1987 Fleer grocery rack

1987 Fleer three-pack grocery rack [$8.00 each] - I could probably buy a Barry Bonds rookie for $8 if I looked hard enough [and I bought one at 'peak' prices during his juiced up home run years], but the idea of pulling a Bonds out of a pack [or maybe pulling a $1 Will Clark or Bo Jackson] is type of nostalgic thinking that gets me nickel-and-dimed in my collecting endeavors.

I have a paranoia of busting any pack from the last 30 years [probably the time frame from where I can afford to bust most packs] - but I takes my chances on this dusty piece of poop collecting dust.

There are three 17 card wax [actual wax] packs and 51 card per rack - with one Headliners insert per rack.

Pack one
#4 of 6 Rickey Henderson Headliners insert - likely 2009 Hall of Fame inductee; the card is probably worth a quarter or less [there is a 'fisheye' you can see on the card - the yellow dot you can see on the line going through his neck, behind his collar].
Baseball stickers - New York Yankees and San Diego Padres

#502 Steve Lyons - off-center or miscut, take your choice

#209 Tony Perez - off-center or miscut, take your choice
#191 Milt Thompson
#378 Dan Quisenberry
#8 Sid Fernandez - actually had a decent career, even though I vaguely remember him as fat and ineffective [not quite the case].
#298 Clint Hurdle - the current Colorado Rockies manager was once a Sports Illustrated coverboy as a top prospect.
#131 Dale Mohoric

#319 Andres Galarraga - I mimicked the Big Cat's wide-open stance during a junior high 'pick up' baseball game in PE and actually hit a home run. He fell of the face of the earth in 1992, but had a resurgence in 1993 that would last through the late 1990s. He actually finished his career a home run short of 400 [he has Mike Scioscia to thank for that] as he finished up his last Major League season with the Anaheim Angels.
#247 Ernie Camacho
#337 Floyd Youmans
#91 Vern Ruhle
#231 Cliff Johnson
#437 Greg Brock
#219 Jesse Barfield

#457 Fernando Valenzuela - at the end of the 1986 season, the 25-year old lefty [listed age on the card is 11-1-60] had a 2.94 ERA with 99 wins against 68 losses. Most telling or most predictive of what he would do in the 'second part' of his career was the number of innings he pitched from 1982 through 1986 as listed on the back of the card [285, 257, 261, 272 1/3, 269 1/3]. In 1987 he threw another 251 innings, before Fernando would face some mid to late career challenges as a professional.
#64 Jim Pankovitz

Pack two
Baseball stickers - Montreal Expos and Baltimore Orioles
#268 Chris Brown - R.I.P.

#544 Kent Hrbek - still probably wouldn't have been anything more than a baseball card 'minor star' in 1987. Current Minnesota Twins' first baseman Justin Morneau is putting up comparable numbers to Hrbek.
#161 Dan Petry
#611 Barry Jones - nice uniform number '69' as a rookie and/or a spring training invitee.
#482 Jim Traber
#574 Lee Smith - these cards are nice for their time, but fall short because of quality control issues.

#600 Matt Young
#40 Spike Owen
#123 Scott Fletcher

#618 Johnny Ray - swinging a sledgehammer. You can barely make out what is written, but it looks like 'The Kid' is written on the side.
#61 Bob Knepper
#392 Alfredo Griffin
#539 George Frazier
#436 Dave Anderson
#435 Marvell Wynn - this 'run' of cards are off-center/miscut
#109 Willie Randolph
#350 Paul Molitor - card is worth $0.15, but even less with a wax stain on the back.

At this point, I thought I would have been able to pull at least one 'decent' rookie card - and several star cards.

Pack three
Baseball stickers - Detroit Tigers and New York Yankees
#492 Julio Cruz
#282 Greg Minton
#543 Neal Heaton - I remember from my formative years of baseball watching, this guy learning a particular pitch back in 1990 that allowed him to have enough first-half success to be named to the National League All-Star team that season.
#280 Roger Mason - I remember him as a 'reclamation' project back in the early 1990s.
#622 Don Robinson - I remember his reputation as a hefty, good hitting pitcher.
#74 Rick Burleson
#562 Leon Durham
#594 Jim Presley
#395 Jay Howell
#128 Pete Incaviglia - more fisheyes? Incaviglia is probably the Matt LaPorta of the 1980s. LaPorta is an up-and-coming power hitting prospect with the Cleveland Indians.
#265 Juan Berenguer
#69 Dave Smith - R.I.P.
#393 Moose Haas

#533 Allan Anderson - I can only laugh when I pull two of the same card and of Anderson of all people! I remember him as a retread common in early 1990s sets.
#533 Allan Anderson
#449 Alejandro Pena

1983 Fleer Baseball

Nothing is quite as fun for a collector as opening a real vintage pack. I'd say '83 Fleer qualifies. I got this for $2.99 delivered on eBay. Could there be a Boggs, Gwynn or Ryno lurking inside? Only one way to find out...

