FIFTY CENT GIFT CARD BINGE - PART 1: LEMMER

GOT A GIFT CARD FOR MY BIRTHDAY AND COULDN'T FIGURE OUT WHAT TO DO WITH IT SO I DECIDED TO WASTE IT AT THE CARD SHOP BY RAIDING THE 50 CENT BOXES. YOU CAN GET 50 CARDS FOR TWENNY BUX SO I GOT THOSE REGGIES I POSTED ABOUT EARLIER, A TON OF PLAYER COLLECTION STUFF AND A SPECIAL SECRET SUPRISE WHICH WILL BE PART THREE. I KILLED SOME TIME IN DECEMBER ENTERING IN SOME PLAYER COLLECTIONS INTO TCDB. IT'S PRETTY FUN TO SEE HOW YOU RANK AMONGST ALL THE OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE TAKEN THE TIME TO PAINSTAKINGLY ENTER IN HUNDREDS OF CARDS ONE AT A TIME IN A SOMEWHAT JANKY UI. THE PROBLEM IS ONCE YOU SEE HOW HIGH YOU RANK AMONG THE WEIRDOS METICULOUSLY ORGANIZED COLLECTORS, YOU WANT MORE. YOU WANT TO LEAD THAT LIST. SO YOU GO OUT AND BUY MOAR CARDS. MARK LEMKE WAS OBVIOUSLY THE FIRST PLAYER I ENTERED INTO TCDB AND I SNAGGED THIRTEEN CARDS TO ADD TO MY ALREADY SILLY TOTAL OF LEMMERS

1992 US PLAYING CARD COMPANY 4♠  2♣

1992 WAS A BIG YEAR FOR PLAYING CARDS CARDS. LEMMER HAS TWO CARDS EACH IN A BICYCLE DECK AND A US PLAYING CARDS DECK. I SHOULDA JUST BOUGHT THE BRAVES DECKS YEARS AGO BUT I COULD SAY THAT ABOUT JUST ABOUT ANYTHING NOW. I FOUND BOTH US PLAYING CARDS LEMKES AND SNAGGED THEM. THESE WERE A DISCOUNT FROM COMC PRICES, BUT PLEASE DON'T TELL ME HOW MUCH THEY GO FOR ON SPORTLOTS OR CARDBARREL OR WHATEVER HYPER CHEAP BASE CARD SELLING APP I DON'T HAVE TIME TO LEARN TO USE 

I TOOK PICS OF ALL THE BACKS BUT I DON'T HAVE MUCH TO SAY ABOUT THIS ONE. PINSTRIPES AND A LOGO. NOTHING SPECIAL BUT IT'S A DECK OF CARDS, WE DON'T NEED ETCHED HOLOFOIL

1994 FLAIR

FROM HERE ON OUT I'M POSTING THE PROBABILITY I ALREADY HAVE THE CARD ALREADY BURIED IN A RANDOM BRAVES BOX OR HIDING IN A SET. THIS IS PROBABLY ABOUT 10% AS I'VE GONE THROUGH MY FLAIR CARDS IN THE PAST YEAR AND DIDN'T FIND IT. 94 FLAIR IS A NICE LOOKING SET! SUPER THICK, EXTRA GLOSSY AND HAS THAT WEIRD LOOKING INITIAL SHIELD FOIL STAMPING. PLUS A-ROD'S ROOKIE CARD ROOKIE CARD IS IN SERIES TWO ALONG WITH LEMMER SO AN ABSOLUTE SHITLOAD OF THIS STUFF WAS RIPPED AND LEFTOVER TRASH BASE IS EVERYWHERE

WHILE IT'S HARD AS HELL TO READ ANYTHING ON THE BACK OF THIS CARD, THIS HERE IS TOP TIER DESIGN. LOOK AT THE COMPOSITION OF THAT CARD BACK! ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS

1995 PACIFIC

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 5%

FOR SOME REASON I HAVE HARDLY ANY PACIFIC CARDS FROM 1995 IN ANY SPORT. NOT SURE WHAT HAPPENED THAT YEAR, I HAVE TONS OF EVERYTHING ELSE. THIS DESIGN ALWAYS LOOKS WEIRD TO ME WITH THE FOIL DIAMONDS AND THE LOGO BASEBALL THAT LOOKS OFF KILTER

THE BACK LOOKS GREAT THOUGH, BIG BEAUTIFUL PORTRAIT, BILINGUAL HIGHLIGHTS AND A GORGEOUS BASEBALL DIAMOND FOR A BACKGROUND. SECOND STRAIGHT CARD THAT LOOKS BETTER ON THE BACK THAN THE FRONT

