Let's Talk About Sets Volume 55:Finished!

 

There is so much sad hate on 1995 Fleer products that it makes me love it more than I already had.

Today, meet their rookie insert named NFL Prospects.

The Fleer base product didn't include any rookie cards in it's 400 card set. These were the only way to land a rookie card in the product. It sort of reminds me of Bowman in baseball where they have a prospect set in the product, only difference being that Bowman has rookies in it's base set.

These NFL Prospect cards fall 1:6 packs and feature players that Fleer expected to go high in the 1995 NFL Draft.

For me, it has nothing to do with the players but more to do with the design. This card screams 90's and looks like they could have used these cards in the theme song of Saved By The Bell.

Thanks to Burbank Sportscards Beckett Marketplace  I saved 10% by using code 15Burbank at checkout and was finally able to complete this set after all of these years of chasing.

Blast From The Past:1996 Topps Football Pack Break

In 1999, a flick with Brendan Fraser and Alicia Silverstone called Blast From The Past came out. It was about a scientist named Calvin Webber who was played by Christopher Walken, that took his pregnant wife in a deep underground fallout shelter in 1962 when he thought a nuclear war was imminent. During that time, their son Adam played by Fraser (who seemed to had been in every late 90's movie) was born and was exposed to only the culture of 1962 in the shelter such as the music and TV shows of the time. Life was accustomed to not being at the surface. 

Fast forward 35 years later, their supplies and food was running low so someone would have to come above ground and take a risk to get new products. That was supposed to be Calvin, up until he was ill from stress from his one visit to the surface. So his son Adam would have to venture out in a world he had never met.....

This segment takes a look at products that may have been hidden in a underground fallout shelter for over 20 years and now just coming back out to be rediscovered....by me. Guess you can call me Adam even though my name is Matt. These are products I opened when I was first collecting and is a Part Of My Past, but may not have a memory or a Origins story to attach to them. Most products I post on here will, but some won't and those will be covered in this new segment.These products will be between the years of 1995-1999 only.

Let's just hope my experience with these breaks is better than Adams first visit to the surface.

So let's take a Blast From The Past with a one pack break of 1996 Topps Football!

I busted a ton of this stuff back in 1996 which almost made this more of a Origins post than a Blast From The Past. But, here we are.

This was the 40th Anniversary Edition of Topps football and it had a lot of great stuff within. Especially it's inserts. I am chasing many of them for sets including Broadway's Reviews (I finished this one) and Turf Warriors which I need a lot of help with (hint hint readers!!)

I paid about $1 for this pack hoping to land some insert help!

Here are the odds on those inserts.

Let's give this pack a rip ( to shorten this post some I posted the names I knew best from the pack)

Mike Mamula played for the Eagles for five seasons. Was a pretty decent LB and was also the person I pulled my first autograph card of.

Bernie has no spent more time as a assistant coach and coach then he did in his time in the NFL.

Cook didn't make it too far in the NFL only lasting 4 NFL seasons. But, he did get to don the Oilers jersey so that's pretty cool.

Mark Carrier played for 10 seasons and 3 teams.  He was also a three time Pro Bowler.

Pepper played for four teams in twelve seasons most notably with my Gmen.He was a two time Pro Bowler and two time Super Bowl Champion. Then of course as coach he added another three rings.

I always loved the 1,000 Yard club subsets but mainly the 1995 and 1996 editions. Brett Perriman was a Detroit Lion to me. Even though he had four teams in 9 seasons.

Moulds played for three teams in 11 seasons. Was a three time Pro Bowler but didn't feel like he lived all of his hype up when all of us collectors were chasing him in 1996.

Sapp was a dominant player but however plagued with controversy. However, is a Hall Of Famer with a ring and seven Pro Bowls.

Mayberry played for 10 seasons for two teams.  He was a Pro Bowler in 2002.

Rice had an amazing 12 year career playing for 4 teams. He ranks right up there all time in sacks, he was Super Bowl champion, and a 3x Pro Bowler.

Duane Clemons played for three teams in nine seasons. He didn't have a bad career in that time.

Well, for a $1 it's a bargain, but looking at this overall, not the best pack in the world.

This sums up another Blast From The Past.

Episode 21:Breaking A Box Of 1999 Leaf Rookies And Stars Football

I recently made a big trade with my friend and fellow 90's wax buster Shane. He is the one who runs the Cheap Wax Wednesday and Other Stuff where he breaks boxes that cost under $50 from 80's, 90's and today.

