Sweet Treats from the 90's

The 1990's delivered all kinds of treats to sports memorabilia fans.  There was so much variety.  Competition between the card companies pushed them to their creative peaks.  I realize that this has become a regular theme on this blog, but I'd much rather reflect on that era than write about another 2020 Topps insert or parallel.

That's why today's post will take a closer look at some new additions from the 90's to my Tony Gwynn collection.  And if that's not your thing, scroll down to the bottom and I've included a 2020 Topps card especially for you.

But let's start off with the sweet stuff.  Back in 1997, Pinnacle introduced collectors to their Pinnacle Inside product line which offered collectors trading cards inside of a collectible can.  Regardless of whether or not collectors bought into this gimmick, you've gotta give Pinnacle credit for thinking outside of the box.

As with the majority of 90's card products, Pinnacle tried to lure collectors in with inserts and parallels.  The Dueling Dugouts inserts featured two players with an innovative built-in dial that compared statistics from 1992 to 1996.

1997 Pinnacle Inside Dueling Dugouts #10

If this isn't creative, I'm not sure what is.  The good news is that there are plenty of these floating around out there to keep them affordable, yet not quite dime box fodder.  This card set me back $1.12 and was part of my recent COMC shipment.

Another bargain priced insert I purchased on COMC was this die-cut Gwynn:

1999 Pacific Crown Collection Pacific Cup #10

On the surface, this card probably is mistaken for being just another overproduced insert card from the era.  But these inserts were pretty tough pulls.  At a rate of 1:721 packs, these were inserted into approximately 1:20 boxes.  Back in the day, you'd have to pay $25 to $50 for this card, while guys like Griffey and McGwire would fetch close to triple digits.  I paid $3.38 for this copy last year.

Next up is another 90's Pacific item, but it's not a baseball card:

Back in 1990... Pacific Candy Co. partnered up with Tony Gwynn to produce the Tony Gwynn Base Hit Candy Bar.  I recently saw this pop up on someone's blog and decided to find one for my own collection.  Originally, I was hunting for a full candy bar.  However with the summer heat, I decided to play it safe and focus on just the wrapper.

Although I've been trying to demonstrate patience and avoid paying top dollar for collectibles, I ended up paying $5.99 (+ 55¢ tax) for a candy wrapper.  It's not the greatest deal, but it's a cool oddball item for my collection.

The last 90's item I'll share with you all today is a ticket stub from a 1999 game between the Montreal Expos and San Diego Padres:

Expos vs. Padres 8/6/99 Ticket Stub

I wrote about this ticket stub and its significance earlier in the year, but if you didn't read that post... it's from the game where Gwynn collected his 3000th career hit.  Here's a clip of that special moment:

And since I try to accommodate and cater this blog to a variety of collectors... here's the obligatory 2020 Topps card I promised earlier:

2020 Topps Rookie Card Retrospective Logo Medallions #RCR-TG

For every four or five inserts sets Topps produces these days, there's one or two I can appreciate.  This is one of them.  I realize that they've sort of ran the rookie card tribute thing into the ground, but if they're going to produce a new one every year... this is the way to do it.

This card was part of a five card lot that I found on eBay for $5 (+ $4.20 shipping and 46¢ tax).  I'm currently sitting on eleven different cards from this set.  If I can find a few more cheap lots, I will consider building it.

Okay... here are your questions of the day:

If your favorite athlete was featured on a candy bar wrapper, would you want one for your collection?

What's your favorite non-autographed or game-used insert card set of 2020 so far?

Well that's it for today.  I look forward to reading and responding to your comments.  Happy Tuesday and sayonara!