1986 Topps Rack Pack

One of my main issues with newer packs is the decreasing number of cards. In protest, I’m opening what I consider to be the antithesis of the four-card, insert-laden foil packs of today: a rack pack of 1986 Topps. What ever happened to the 792 card sets of yesteryear? But, in efforts to not bore everyone (listing off every forgotten common), I’ll focus on the highlights of each of the 3 sections.

This first third is pretty anticlimactic. On the list of possible all-stars I could receive, Terry Kennedy is right smack at the bottom (with LaMarr Hoyt and Tom Herr). And, it may be that I look older than I actually am, but I think Barbaro Garbey may be the youngest-looking 30 year old ever. A couple of legitimate star pitchers, Mark Langston and Jimmy Key, save this section from being a total bust.

Section 2 is topped by a Tom Seaver Turn Back the Clock card—hopefully a sign of good things to come. Bret Saberhagen and his oversized batting glove is the 4^th star pitcher I’ve pulled from this pack—and I’m not even half way through it. I got really excited when I pulled my first Pete Rose subset card (#5) because I saw a second one (#6) showing on the bottom of the second section. Another Tom Seaver (base set) in the same section is a little odd and almost insulting; seeing that one is a TBtC card.

In the 3rd section, I found a few odd pairs: back-to-back managers, back-to-back Reynoldses, back-to-back rookies and back-to-back mustaches—oh, yeah and there were a couple of all-stars in there as well.

In summation this was a pretty great pack (complete list of cards here). Without a doubt, the highlight for me was the 2 Rose cards; although, I really wish I got #7 so I could bitch about Topps not showing him in his Expos uniform. The two Seaver cards were pretty great too—it’s not too often you find an active player with 300+ wins and 3500+ strikeouts.