Well... at least that's what Topps had in mind back in 1992 when they produced Topps Kids.
Each 35¢ pack contained seven baseball cards. Everything about this product was catered towards kids. The card design was colorful and cartoonish. The set size (130 cards) was manageable for kids and those who were on a fixed budget. That year Topps stopped issuing bubble gum with their flagship product, but made sure to continue promoting tooth decay by including one stick in every pack of Topps Kids.
If you were a little kid in 1992... this was the product for you.
Twenty-five years later... Topps Kids is a product even adults can enjoy.
After opening a few packs of this stuff back in August, I immediately fell in love with these cards. In fact as soon as I was finished writing my review over on A Pack To Be Named Later, I headed over to eBay and found a box for $11 shipped.
Was it worth it? Well... I'll let you be the judge.
After busting 47 of the 48 packs in the box, I was left with 329 cards and 47 individually wrapped sticks of gum. I was able to complete one set and fell two cards short of a 2nd set (gotta wonder if those two cards are sitting in the 48th pack). Luckily I pulled both of those cards back in August from my previous pack break.
As for the cards themselves... here are a few of my favorites:
Gotta give Topps credit here. They were way ahead of everyone in regards to PED allegations.
They also helped collectors define what an "insert" card is right about the same time the Insert Card Boom took place in our hobby.
Topps mostly utilized portrait shots for the card fronts, but I there were a handful of action shots. My favorite was this Biggio card. I really liked how the cartoon illustrations support the action.
I was also impressed that Topps found a way to sneak Charlie Hustle onto at least two different cards in this set.
I'll wrap things up by showing off my two favorite baseball players of all-time. You might have noticed that there are several different card front designs. I'm glad they used the "dugout" design for the Gwynn. It's my favorite, because it reminds me of the 1956 Topps design as well as the Topps Big sets produced a few years earlier.
The question is whether or not you can overlook the fact that these cards were originally designed for kids. If you can, then I'd recommend you give it a try.
Happy Sunday and sayonara!
12 comments:
LOVE that Biggio! I just added it to my notebook - gotta have this one!!
Super fun looking set! I have a few singles from the set.
Thanks again for the tipoff on the boxes Fuji!
For that price, it looks like a really fun break
I loved that Bonds. I did a post about it when I was first starting the Treasure Room. That Biggio is awesome AF!!!! It might be fun to see if any of these have been used for the Archive Signature Buybacks Topps has been putting out for past few years.
Great product! Same vein as Triple Play or UD Funpacks.
This is one of the most underrated sets ever in my book, and they have arguably the best card backs of the '90s.
I like it. A pure set to collect. Just base...no flash!
Apparently so.. Looks like there's a Baines on eBay now. And it's an A's card, in case Fuji wants to consider making an offer. But I think $50 is too much.
I might buy me a box of those
I just grabbed a few of these of my PC guys on Sportlots and was pleasantly surprised by how much I like them. The ones you showed off are great, especially that Gwynn. More of these, less of the Wacky Packs crap, please!
julie - i have an extra one for you. lmk if there are any other players from that set that you're looking for.
daniel wilson - pretty good bang for your buck... especially if you're a fan of card backs
shoeboxlegends - no problem. have fun busting that box!
ketchupman36 - i'm on a tight budget, so it really was.
collecting cutch & defgav - nice call. they look pretty awesome signed. would love to add the baines, but $50 is way too much. i didn't end up putting in an offer, since i was picking up cards from that product for $5 to $8 last year. pretty sure the guy would block me if i put in an offer under $10.
matt prigge - i'd love to one day open a box of ud funpacks. triple play? not so much
nick - totally agree. can't believe i didn't think of it when night owl wrote his underrated topps sets post
sumomenkoman - lol i wonder when was the last time put out a set with nothing but a base set? anyone know?
jongudmund - for $11 shipped... it fits most card collectors' budgets.
dennis - yeah, it was kind of a product that took me by surprise. before i ripped into some packs last month, i hadn't given this product much thought.
Post a Comment