1994 TEAM STADIUM CLUB

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 100%

I HAVE THE TEAM SET BUT DON'T WANT TO BREAK IT UP FOR PLAYER COLLECTIONS. I MIGHT EVEN HAVE A SECOND ONE AFTER THAT, SO BUMP THE PROBABILITY UP TO 150%. NOT GONNA LIE, THIS SET KINDA SUCKS. IT COULD BE FOUND SOLD IN TEAM SETS AND PLAIN OL REGULAR PACKS AND IS COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY. STUFF LIKE THIS JUST DILUTED THE STADIUM CLUB BRAND

THE BACK SUCKS TOO, WHY THE GREEN BLOB DESIGN AND EYE BLEED TEXT

1994 DONRUSS

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 75%

IF IT'S NOT IN THE DONRUSS BOX, THERE'S A GOOD CHANCE I HAVE A TEAM SET SOMEWHERE. WHY YES IT'S DUMB I COLLECT THREE OF THE SAME CARD. IF I SEE IT AGAIN I'LL BUY IT AGAIN, SEE IF I DON'T. 1994 DONRUSS IS A MASSIVE UPGRADE ON 1993, BUT I FEEL LIKE THEY PEAKED THE NEXT YEAR IN 95

ANOTHER GOOD LOOKING BACK HIGHLIGHTED BY LEMKE'S PHOTO FEATURING THE CHONKY GOGGLES AND HAT UNDERNEATH HELMET. WHILE THIS PATICULAR BACK LOOKS GREAT, THE BACKS FOR THE SET ARE MISERABLE AS THEY ARE BOTH HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL WITH THE CARD NUMBERS BOUNCING BACK AND FORTH LEFT AND RIGHT. I DESPISE TRYING TO SORT THIS SET

1996 STADIUM CLUB SILVER FOIL

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 1%

THIS IS A PARALLEL THAT CAME OUT OF MICKEY MANTLE CEREAL BOX PACKS. THE FOIL IS HARD TO DIFFERENTIATE WITHOUT COMPARING SIDE BY SIDE UNDER BRIGHT LIGHT AND DOESN'T CONE THROUGH AT ALL IN A PHOTO. HERE'S A SLIGHTLY BETTER PIC:

SEE? IT'S SILVER INSTEAD OF GOLD. YIPPEE. BUT I GET TO ADD A CHECKMARK TO THAT TCDB LIST AND FILL ANOTHER POCKET IN THE BINDER SO TOTALLY WORTH THE 40 CENTS

STADIUM CLUB FRONTS USUALLY LOOK GOOD, BUT A LOT OF THEIR BACKS ARE JUST DOGSHIT. WHY THE SAWTOOTH DESIGN. WHY THE DISTORTED PHOTO BEHIND YELLOW TEXT. WHY THE EXCEL SPREADSHEET. WHY

1993 PINNACLE

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 15%

I RIPPED SEVERAL BOXES OF 1992 PINNACLE AND MAYBE THREE PACKS OF 1993. WHY OPEN MORE? IT LOOKS LIKE 1992 PINNACLE WITH A GOLD STAMP AND EXTRA BORING

BACK LOOKS GOOD THO. NICE PICTURE, NICE LOGO, TEXT COULD BE A LITTLE MORE READABLE. AT LEAST IT'S NOT A DISASTER (THIS IS FORESHADOWING)

1995 STADIUM CLUB

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 60%

IT'S PROBABLY IN THE BASE SET, AND THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW STADIUM CLUB BASE SETS I KINDA WANT TO BUILD. I REALLY LIKE THE DESIGN THINGY WITH THE LOGO INSIDE A FOIL REPRESENTATION OF A GALAXY VIEWED FROM THE EDGE. THE PHOTOS ARE MOSTLY PRETTY NICE AND I'VE ALWAYS LIKED THE STADIUM CLUB LOGO THAT LOOKS LIKE THE AFTERMATH OF A HOME RUN BALL HITTING SOMEONE'S WINDOW IN THE PARKING LOT. IT'S A REALLY SMART LOOKING SET. UNTIL

ONE OF THE MOST CLUSTERFUCKY CARD BACKS OF ALL TIME. TERRIBLE BLOTCHY COLORS, DUMB REPEATED PHOTO, USELESS BAR GRAPHS, MOAR UNREADABLE TEXT. ALTHOUGH I WILL GIVE IT THIS: THE CARD NUMBER IS REASONABLY LARGE AND IN THE SAME GODDAMN PLACE EVERY TIME