For a video of this pack break click here.

The pack is like crazy glued. I don't know if that's good or bad.

California Angels team logo sticker.
This was back when they were simply the California Angels. Not the ridiculous Los Angeles convoluted Angels of Anaheim sponsored by Pep Boys.
184 - Rich Gedman
Love the glasses.
130 - Bruce Benedict
Benedict has a look on his face like oh god not another crappy 80's Braves pitcher. I'm surprised, after all Atlanta did win the NL West in '82.
169 - Ron Reed
This is perhaps one of the coolest cards I've ever seen. For whatever reason, Reed is shown holding his Rolaids relief man award plaque. I don't want to know why he had it handy.

396 - Andre Robertson

387 - Lee Mazzilli
70 - Cal Ripken, Jr.
Are you serious!? A second year Cal!!??

'83 FLEER VINTAGE WAX CAL-MOJO!

This books for six bucks in Tuff Stuff. Well, five cards in and the pack has already paid for itself. Ten cards left to go too!

442 - Willie Upshaw

321 - Manny Sarmiento
98 - Ed Ott
The back of his card says "Has shortest name in majors." That might also be the shortest Did you Know? in Fleer history.

617 - Randy Johnson
Not the Big Unit.

268 - Milt May

579 - Bill Stein

540 - Carlos Diaz
His Did You Know? has nothing to do with this bummy Mets pitcher. They talk about some random hits record Robin Yount and Paul Molitor set in game one of the '82 World Series. It's pretty sad when Fleer can think of NOTHING to say about you.
109 - Bill Castro
126 - John Wathan
With a nice wax stain and bits of the wrapper on the back.

Opening really old packs like this is always fun and pulling a Cal made it that much sweeter.

1986 Topps Baseball

I recently purchased a couple wax packs of '86 Topps on eBay and here's the first pack I opened.

To watch a video of this pack break click here.

Upon opening there is a broken, brittle piece of 22 year old gum.

218 - Randy Hunt

344 - Jim Wohlford

630 - Fernando Valenzuela

518 - Buck Martinez
Current analyst for ESPN.

767 - Jody Davis

50 - Dan Quisenberry
Nice action shot of his submarine delivery. Led the AL in saves 5 of his first 7 seasons and Topps rewarded him with a star card number here.

79 - Dave Schmidt

Win a Trip to 1987 Spring Training Card

453 - Steve Jeltz

233 - Steve Lyons
This is actually Pycho's rookie card but it's not worth anything.

68 - Ed Lynch
The man of many chins.

701 - Keith Hernandez All Star
As much as I like the '86 Topps base design, the All Star cards from this set have maybe one of the most boring, generic designs Topps has ever come up with.

279 - Al Pardo
Who? Al Pardo. Oh. Wait who?

515 - Darrell Evans
Led AL in homers in '85 with 40 while batting .248. That has to be one of the lowest batting averages for a home run champ. Andy would know this but I'm too lazy/inept to check baseball-reference to find out for sure.

668 - Cecilio Guante
For some reason his jersey is airbrushed while his hat is not. And there's no reason for this as he was still with the Pirates. Very odd.


718 - Jorge Bell All Star
I loved early George Bell cards spelled with his given Dominican name Jorge.

Well that was fun. I could open '86 Topps all day.

1990 Donruss Baseball

I recently received two boxes of '90 Fleer that I purchased off eBay and the seller generously included some free junk wax packs. Bonus! Among them were 5 packs of '90 D-Russ and here's the first one I ripped.

For a video of this pack break click here.

Carl Yastrzemski puzzle pieces 4,5 and 6
Looks like the top of Yaz's bat.

363 - Clay Parker

602 - Terry Kennedy
From the back of his card I learn he made All Star appearances in '81,'83,'85 and '87.

254 - Jack Howell
This guy had two of the quietest 20 homer seasons ever in '87 and '89 for the Angels.

