A large percentage of my life has been spent sitting around collecting and organizing cards. That's why it is thoroughly embedded into my personal history. It also explains my preference to read card blogs and watch videos about collectors building 70's baseball card sets, reminiscing about 80's rookie cards, and discussing 90's inserts they once pulled.
So it shouldn't shock anyone that I also enjoy flipping through old issues of sports card magazines. In fact, I've been thinking about starting a blog series where I take a trip back in time and take a quick peek into some of these issues.
My collection of old Beckett Baseball Monthly consists of twenty to thirty issues, but only two were June issues. I decided to go with the older of the two for this post. Let's go back to 1993...
Beckett Baseball Monthly
June 1993
Twenty-nine years ago, Beckett decided to put Jim Abbott on the cover of their price guide. I figured they were capitalizing off of his amazing no-hitter, but that didn't take place until several months after the publication of this issue.
I'm guessing this issue was produced in April or May and the editors wanted to capitalize on Abbott's arrival in New York. Bo Jackson was featured on the back cover:
He was returning from a hip replacement surgery and collectors were eager to see him back in the batter's box. On April 9th, 1993 he returned to the diamond and in the bottom of the 6th against the New York Yankees, he pinch hit for Dan Pasqua. The second pitch he saw, he launched over the right field wall.
Let's take a peek in between the covers. Instead of walking you through it page by page (sorry, I don't have the time or patience to scan 132 pages), I decided to feature specific things that caught my eye and organize them by topic.
First up... a pair of advertisements:
I don't remember buying or eating Hostess Baseballs, but I've managed to add a few of these oddballs to my collection. Here's a closer look at the Rickey:
1993 Hostess #23
The front design is kind of boring, but the back of the card isn't too shabby.
1993 Upper Deck is one of my favorite sets of the decade...
It's kind of a shame that they focused so much attention on the Mays Heroes inserts, instead of the set's greatest strength: photography.
Back in the late 80's to mid 90's, I picked up the current issue on a regular basis. One of the first things I'd flip to was their Hot and Cold lists:
According to the readers, Frank Thomas was the hottest name in the hobby and Jose Canseco was the coldest. In 1993, I was on a break from the hobby... so I avoided hoarding cards of David Nied and Cal Eldred. Sadly this break also kept me from purchasing any 1992 Bowman either. Which leads me to the price guide portion of the issue...
Just look at all of those "up" arrows. And if you look a little closer, you can see that the iconic Mariano Rivera rookie card once booked for only "25¢". Twenty-nine years later, I still don't own that card.
On the opposite end of the spectrum...
Oh man... I'm sure glad I wasn't one of those collectors who dished out that kind of cash for a Brien Taylor autograph.
1992 Topps Gold #793
I picked up my copy in 2019 for $10 on COMC... which still seems a little overpriced.
Let's take a look at the values of the hottest and coldest player's key rookie card values...
I never would have guessed that Canseco's famous rookie card would still book for $60 by the time 1993 rolled around.
1986 Donruss #39
Then again... it trips me out to see current completed sales on eBay going for $10 to $20. Pre-pandemic, I found a copy at the flea market for $2. A year earlier, I picked up a copy for less than a buck at the Tristar Show.
The Big Hurt's key rookie also booked for $60:
This price makes much more sense as Thomas had become one of the hottest players in baseball. In fact, he'd go on to win the AL MVP Award at the end of the season... and again in 1994.
1990 Leaf #300
These days, raw copies sell in the $10 to $20 range too which is a pretty steep discount from the mid 90's. But there's one card of his that has soared in value over the past three decades...
Usually collectors shake their heads when they hear the words "collecting" and "Junk Wax Era", but if you were fortunate enough to target these No Name rookie cards (or Mariano rookies) back in 1993... then you hit the jackpot.
Let's switch gears and focus on a pair of articles. These were the two I was most interested in:
When I took a break from the hobby after building a master set of 1992 Fleer Ultra baseball, Insert Mania was partially to blame. The funny thing is... these days I enjoy collecting all of those 90's inserts. Maybe thirty years from now I'll be collecting all of the silly inserts Topps and Panini produced these days.
1974 Topps #252
And sadly, he's still waiting for his call from Cooperstown.
At least he has some company...
1986 Donruss #172
1986 Fleer #345
1986 Topps #98
It was the first time in MLB history that a pitcher struck out that many batters in a nine-inning game. A decade later, Clemens would repeat the feat. Since then Kerry Wood and Max Scherzer have also joined the club. Randy Johnson also struck out twenty batters in nine innings, but depending on who you talk to... it may or may not count... since the game went eleven innings (Johnson didn't pitch in the 10th or 11th).