1997 STADIUM CLUB

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 20%

I DIDN'T KNOW WHERE THE BOX WITH MY SET WAS WHEN I BOUGHT THE CARD. I HAVE SINCE FOUND IT AND NOT TWO MINUTES AGO DROPPED THE WHOLE THING ONTO THE FLOOR SO I STILL DON'T KNOW IF I HAVE IT ALREADY. STADIUM CLUB GOT MUCH THICKER AND MUCH SHINIER AND MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE IN 1997 SO I DON'T HAVE AS MUCH OF IT AS PREVIOUS SETS. THE STUFF LOOKS REALLY NICE, MAYBE THE BEST OF THE ORIGINAL RUN

BACKS ARE BUSY BUT NOT TERRIBLE. ALL THE UGLY NONSENSE WAS SHOVED TO THE SIDE TO MAKE ROOM FOR A NICE BIG PICTURE. YOU CAN ACTUALLY READ THE STATS AS WELL! WITH A MAGNIFYING GLASS AT LEAST. I DO LIKE THE WAY TOPPS INCORPORATED THE EMBOSSED SWOOSH ON THE BACK WITH THE PLAYER NAME

1996 TOPPS TEAM TOPPS BRAVES TEAM SET

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 100%

I BOUGHT THIS TEAM SET AT WAL-MART IN 1996, AND MAY HAVE ACQUIRED A SECOND SET SINCE THEN. DON'T CARE, WORLD CHAMPION LEMMER CARD

WHAT IS THERE TO SAY ABOUT 1996 TOPPS BACKS? IT'S UNIQUE AT LEAST. ALSO PEACHES ARE BARELY A TOP 10 CROP IN GEORGIA DESPITE THE MARKETING

1995 FLEER ULTRA

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 85%

I BOUGHT A BUNCH OF THIS STUFF IN 95, ALTHOUGH A CHUNK OF IT GOT WRECKED IN A FLOOD. I WOULD BE WILLING TO BET THERE'S ONE OF THESE IN A BRAVES BOX IF I LOOKED HARD ENOUGH. THIS SET HASN'T AGED GREAT AS MULTICOLOR FOIL ISN'T AS COOL AS IT WAS BACK IN THE DAY

THE BACK IS A LITTLE BLAH AS WELL WITH MORE NEEDLESS FOIL AND THE MONOCHROMATIC PHOTO. I'M A LITTLE MELANCHOLY NOW AS I FRIGGING LOVED THIS SET AT THE TIME

1996 METAL UNIVERSE PLATINUM PARALLEL

I ALREADY HAVE THIS PROBABILITY: 20%

I BOUGHT AS MUCH METAL UNIVERSE AS I COULD IN 96 AND THESE PLATINUM PARALLELS WERE ONE PER PACK SO THEY ARE NOT HARD TO FIND. THESE CARDS ARE OBJECTIVELY WORSE THAN THE BASE AS YOU CAN'T TELL WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON IN THE BACKGROUND WITHOUT THE COLOR. LEMKE IS CAUSING LIGHTNING BOLTS TO COME OUT HIS THROWING ARM IN THE BASE CARD, HERE IT LOOKS LIKE HE'S TANGLED UP IN SOME CHRISTMAS GARLAND

I REALLY LIKE METAL UNIVERSE BACKS, THEY USUALLY KEEP UP THE WHOLE STEAMPUNK METALIZE ALL THE THINGS MOTIF IN INTERESTING WAYS. IT'S A LITTLE CORNY LOOKING BUT I DIG IT. NICE BIG PORTRAIT OF MARK HERE TOO

THIRTEEN NEW CARDS TO ADD TO THE COLLECTION! ORIGINALLY I HAD MEANT TO SHOW BEFORE AND AFTER SCREENSHOTS OF MY COLLECTOR RANKING BUT I SCREWED IT UP AND LOST THE PICS. LONG STORY SHORT I NOW HAVE 124 OUT OF 297 (I HAVE NO IDEA IF THIS LINK IS GONNA WORK) TOTAL LEMKE CARDS AVAILABLE AND THAT DOESN'T COUNT THE HALF A DOZEN AUTOGRAPHS AND TWO ITEMS I HAVE THAT AREN'T EVEN IN THE DATABASE. THIS IS GOOD FOR FOURTH PLACE ON THE RANKINGS! I AM EXCESSIVELY EXCITED ABOUT THIS, AND LOOK FORWARD FOR DIGGING FOR MORE CARDS TO CHECK OFF THE LIST