141 - Craig Worthington

617 - Don August

451 - Bob Melvin
How about that. Melvin was once traded straight up for Terry Kennedy whom we got earlier in the pack.

456 - Otis Nixon

342 - Pascual Perez
Back to back Expos. I miss the Expos.

285 - Jerome Walton
Pulling the '89 NL ROY would've been sweet back then.

641 - Darrin Jackson
Fun Fact: Hit .800 in '87 for the Cubs.

175 - Dan Plesac
Is on this year's Hall of Fame ballot. Somehow I don't think he'll make it in.

482 - Carmello Martinez

368 - Kirk Gibson
Gibby!

608 - Curt Wilkerson

260 - Cecil Espy

147 - Gary Carter
With a big 'ol wax stain and bits of the wrapper on the back. Gotta love '90 Donruss.

1982 Topps Baseball

I originally was not going to post this pack because it was pretty crappy and probably searched but after some encouragement from Andy of 78 Topps Cards fame who was dying to know the contents anyway but didn't want to watch the video, I figured I might as well put it here on apad for all to see. So here goes...

To watch the video of this pack break click here.

Upon opening there is a 26 year old cracked piece of ancient brittle gum.

305 - Don Sutton
The cards are in the pack backwards so Sutton has a big wax stain on the FRONT. Not a good sign that this is legit. Nevertheless I proceed on.

704 - Mickey Rivers
Great leadoff hitter for the Yankees and Rangers.

554 - Carlton Fisk All Star
Hey alright. Pudge!

99 - Barry Bonnell

792 - Frank Tanana
I always think it's cool to get the first or last cards of a set.

760 - Bill Buckner

740 - Dave Lopes
His facsimile auto says Davey which is how I always remember him.

690 - Dave Kingman
King Kong!

322 - Garry Hancock
Never heard of him. Some bummy outfielder for the BoSox.

489 - Rick Dempsey

47 - Jeff Leonard
Again, better known as Jeffrey Leonard.

628 - Bill Travers

384 - Keith Moreland

607 - Leon Durham
I thought this was his rookie at first but then I realized he had '81 cards when he came up with the Cardinals.

647 - Warren Brusstar
Never heard of him either but the back of his card said he won a game in the '80 NLCS for the Phils.

Well for $4.49 delivered I got my 15 cards, they are all mint, only the top and bottom card had stains, one from the wrapper, one from the gum, so I have no proof this was searched but something tells me it was. Oh well. I should heed my own advice and stick to cello and rack packs but I couldn't resist a shot for a Ripken. At least I think I had a shot. =)

Election Eve Special: 1990 Bowman Baseball

To watch the video of this pack break click here.

With tomorrow being the the climax of this year's election season, what could be more American than ripping open a pack of 1990 Bowman baseball? Don't answer that. Anyways, I've decided to give what would otherwise be a boring pack break more of an exciting political feel. There are 14 base cards in this pack so we will determine a winner in the same spirit of our great democracy. 14 candidates. 7 primaries. 1 winner. Let's begin...

Upon opening we have an 18-year old shattered piece of gum spill out. Oh well. Consider it the Mike Gravel of this pack. An early non-contender. Moving on to the primaries we get our first two candidates...

305 - Jack McDowell
Blackjack is sporting a red, white and blue jersey which automatically earns him patriot points. Plus he had a great career with the White Sox.
Campaign slogan: Good pitching will always defeat good hitting.
His opponent...

51 - Reggie Jefferson
About the only thing going for Jefferson on his card is that he's posing with his bat. He had a brief career with his best years, if you could call them that, coming with the Indians.
Campaign slogan: Walk softly and carry a big stick.

Your winner: Blackjack in a landslide.

Our next two candidates:

255 - Cal Ripken
Wow. You can't beat a HOFer like Cal. Plus on the card photo he kinda resembles a young FDR. If FDR wore eyeblack ... and a baseball jersey. I'm afraid this is gonna be a tough act to follow for any card in this set.
Campaign slogan: May 30, 1982. A date which will live in infamy.

288 - Jim Abbott
Well let's see here. FDR and Jim Abbott. Two Americans with disabilities that overcame all odds to triumph in their respective careers. Oh wait sorry, it's Abbott versus Ripken. No contest.
Campaign slogan: We have nothing to fear but fear itself.

Your winner: Ripken all the way.