Another one of my favorite segments in Beckett Baseball Monthly was Readers Write. Each month Beckett would publish a bunch of letters from readers and collectors.
Here's one that I found interesting:
The author has a pretty cool first name, but that's not what got my attention.
1986 Topps #690
I can't believe it took me thirty-six years to discover that Ryne Sandberg's 1986 Topps card is missing the Topps logo.
This issue of Beckett also opened my eyes to this little tidbit about Vida Blue:
According to the article, Blue had a lucky hat that he wore in 1974, 1975, and 1976.
1975 Topps #510
1976 Topps #140
1977 Topps #230
That means there's a chance his lucky hat is pictured on all three of his baseball cards from 1975 to 1977. Sadly on April 16th, 1977... he was forced to change hats due to discoloration. Not sure if the hat had anything to do with it, but he did lead the American League in losses that season.
In the spirit of Father's Day, which is just around the corner, here's a cartoon that was included in the issue:
Seeing this inspired a special Father's Day post that I'll be publishing this weekend.
The main article in this issue was dedicated to the College World Series. Unfortunately, I was too lazy to scan all nine pages. However if you're interested, here's a list of MLB players (back in 1993) who were College World Series alumni:
I'll go ahead and wrap up this copy of Beckett with a pair of ads for two West Coast cards shows that took place that summer:
Here is today's question of the day:
Were you collecting back in 1993?
Any favorite memories from that year?
Like I mentioned earlier... I was on a hiatus from the hobby that year. The card shop I had worked at in had closed down in 1992 and was a little burnt out after Fleer Ultra master set build. Plus I had just transferred to San Jose State and was focusing on getting my degree.
Sadly... there aren't any specific memories that stand out from that year. I did attend a Beastie Boys concert held at a small venue, but can't remember if it was that year.
Well that wraps up another post. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed writing it
Happy Wednesday and sayonara!
21 comments:
I definitely collected in 1993 ;) It was probably the peak of my card-hoarding- so many neat sets and inserts, and packs were still plentiful and affordable. I never knew anyone who had the Brien Taylor Topps Gold AU; might have seen one in a show but he wasn't on my radar.
Its so funny to me that Mariano Rivera's RC was worth the same 25c as Alex Sutherland and Ron Lockett (whoever they are, lol) Let's build that time machine and hoard Rivera RCs!
I've been known to a do a collector magazine retrospective. ;)
My hobby magazine reading ended by the late '80s, I never saw any of those '90s mags, Tuff Stuff and the like. But I did collect a good amount in '93 (although I was on the downward slope). 1993 UD was my chosen set.
I was collecting back in 1993 and I still a run of Becketts saved - thought they were likely ones I bought first hand, I don't remember if I ended up 're-buying' a few of them back later in the 1990s when I might find them.
Maybe what I remember from 1993 was chasing Tim Salmon cards.
Did you forget something in the Frank Thomas section? Or are we supposed to guess to which card you're referring?
I had stopped collecting by the time '93 rolled around. Didn't pick it up again until 2018.
The Phillies won the NL pennant.
1) Yes, and 2) I was sending a lot of TTM's out with a very high and fast return rate. All of this without a note or money. good memories.
Actually 1993 - and specifically June of 1993 - was definitely the worst collecting time I've ever had.
That was the last month that the baseball card store that my dad and I were running (which my best friend also worked at) was open. We closed it in July of that year since my dad was being transferred in his day job and we had to move.
I was 16 years old and that was a pretty hard blow - going from having every teenage guy's dream job to nothing overnight (also moving cities meant saying goodbye to friends, etc and a load of teenage angst that went with that).
That Beckett with Abbott on the cover I remember really well since it was one of last ones we sold while the store was still open, and thus one of the last Becketts I ever had. I gave up card collecting that summer and only renewed my interest many years later as an adult (by which time I was living in Japan and couldn't buy a Beckett even if I had wanted to!)
Still, it reminds me of the good days of the early 90s when I worked in that card shop!
I was completely out of the hobby at that time, but I think I did manage to acquire a couple of those Hostess cards. I may have stopped collecting, but I would never have thrown a baseball card away!
Was getting my first cards around that time. Just learning about the hobby and cherishing the few cards I had.
👍
Definitely still collecting. I had started to transition out of cards (too many sets and too much money) and was getting into autographs. Best memory of that year is probably going to Giants spring training and getting a bunch of autographs there though I was also getting guys at the Stanford Alumni game as well as San Jose Giants. Heck I even brought a couple balls on a trip to Seattle and got Gaylor Perry's autograph at Tacoma and Luis Tiant's at Everett. Neither of those were planned but I was prepared anyway.
