could use a #5 in PSA 10
The box I ripped was a series 2 but I'm actually about to rip a series 1 so I'll pull any that I get and let you know if they have a chance.
Arthur
First box was an oh-fer. The collation stunk. I did get two packs with Ken Camininiti showing on the front... which I ripped because WGAF about Ken Camininiti. Opening another box now because damn it.
Arthur
I louped it, it's a PSA 10. Shoot me your address Kyle and I'll send it over.
Arthur
The first half of the second box was exactly like the first box. I'm talking exact same packs, exact same collation, exact same suckitude. It was a lot like dropping my ice cream cone on the ground. Then, out of nowhere, the skies opened up and the Donruss clouds started raining golden treasures down upon me. When it was all said and done, I was left with these two gems to add to my "yes" pile for PSA.
I remember Hensley "Bam Bam" Meulens having a much-sought-after '89 Donruss card but apparently things didn't click for him until 1990 when he batted .241 with 3 HRs over 83 ABs to earn the coveted Rated Rookie designation.
With Jefferies, I've become so accustomed to searching for his '88 & '89 cards that now I'm pulling aside all of his cards. So yes, I'm seriously going to submit both of these cards.
Arthur
While investigating the case of the missing period on the 1991 Donruss, I was digging around in my junk card boxes, and I came across these packs that I had tucked away. I bought a Donruss logo prepackaged bag - yes, I said bag - of these at a garage sale about a year ago for 25 cents. The owner couldn't remember where or when they bought them, but the packaging reminded me of the bags of miniature candy bars that are popular around Halloween and Easter. There were 20 packs of cards in the bag, if I remember correctly, and as you can see, only contain 3 cards and one puzzle card that contains 3 perforated puzzle pieces. I assume they were meant to be given out to trick or treaters, or party favors of some sort. There wasn't any indication anywhere on the packaging of what series the cards were from. I've opened some and given others to the neighbor's kids to open, and they've all been from series 2. Before I found these, I was not aware of this type of baseball card packaging/marketing. Is anyone else familiar with these, or perhaps seen something similar in another year?
Looks like the Fun Bags that Donruss did in 81/82 and perhaps other years. I know I've got a bunch of 82D Golf packs of 3 cards, think they came with a mix of sports and non-sports packs. I've never seen any as late as 91.
Topps did something similar in the late 70s.
Thanks for the response. After posting my photos, I did an eBay search of "1991 Donruss bag", and several listings popped up. The images with the listing is what I remember. Actually 22 packs in a bag instead of the 20 I was thinking. I did not know about any sales of "fun bags" before locating these 91s at a garage sale. It's interesting that Donruss had been doing it in the early 80s, as well, as that was in my childhood collecting heyday, and I don't recall ever seeing 3 card packs. You truly can learn something new every day in this hobby.
Thanks Doug, immediately went to eBay and grabbed a few bags. Love me some Donruss!
Arthur