Our next two candidates:
241 - Terry Kennedy
Whoa. Talk about presidential parallels, with a last name like Kennedy this one has to be in the bag. Plus Kennedy was a pretty solid catcher for the Padres and Orioles for a number of years. I'm talking about Terry Kennedy not Jack Kennedy.
Campaign slogan: Ask not what your catcher can do for you, ask what you can do for your catcher.


30 - Ryne Sandberg
Bam! Just when you thought Kennedy had this wrapped up along comes another HOFer like Ryne Sandberg. Sorry but ya gotta give it up to Ryno. I mean just look at his card. He's got his batting gloves and bat ready.
Campaign slogan: Ready to lead on day one.

Your winner: Sandberg in a sweep.

Our next two candidates:
137 - Kevin Elster
Versatile infielder for a number of years in the 80's and 90's, but never a considered a star.
Campaign slogan: You could do worse.

503 - Jack Daugherty
Was a prospect with the Rangers in the early 90's but never amounted to much.
Campaign slogan: You just did worse.

Your winner: Gotta go with Elster given that he actually had somewhat of a career but don't expect him to go much further than the primaries.

Our next two candidates:
147 - Ken Howell
Kinda sounds like Colin Powell who just endorsed Obama. Howell is a pitcher which is like defense in baseball and on his card he has a stern look on his face so he could definitely be a Secretary of State, like Powell.
Campaign slogan: Peace through strength.

383 - Gerald Perry
Perry shares a namesake with former President Gerald Ford who was famous for a gaffe in the debates when he said the Soviet Union would not control Eastern Europe on his watch which ... um yeah ... they already did for decades.
Campaign slogan: The Soviet Union will not ... uh wait ... it's called Russia now?

Your winner: Perry gave this one away to Powell, I mean Howell.

Our next two candidates:

192 - Ray Lankford
Lankford carved out a descent career with the Cardinals.
Campaign slogan: Why not me?

265 - Jeff Reardon
Reardon is rocking an awesome Lincolnesque beard! That's enough for me.
Campaign slogan: A nation divided cannot stand.

Your winner: Facial hair on a baseball card always beats no facial hair.

Our last two candidates:
293 - Bobby Rose
Even though he's not related, he shares a last name with Pete Rose and the last thing a politician needs is bad press.
Campaign slogan: I am not a crook.

428 - Alan Mills
Mills was a .500 pitcher mostly for the Orioles. But his last name isn't Rose.
Campaign slogan: I am really not a crook.

Your winner: Mills by a nose.

Now we get down to the nitty gritty. After hard fought wax pack primaries we are left with Blackjack, Cal Ripken, Ryno, Kevin Elster, Ken Howell, Jeff Reardon, and Alan Mills. Who will win the whole enchilada?
Drum roll please ... the winner and next president of the United States is...


Cal Ripken

Well, things could be worse...

And on a serious note if you are reading this, don't forget to vote, if you haven't done so already.

1990 Bowman Baseball

Long before there was BowChro...long before there was Bowman's Best...long before there was the great Bowman sets of '92,'93,'94 and '95...there was 1990 Bowman baseball. Probably the least desirable of all the Bowman issues. At least in '89 Topps tried the make the cards look like old vintage Bowman. But the next year they basically gave up and made them look like any crappy cheap card you might find in the nineties. Overproduced and featuring poor printing quality, this set still had a few decent rookies like Big Frank, Sosa and Juan Gone. Upon opening the pack we find a badly shattered piece of gum. Onto the cards...

To watch a video of this pack break click here.


142 - Todd Hundley
I remember when Hundley was a big time prospect. Whatever happened to him?

414 - Greg Gagne
Front is badly printed off-register as are most of the cards in this pack.

283 - Kirk McCaskill

498 - Gary Pettis
I forgot he played for the Rangers once.

290 - Gary DiSarcina


510 - John Olerud
I remember when his cards were worth something.

494 - Scott Coolbaugh
This pack is like a who's who of early nineties rookie flame outs. Kinda funny actually.


Robin Yount Bowman sweepstakes giveaway card.
This is actually a nice looking card. Kinda reminds me of UD Goudey.


440 - Kevin Maas

319 - Scott Fletcher
Nice shot of the old Comiskey in the background.

517 - Luis Sojo


27 - Greg Maddux
Finally a half way decent card.

469 - Erik Hanson
18-9 for the '90 Mariners and 15-5 for the '95 Red Sox.

44 - Danny Jackson
Started a game for the Pirates in the '92 NLCS.

509 - Jimmy Key

Nothing happening pack but it brought back some fun memories of when I collected these as a kid.