My mom would bring me a lot of 1993 Topps back from he grocery store, so I had a nice stack of those going. The Topps Gold cards got their own stack.
It's kind of weird that some players are on both the hot AND cold lists, isn't it?
I started collecting end of 93 into 94. So no memories other than watching a lot of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers
I stopped collecting in 1993, but not before ripping several packs of '93 Topps over the first couple months they were out. Pulling a Black Gold insert of Frank Thomas was a thrill, but ultimately I got distracted by music and girls until returning to the hobby a couple decades later.
Looking through old magazines is always fun. I graduated high school in 1993, which was about when I stopped collecting. I was too focused on college and my life in general.
Roy Campanella died June 26, 1993! He never made it to that show.
I definitely vote for a blog series on magazines like this - I loved the tidbits on the Sandberg and Blue cards, I love finding new information about cards I've had for a long time.
In fact I have a few baseball card magazines from around this time, I could certainly be persuaded to trade them for some baseball cards. I haven't looked at them in years . . .
Thanks for the post title. I have that song by Cher stuck in my head!
Wasn't collecting in' 93. But I quit smoking and met my wife-to-be.
I love looking at old magazines, this was a fun post to read. He lived in Raleigh for awhile. On occasion, you run into people who have a good Brien Taylor story or sighting, but I think his post baseball life has been troubled. In 1993, I was in high school. I was really into Upper Deck and Stadium Club cards.
chris - i thought of your blog when i started writing this post. i didn't know anyone with that taylor auto either, but i knew they were part of that factory set.
night owl - hope to see more of those collector magazine retrospective posts on your blog. i'm a big fan of tuff stuff, but if i ever do a review of one of those issues, i'll need to be very selective of what i write, since they're so much bigger than beckett monthly price guides
laurens - i wonder how many collectors out there have complete runs of becketts. it would be something i'd entertain if i had unlimited storage space. even though i was on a break, i do remember tim salmon being popular in the hobby.
runfore!kelloggs - when i took a break from cards, i took a break from slu's too. the only 1993 slus i own are ones i bought years later
elliptical man - the only one i don't have an image of is the 1990 topps (no name) card that now sell for big money. it's labeled 414a frank thomas rc nnof in the 1990 topps price guide section. 1993 to 2018? that's quite the hiatus. glad you're back.
johnnys trading spot - hope you show off some of those ttm's one day on your blog. i'd love to read the stories behind the cards
sean - oh man. i could see how that would be traumatic. that's a lot of change in such a short amount of time.
brett alan - the only cards i've ever thrown away were ones that were moldy and water damaged. but i have donated, sold, and given away hundreds of thousands over the years.
jeff b - that's how i feel about 1981
mark zentkovich - 👍
nick vossbrink - i wonder if we were ever at the same san jose giants (or even sf giants) game. even though i wasn't collecting, i was still attending games a lot. i don't think i've ever gotten a baseball players autograph at a game, but i have thought about bringing a card of the "churro" guy and having him sign it this summer.
the lost collector - i remember people asking me about that a lot when i worked at card shops. i'm pretty sure it has to do with card markets. for example, even when jose canseco was cold around most of the country... he was still pretty popular in the bay area.
matt - i remember that show being very popular. don't think i've ever watched a full episode myself
defgav - music and women from the 90's still receive a thumbs up from me.
matt - it looks like we stopped collecting around the same time. only difference is that i graduated high school a few years earlier. maybe that's why i spent 3 years in community college ;D
bo - oh dang. that's sad. i hope to write one of these each month. the only problem is that it's pretty time consuming. i can definitely handle it right now, but once school starts it's a whole different story. as for trading for magazine, i'm not the guy you want to talk to. last year or the year before, i actually recycled hundreds of becketts because i didn't have the storage space. i'll pick up one here or there at a flea market, but it's usually because i really like the guy on the cover. thanks for the offer though
crcodile - lol. sorry. i actually meant to scan one of her pro set musicards, but i forgot to
anonymous - congratulations on quitting smoking and meeting your wife
the snorting bull - i can imagine the struggles taylor went through after baseball. i know among collectors, he's often a reminder of the downside to prospecting.
Same SF Giants game in those pre-strike years is entirely probably since I think I was hitting at least once game every weekend (usually whatever day had the giveaway). SF Giants was more sporadic but IIRC we'd make it to a decent number every summer. Looking forward to going this summer. Has been way too long since I've been to SJ Muni. (will also try and take the boys to Oakland since they need to see what stadiums were like when I was their age)
nick vossbrink - it'll be interesting to hear your boys' reaction to the coliseum. i'm sure it'll be entertaining. that's awesome that you attended candlestick every weekend. i went maybe five to seven games a year.
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