In my trade, I not only got some set help along with some sweet singles,I will show off on here, I  was also able to land some boxes of stuff from 1995-1999 that I will bust and show off on here as well.

Today marks the final box in our trade with a break of 1999 Leaf Rookies and Stars football.

There was actually a shot at some hits in this break, it wasn't what I was going for, but would be fun to find. There are 24 packs of 9 cards each. This box was a higher priced one at $37. My expectations for this one was high.

The base cards are easy design. Team color down one side to to the bottom with player name and team logo built in. There are some decent action shots as well.

Had to show off a new Kerry!

I really have a hard time remembering Chris in a Falcons uniform, but he must have been.

Rookies in the set were 1:2 packs so you roughly get 12. I remember when I busted some of this in 1999 that the big chase was for Kurt Warner and that's who I hoped to get. Instead I got some no names mixed in with

A few known ones, the best being Kevin Faulk, Ricky Williams and Jevon Kearse.

Now onto the inserts. Unlike other boxes from the 90's, Rookies and Stars or any Donruss product didn't put odds on their inserts. They just randomly stuck them in there. So who knows which ones were rare or not but all were numbered. Which I think helped with their value.

Let's see what I pulled.

Great American Heroes Of Terrell Davis #d to 2500

Game Plan of Doug Flutie #d to 2500

Cross Training of John Elway #d to 1250

Greatest Hits #d to 2500 of Terry Glenn

Ticket Masters featuring two of the teams top players. I got Seattle with Watters and Galloway #d to 2500

Freshman Orientation of James Johnson #d to 2500

Woooooooo. Nice hit alert folks! Longevity parallel numbered to 50! I can't imagine these were easy pulls.

Well, no hits but a whole lot of fun still. Once again this trade for 90's wax left me wanting more. A big thanks goes out to Shane for another fun trade and I hope we can do this again!

The Origins Of A Cardboard Addict: No Doubt

There is No Doubt by now you know about my passion and love of the 1990's and how much nostalgia I have with them. To me, it was the greatest era ever especially compared in the world we live in today.

We No Doubt had the greatest food, music, movies, toys, television and cartoons.

We also No Doubt had a music group known as No Doubt who had many big hits and catchy songs in the 90's such as Trapped In A Box, Spiderwebs and Just A Girl to name a few. I was intrigued by the group, the music and No Doubt the lead singer Gwen Stefani, that I followed them for a long time til Gwen decided to branch out on her own. Which didn't bode well for me as I didn't like any of her solo stuff. It was probably the 90's fan in me who only enjoyed listening to the group that I did back in the day.

As an adult, I have grabbed CD's of music from my past and had No Doubt that I would still enjoy it today. I originally had each CD that No Doubt put out but decided it was time just to condense it down to a Greatest Hits album so I can just have those songs I once listened to revisited again.

There were many great hits on here including some newer releases the group had in the 2000's.

However, one of the catchier tunes No Doubt for me was off from their released album from 1995 Tragic Kingdom in Don't Speak. I don't know what it was about the song, it was just one of those songs that got caught up in your head and you just sang it out.

Even though the song was supposedly about Gwen's breakup with a No Doubt band mate, the only breakup I was worried about at the time was my local grocery store no longer carrying one of my hobby first loves in 1995 Score Football. It was my go-to every time I went to the grocery store No Doubt!

One of my favorite things about Score besides the base card set that appeared to have a ripped bottom design, was No Doubt the Red Siege parallels. These parallels took the base set and added a red foil on it. Nothing too exciting, unless you were 12 like I was. The words Red Siege appeared on the back of the card in case the change of look on the front wasn't enough for you.

These parallels fell 1:3 packs and is a set, just like with the 1995 Summit Ground Zero, I am attempting to build. However, this one is a bit bigger with 275 cards in it.

Recently, @CardpocalypseNC helped me knock a few more down from my needs.

 

Aaron Glenn played cornerback in the NFL for 15 years and is currently the coach of that same position for the Saints.

 

Richmond Webb did an excellent job of blocking and protecting Dan Marino.

Charles Johnson played 9 seasons in the NFL.

 

Leslie O'Neal was a dominating defensive end who played in the NFL for 13 years mainly with the Chargers.

 

Andre Coleman played roughly four years in the NFL mainly as a kick returner. He has several Super Bowl records including a 98 yard kickoff return touchdown in the big game despite the Chargers dismantling in Super Bowl 39 by the 49ers.

