Twenty months ago... way back in July of 2023... Night Owl wrote a post about his favorite baseball sets of the Junk Wax Era. As a collector who was heavy into collecting for most of that time span, I definitely have favorites.
It seems like every collector has their own definition of this era, so I'll go ahead and make my selections based on the range of years he established: 1987 to 1993.
Night Owl chose his favorite seven... so I went with seven as well. Let's get it started...
#7: 1993 Pacific
This set doesn't seem to receive a lot of attention, but if you're a fan of well-cropped action shots... you should give it a shot. I didn't really take card backs into consideration when making my selections, but I will point out things I like as they pop up.
The extra photo (which is usually well-cropped as well) and Spanish text are nice bonuses.
#6: 1990 Leaf
Out of all of the sets I've chosen for this post... this is the only one that is overtly plain and simple. Back in the early 90's, I was a little obsessed with this set. The card shop I worked at opened a ton of boxes, so I had access to all the commons I needed for my set build. The only thing I needed to supply were some of the stars and key rookies. It wasn't cheap, but I still have the two sets I built back in the day.
The one drawback is the photography. Most of the pictures Leaf used are too zoomed in for my liking. But the nostalgic factor... along with the simple, yet clean design made me reserve a spot for it in this post.
#5: 1993 Upper Deck
1993 Upper Deck #136
This was Night Owl's top pick and it's hard to argue with the Blogfather.
It boasts some of the best photography in a flagship set... ever.
#4: 1989 Upper Deck
I started collecting back in the early 80's when white borders were the norm... but Upper Deck's high quality card stock made them brighter. Toss in the first base line that included the grass, dirt, and runner's lane... and you have one helluva inaugural set design.
The one thing that keeps this set from being in the #3 spot is the fact that I didn't open a lot of this stuff.
#3: 1991 Upper Deck
1991 Upper Deck Final Edition #55F
What can I say? Upper Deck had something special going on during their first five years in the game.
The designs tend to be a little too similar for some collector's liking (sort of like 1982 and 1983 Donruss), but a nice looking design is a nice looking design.
#2: 1992 Fleer Ultra
The best way to describe my feelings towards 1992 Fleer Ultra baseball is love at first sight. I spent every dollar I made at the LCS (plus a few dollars on my very first credit card) on packs and boxes of this stuff. And with the help of some generous customers, I was able to build a master set of both series.
This set's design and photography are top notch and it gave off high-end vibes. How often do you see marble and graph paper integrated into a card's design?
#1: 1987 Topps
1987 Topps #749
Ultimately the classic wood bordered design prevailed. When I picture what a stereotypical baseball card looks like... this is one of the designs that comes to mind. The team logo in the upper left corner and the the team color matched box housing the player's name in the bottom right corner balances each other out. Honestly... the only downside to the front of the card's design is the lack of the player's position.
The backs aren't anything (remember... I focused mostly on the card fronts), but that just shows how powerful nostalgia is.
1987 Topps has the honor of being the product I have opened the most over the course of my collecting timeline. It's also a reminder of when I shifted from a full-time collector to a part-time investor. Don't worry... I have since shifted back to a full-time collector.
Well these are my favorite Junk Wax Era baseball card designs. Every since I read Night Owl's post, I though this would make a fun Blog Bat-Around. So if you're looking for some content for your blog, I encourage you to chime in (even if it's nineteen months from now).
Happy Saturday and sayonara!
Extra Innings
After I finished writing this post, another set popped into my head that would compete with 1993 Pacific for the final spot in my Top 7. It's the 1993 Flair set. Unfortunately I discovered my omission while at work, so I don't have access to my sports cards and I couldn't find a personal scan in my cloud from that set.
But I really like the thick and high quality card stock along with the blending of the two photographs on the front. When you actually see these cards, it's kind of crazy to think that they were produced during something known as the Junk Wax Era.
It's a few weeks later after originally publishing this post. I figured I'd add a few links to blogs who joined in on the BBA:
13 comments:
The 1993 Pacific (series two) has eluded me since their onset. I need them x2. As for the 93' UD you got that right, those cards front and back are by far the most represented in my Wacky binders. I didn't much care for the 90' Leaf (or 92" Bowman) when they first came out and even though I have since completed both sets I will not leave one behind in a dime box.
