As much as I love collecting baseball cards... I've only been casually following the MLB lockout negotiations. Maybe that just makes me a casual fan. Anyways... I hope they can settle their differences and find a place where both sides are at least semi-content... so fans don't miss out on any games this season.
1995 Topps #431
But if things don't get worked out in time and fans are faced with a shortened season, I wonder if Topps will bring back their Cyberstats parallels in 2023.
1995 Topps Cyberstats #228
For those of you who are scratching your heads, Topps created a set of cards in 1995 that paralleled part of the Topps flagship set. The fronts used the same images. However each Cyberstats card was given a metallic finish.
The backs were completely different in design and were the key to this set, because they featured "computer simulated data" for the player as if the 1994 season hadn't prematurely ended. The numbering doesn't match, because Topps did not create a Cyberstats parallel for every player in the set.
For example: Chipper Jones and John Smoltz have base cards in the 1995 Topps set, but do not have Cyberstats cards.
Anyways... I'm sure there are plenty of collectors who found this set to be "gimmicky". However... I actually applaud Topps for thinking outside the box with these parallels.
Here are a few more I had sitting in player collections:
1995 Topps Cyberstats #1
1995 Topps Cyberstats #158
1995 Topps Cyberstats #335
I don't remember where I acquired these, but it wouldn't surprise me if they were discovered in dime or quarter bins... since they were inserted into Series 1 and Series 2 packs at a 1:1 ratio.
Last weekend though... I dipped a little further into the wallet and made this the third card in my 3 for $1 flea market purchase:
1995 Topps Cyberstats #360
Now we just need to sit back and wait to see if the 2022 MLB season will be shortened. If it is... here's just one more way for Topps to live in the past and rehash something they've already done.
Happy Thursday and sayonara!
I remember those parallels. Even though I didn't collect much in the 90's, that 1995 set is one of my favorites.
ReplyDeleteI never heard of them,that Henderson looks great.
ReplyDeleteI think those guys forgot how the "hobby" and bb fans reacted the last time.
ReplyDeleteI pulled a couple of these in the 3 packs of 1995 Topps I bought that year. That's right, MLB, the last time you fooled around this much with a season, I stopped buying baseball cards for 10 years. Wise up.
ReplyDeleteI'm not following the negotiations much either. Why bother? If they work out a deal, great. If not, that's sad. But why waste my time reading boring things if it won't change anything.
ReplyDeleteI like the Cyberstats cards too.
Yeah, MLB is quickly souring on me as well. I liked those Cyberstats cards back in the day, as a math guy (even then) I thought it was a cool concept. Hopefully they aren't necessary this year but the way things are looking Topps might want to start dusting off that design for a Series 2 insert or parallel.
ReplyDeleteThey seem cool for star players, like the ones you've shown, but kind of pointless for random guys.
ReplyDeleteActually, Topps did something akin to the Cyberstats cards with an insert in Stadium Club last year, Virtual Reality, with projected stats for a 162-game 2020 season. No reason they wouldn't do it again if this season is cut short by the lockout.
ReplyDeleteI like that idea, but I didn't buy any cards from 1995 due to the strike. I am surprised they didn't just do the calculations for every card in the set. I think I stayed away for at least 12 years, when my son and I bought some packs.
ReplyDeleteI can't believe you've managed to pre-empt me. I have the Tony Gwynn cyber stats card sitting in my pile to blog about!! I think the computer got it wrong. I'll say more when I blog about it!
ReplyDeleteI loved the ‘95 Cyberstats set. Wish Topps would’ve done that in the 2021 flagship set so we could’ve got full 162 game stats for the 2020 season
ReplyDeletecrocodile - the good news is they are fairly plentiful and very affordable if there are specific teams or players you're collecting
ReplyDeletesg488 - now i just need to track down a copy of rickey's regular base card for my base card run
johnnys trading spot - the last thing baseball needs is another shortened season. hopefully they can work something out today
night owl - would you consider stopping again if there's a delayed start to the season?
gtt - i'm with you on the negotiations. just let me know if you guys are going to play ball.
nachos grande - hopefully they won't have to. crossing my fingers
elliptical man - i think you make a good point. either make it a twenty-five card set with the top player... or go all in and create a parallel for every player (except the multi-player prospect cards)
brett alan - you're right. stadium club actually did those parallels back in 1995 too. thanks for pointing that out
runforekelloggs - i wonder how many collectors will walk away from the hobby if they can't come to an agreement soon
cardboard jones - i'm a big fan of "what if" scenarios too. my friends and i played that a lot back in college when driving on long road trips
jongudmund - i actually wondered what you'd think of this card, since it directly ties into the title of your blog
jeremy dejong - oh yeah. that would have been the perfect opportunity. great call.
I've already walked away from the flagship set and haven't been watching live baseball for a while either. I won't stop collecting, though, just will focus on old stuff when things were better.
ReplyDeleteThe cyberstats is a neat idea (at least something kinda different) but I don't pay attention to the stats on the backs that much anyway either.
Oh wow I had no idea that that's what was going on with those parallels. Okay they make more sense now. Time to see if I have a Mat Williams one.
ReplyDeleteThe longer MLB screws his lockup up the more likely I am to buy only Panini stuff as I walk away from anything that involves a MLB license.
That’s an interesting concept for sure. Seems like we are approaching another scenario like 1994 unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteI remember the Cyberstats parallels but I can't remember buying a whole lot of 1995 Topps packs. I know I had the factory set at one point, and that was probably the last year I collected flagship until 2004.
ReplyDeleteI'm not following the lockout closely, but it looked like there was progress in the negotiations for a minute. But maybe not? I don't know. Baseball is losing a ton of fans already. If they're not careful the MLB could end up where the NHL was around 2005 :(
I knew of these cards, but didn't know until just last year what the "Stats" were actually for.
ReplyDelete