I am wondering if you like the design yet?? No Doubt I am!

Warren Sapp was a beast on the field for the Buc's. If only he could have stayed on the field and not off where he got into trouble often.

  

Rashaan Salaam was the man you wanted to collect in 1995 coming into the NFL as the Heisman winner, the only problem, he didn't pan out and only lasted 4 years in the NFL. Sadly he is no longer with us as well as died three years ago.

The rookies looked even better and this was a time when college football was in an NFL product the right way. Not like it is done today. No Doubt 90's cards did everything right.

I currently have 13 of the 275 so I have quite the journey left on these. But, No Doubt I will try and complete it all. You can find my haves HERE in case you have any kicking around to trade or donate to my cause. No Doubt I would enjoy them!

While I have this CD out, I might as well listen to a few tracks. No Doubt it will take me back to the 90's and I won't mind that at all since I turned another year older yesterday.

The Origins Of A Cardboard Addict: Are You Toploader Worthy?

Yada , Yada, Yada,

It was 1995 and the start of the peak of my collecting. I had just learned more and more about sports and the players which transferred over to my love of collecting. I think that is the key for kids today to get into collecting. Get them to love a sport, show them the sport in trading cards of their favorite team and players and boom, you have a foundation.

That's exactly how mine was built.

It wasn't built on nothing. If that was the case I probably wouldn't be collecting as I needed that crossover to be interested. Seeing my favorite players on TV then being able to physically have them in hand on a piece of cardboard...sign me up!

The only one thing from the 90's  i can remember that was built on nothing was on TV and was a "show about nothing". That show, Seinfeld.

The show premise was an easy one. It featured the fictional life, though some events were based on real happenings, life of a stand up comic, Jerry, who lives in Manhattan's Upper West Side and features a variety of characters including his best friend George Costanza, former girlfriend Elaine Benes, and crazy neighbor Cosmo Kramer among some other unique personality run ins. The show didn't really have an ongoing premise from episode to episode as most were based off of daily adventures of life.

I watched many shows at the time, especially comedies, but I couldn't get why so many loved Seinfeld. That's until I became an adult.

At the time though, it was the most talked about comedy and was one of the highest rated TV shows overall between 1994-1998 which explains why in 1995 I heard so much about it. Even teachers at school would talk to their students about the previous nights episode. They would quote it. They would break it down. They would act out George's crazy antics or enter the room like Kramer entered Jerry's apartment. No kidding on this either especially my math teacher Mrs. Corliss. She was madly in love with the show and knew my dislike of it and always tried her best to get me to like it.


"No A For You!"

But, as I said, I grew to liking the show just how I grew to appreciate more things from the 90's. Things that I missed out on or didn't like I feel the opposite about now. Things that I enjoyed and loved are twice as loved now.

One of those things I started to really appreciate more, 1995 Summit Ground Zero Parallels. The parallels fell 1:7 packs in 1995 Summit football which I bought a ton of at the grocery store in my youth. I have also busted a box as an adult as well. There are 200 cards in the parallel set overall and thanks to @CardpocalypseNC I was able to knock a few more down. I guess you can say he "took em out".

Hello Rodney

Looking at shiny cards is like looking at the sun. You don't stare at them. They are too shiny. Ya get a sense of the shine and then you look away

I think if Elaine had collected this parallel set, she may have asked herself if they were "Toploader worthy." At one point I did have mine in toploaders back in 1995, but as the values dropped over the years, they moved into a binder where I think they look better showcased that way.

I still have such a long ways to go with this set with only have 11 cards towards it, which I think I lost some over the years, but I will try my best to get it done. I guess you can say my set went into the pool since 1995, there was some shrinkage! And if you have any kicking around or spot any at card show and Can Spare Me A Square, we can talk about a trade or you can always donate :) I would appreciate either. The link to my needs is HERE.

Serenity Now!

Now that the show has grown on me as an adult and with so many revival of shows coming from the 90's recently, one of the latest is the Mad About You revival, I would enjoy to see this one come back to life. Especially since the show ended so terrible they gotta do better than that for a finale. I guarantee that fans old and new would tune in.

Today, while the rest of you will be chasing the big hits from 2018 and 2019, I will be looking at, sorting and enjoying 90's cards and having a Festivus for the rest of us!

Random Card On My Desk:1997 Topps Minted In Canton Parallel Warren Sapp