Friday, August 15, 2008

1993 Ultra

This is the 4th pack I'm opening from a 16-pack repack box from Vintage Sports Cards, Inc. I really liked the 1993 Ultra. There were a few mainstream sets which offered full-bleed photography, UV coating, and gold foil in 1993. Flair, Leaf, SP, Stadium Club, Studio, and Ultra. By 1994, most sets sported this look. Eventually, there would be a backlash against this trend but the mid-1990s was a time for full on shininess. There are two long term problems with UV coated cards. Depending on how the coating is done, it can cause a card to curl. This is because the coating and the paper do not expand and contract together with changes in temperature or humidity. One or the other shrinks or expands more than the other and the card curls. The other problem is that after being pressed together in a pack for 15 years, the cards tend to stick together. This pack of Ultra wasn't too badly stuck together but it has a noticeable curl. What have we got?

#149 Scott Cooper


#94 Mike Williams - the first Phillie I've pulled out of one of these packs. and I already had 4 of them. I included it here because its a rookie card. He was a not very impressive starter for the Phillies but was converted to a closer later in his career. He saved 46 games for the Pirates in 2002. He came back to the Phillies in 2003 and retired at the end of the season.
# 181 - Frank Thomas. One of my favorite players. Frank hit 41 homers in 1993, to go along with 128 rbis, and a 0.317 batting average.
#254 - Mike Bordick
#160 - Mike DiSarcina
#107 - Brian Jordan
#171 - George Bell. Another of my favorite players and another White Sox. Originally signed by the Phillies in 1978 but never played for them. 1993 was his final season.#24 - Sammy Sosa. Another guy playing in Chicago. He hit 33 home runs in 1993 but he's still a few years from the monster years.
#13 - Mike Stanton
#294 - Mike Timlin
#273 - Dave Valle
#69 - Chris Nabholz#236 - Kirby Puckett. Another favorite player. If I'd bought this pack new in 1993, I'd have been pretty happy with it. But, every card so far I already have.
#248 - Melido Perez.

So that's it. I score this pack a 4, mainly because I already had all the cards. So far: 2007 Fleer (14 points), 2007 Bowman Heritage (12), 1991 Score (2).

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