Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Pack Rip - 1991 Topps Traded Baseball

I bought a whole box of these last time I was at the local shop, which was a month or two ago now. I like the Topps Traded sets, but have purchased the few I have as entire sets. Hand collating one seemed like it would be fun. The standard 132 card set size means I won't be at it forever, in fact I should easily complete a set from this box. More importantly, the price was right ($7). I'm very slow at busting wax, a box like this can easily last me months. I open a pack here and there and enjoy it slowly over time. Here's a random pack I opened this morning, 7 cards:

#96T - Dave Righetti

A career Yankee through 1990, Righetti signed with the Giants prior to the 1991 season. His 1991 Topps base card still featured him as a Yankee though, so Topps rectified that in the Traded set...

#124T - Jeff Ware

Don't recognize the name? Neither did I. Don't be too hard on yourself, Ware appeared in just 18 total games in two seasons with Toronto, finishing with a career ERA of 7.47.

#41T - Tony Fernandez

All Toronto Blue Jays fans should own this card. Before the 1991 season Fernandez, the Jays' starting shortstop throughout the late-80's, was dealt along with Fred McGriff to the Padres for Roberto Alomar and Joe Carter. Alomar and Carter would become two of the cornerstone players for the 1993 World Series Champion Blue Jays team. Fernandez would be a key contributor for the 1993 Jays team as well though, as he was traded back to Toronto during the 1993 season. He came up huge in the World Series, driving in 9 runs from the shortstop position for the Blue Jays. Cards like this are why I like Topps Traded sets so much.

#114T - Darryl Strawberry

Probably my favorite card in the pack. I know it's junk wax, but I think the 1991 Topps design has held up pretty well over time.

#9T - Rafael Belliard

Belliard spent the first 9 years of his career with the Pirates before signing with Atlanta prior to the 1991 season.

#30T - Rob Deer

We get a standard posed photo here, rather than a pic of Deer doing what he's know best for, swinging for the fences!

#53T - Pete Harnisch

Even this Pete Harnisch card can be interesting if you look hard enough. Pete was an All-Star with Houston in 1991, and during that season he struck out the side on 9 pitches in one outing.

They can't all be winners but I enjoyed that pack, especially given that it cost me about a quarter.

5 comments:

  1. Is that Belliard card available by chance?

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  2. Colbey, I'm going to try hand collating a set from this box, but the set's only 132 cards and I think there are 30+ packs so I should have a TON of dupes. If I pull another Belliard it's all yours. Drop me an email at shanediaz82 at yahoo dot com...

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  3. This is one of my favourite baseball sets from when I was a kid!! I really like the look of the cards and I've wanted to put the set together for a long time. GOodluck with your set! The early 90's product is really fun to bust!

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  4. I'd forgotten all about Jeff Ware the ball player. So the Jays and Leafs BOTH had a Jeff Ware who turned out to be nothing.

    What's in a name?

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  5. Pete Harnisch looks like he should be standing in front of a tractor and wearing a feed store gimme cap.

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