Almost got the full base set of 1987 Topps just by buying packs.
Forgot I had written that. Went back to look for it instead of clicking your link and couldn't find it. Turns out it was posted in July 2023. ... I mentioned in that post that I'm no fan of '87 Topps or '89 UD and think they're overrated, so we don't match up, except of course for 1993 Upper Deck, one of the best sets ever.
Seconding Johnny on 93 Pacific S2. Need the Giants. Not sure they even exist.
And while I couldn't make this a post. If picking a 7 favorite junk (87 to 93) sets.
1988 Score
1990 Upper Deck
1991 Score
1991 Studio
1991 Topps
1992 Stadium Club
1993 Upper Deck
Fun to see another whack taken at this blog bat-around! I did one for baseball after seeing Nick (Dime Boxes) and Night Owl's posts, and enjoyed the exercise so much that I did a separate list for hockey. You collected hockey to a certain extent during the junk wax era, right? It would be fun to see your hockey selections.
Oh good - another Bat Around. Not sure I remember the first go-round on this one. I have opinions, and they're probably totally different from yours (and most everyone else's). They're also all from the perspective of someone who didn't collect any of it when it came out. Wasn't until 2003 that I went back and started filling in some of this stuff. Looking forward to doing this post!
'87 Topps is the only set you listed that I like.
I've always felt like the junk wax era was between 1986-1992, but may have to amend that line of thinking to count 1993 as well.
I’m with you. 1987 Topp all the way! It is what got me hooked on collecting cards!
1993 Upper Deck is very underrated. Clean design. Great photos.
1987 is definitely toward the top of my list as well. Was 10 when that set came out, which is the same age my youngest is now,, which is tough to think about!
Only bought a few packs of ‘92 Ultra but I agree that is a great design!
johnnys trading spot - the 1993 pacific series 1 and 2 sets have eluded me for decades. my dream is to stumble across one at the flea market one day. if i ever do add it to my collection, i'll immediately put it into a binder for easy viewing
elliptical man - do you still find packs of 1987 topps for a buck or less? i'd love to find a couple of boxes on the cheap and build a set myself the old fashioned way. just for old times sake :D
night owl - oops. i'll correct my post as soon as i publish this comment. i remember you not being a fan of 1987 topps or 1989 upper deck. that's what's great about our hobby. different strokes for different folks. that being said... i feel like there are more sets than 1993 upper deck that we have in common. they're just not part of the junk wax era.
nick vossbrink - if i was making a top 10 list... 1988 score would be considered. 1991 studio and 1991 topps too.
gregory - oh man... a hockey post would be fun. the only problem is that it would be a lot of work for like 20 views :D not saying i won't do it though
gca - it didn 't start out as a blog bat-around. i just thought that it'd make a good bba. definitely looking forward to seeing your list... especially if it's way different from mine. i have an appreciation for collectors having different interests.
anonymous - it's a great set :D
laurens - yeah... collectors have different opinions on when the junk wax era started and ended. in fact, if i researched my own posts... i'm sure i've used a variety of years to describe it
sumomenkoman - such a great looking set. 9 pockets just wrote a fantastic detailed post on this set. if you have some time, i'd encourage you to check it out.
matt - underrated? i feel like it's one of the most popular baseball sets from the 90's. but i totally agree... it has a clean design and great photography.
uncle charlie's shoebox - was 15 when 1987 came out. can't even imagine how different my life would be if i had a 15 year old right now ;D
Runner Up: 1992 Ultra
7. 1990 Donruss (love the red borders)
6. 1992 Pinnacle
5. 1989 Upper Deck
4. 1990 Leaf
3. 1987 Topps
2. 1991 Stadium Club (my first experience with these is going to get a post of its own soon)
1. 1991 Topps Desert Shield
I'm not sure if my #1 pick can be called junk wax, but '91 Topps or its Tiffany equivalent could surely be somewhere on the list given an overall A+ design and photography. I grew up next to extensive military facilities and saw a lot of these Desert Shield cards coming home alongside the parents of many of my classmates.
Post a Comment