ANOTHER BORING PACK RIP

I CHECKED OUT A NEW CARD PLACE YESTERDAY, AND PICKED UP SOME MORE LOOT TO SHOW OFF ON HERE. IT WAS A BOOTH IN AN ANTIQUE MALL SO YOU BET YOU'LL GET ANOTHER POST WITH A THOUSAND PICTURES OF CRAP ONE OF THESE DAYS WHEN I CAN GET THE PICS OFF MY PHONE. THIS PLACE HAD A BUNCH OF JUNK WAX AT INFLATED PRICES BUT EVEN MY CHEAPSKATE ASS WAS TEMPTED BY THIS:

1987 DONRUSS MAJOR LEAGUE ALL STARS POP-UP PUZZLE AND CARDS

MY 2006 FLEA MARKET BRAIN INSISTS THAT THIS PACK SHOULD COST 25 CENTS NOT A BUCK AND A QUARTER. 2023 HARSH REALITY BRAIN REALIZES THAT EVERYTHING IS STOOPID EXPENSIVE NOW AND I SHOULD GRAB LITTLE PIECES OF JOY WHEN I CAN. 1987 IS THE ONLY DONRUSS ALL-STARS SET I DON'T HAVE AT LEAST 90% COMPLETED SO THESE WILL PROBABLY BE NEW-TO-ME CARDS IN HERE. IT WAS ALSO THE CHEAPEST PACK IN THE BOOTH OTHER THAN A BUCK FOR A PRO-SET MUSIC SET I ALREADY HAVE COMPLETED AND $1.11 FOR A MAXX RACING PACK. WHY $1.11? WHO THE HECK KNOWS

BACK OF THE PACK TELLS YOU EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW. 60 BIG POSTCARD SIZED PLAYER CARDS, 20 POP-UP CARDS AND THE UBIQUITOUS PUZZLE CARD. PREVIOUS ALL-STAR SETS AT LEAST HAD A UNIQUE PUZZLE DESIGN BUT IN THE LATE 80S DONRUSS GOT LAZY AND JUST PUT THE SAME ONE IN EVERYTHING. TIME TO CAREFULLY OPEN THE PACK SO THE WRAPPER DOESN'T SHRED

POP-UP - DICK HOWSER

THE POP UP SET IS THE STARTING NINE FOR EACH SQUAD PLUS THE MANAGER. GETTING A MANAGER ISN'T THE SEXIEST PULL BUT NONE OF THESE ODDLY SIZED POP-UP CARDS ARE EASY TO FIND IN THE WILD AND THE MANAGERS ESPECIALLY SO. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO FIND A DICK HOWSER SECTION IN YOUR LOCAL CARD SHOP'S STAR BOX. I DON'T HAVE THIS CARD SO I'M VERY HAPPY TO PULL DICK

LOOK AT THIS GLORIOUS ALL STAR LOGO. IT SHOULD BE AIRBRUSHED ON THE SIDE OF A VAN SOMEWHERE. THE ASTROS REALLY KNOW HOW TO LOGO. THE CARDS FOLLOW THE FIRST TWENTY CARDS OF THE SET BUT THERE ARE NO CARD NUMBERS FOR POP-UPS. THIS IS ANNOYING IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A WANT LIST FOR THEM

#19 - GARY CARTER

GARY CARTER IS A NICE START TO THE PACK. AS YOU CAN SEE THE DESIGN IS BASICALLY THE DONRUSS FLAGSHIP DESIGN MINUS THE BASEBALL STRIPE DOWN THE MIDDLE. THIS IS THE BEST PART OF THAT DESIGN BUT WHATEVER, BLACK BORDERS LOOK NICE. THE GIGANTIC NATIONAL AND AMERICAN LEAGUE LOGOS ON THESE CARDS ARE ALSO PRETTY COOL. IT WOULD TAKE UP A GOOD SIXTH OF A STANDARD SIZED TRADING CARD. IF YOU'VE GOT ALL THIS CARDBOARD REAL ESTATE YOU MIGHT AS WELL USE IT

HERE'S THE BACK. A LOT OF HIGHLIGHTS, A LOT OF LOGOS AND A LINE FROM A BOX SCORE. VERY SIMPLE AND NICE LOOKING. CARD NUMBER COULD BE BETTER. BLACK ON BLUE AIN'T EASY TO READ, BUT I'M NITPICKING. ODDLY, THE BACK IS BLUE INSTEAD OF THE YELLOW THEY USED ON THE BASE SET. THIS APPEARS TO BE THE SAME SHADE OF BLUE USED ON THE 1988 SET SO MAYBE DON OR RUSS SCORED A SWEET DEAL ON ELEVENTY BILLION GALLONS OF BLUE INK. SO MUCH INK IT LASTED UNTIL THE MIDDLE OF 1991

#25 HAROLD BAINES

HELL YEAH. HAROLD WEARING THOSE GREAT MID 80S WHITE SOX UNIS. OH I'M SORRY, HAROLD "MOTHERFUCKING HALL OF FAMER,  BITCHES! CRY ABOUT IT" BAINES. HALL OF FAME INJUSTICES HAVE CAUSED ME A LOT OF ANGST IN THE PAST COUPLE DECADES BUT BAINES IS A NICE REMINDER THAT CHAOS STILL REIGNS AND DESERVING PLAYERS CAN STILL GET HONORED IN THEIR LIFETIME. FRED AND SCOTT GETTING IN IS PRETTY AWESOME TOO, I LIKE BEING HAPPY ABOUT THE HALL OF FAME, MORE OF THIS PLEASE

#17 MIKE SCHMIDT

YEAAAAAH MICHAEL JACK SCHMIDT. FUN FACT, THE SCHMIDT CARD IS THE ONLY ONE I NEED TO COMPLETE THE 1983 ALL-STAR SET. I COULD HAVE BOUGHT THE WHOLE DAMN THING FOR FIVE BUCKS A FEW YEARS AGO BUT NOOOO I FELT THE NEED TO BUILD THE SET FROM MY TRASHED CARDS FROM 1983. IT'S NOT LIKE THAT IS ONE OF MY TOP TEN FAVORITE SETS OF ALL TIME AND WOULD HAVE BEEN FINE HAVING TWO SETS, ONE MINT AND ONE OF THE CARDS FROM MY CHILDHOOD. WHY DO I ALWAYS REMEMBER THE SHIT I DIDN'T GET INSTEAD OF THE PILES OF STUFF I HAVE. WHY IS MY BRAIN THE WAY THAT IT IS. 

ANYWAY, FUCK YEAH COOL MIKE SCHMIDT CARD. THIS RULES, DESPITE THE INADVERTENT PSYCHIC DAMAGE. JUST LOOK AT MIKE'S BIG BOOTY IN THOSE POWDER BLUES

LOOK AT IT

PUZZLE PIECE 40, 41, 42

ROBERTO CLEMENTE'S THIGH AND SOME LEAVES. I HAVE ALMOST A FULL 1600-COUNT BOX OF COMPLETED DONRUSS PUZZLE SETS IN TEAM BAGS AND AN ADDITIONAL THREE 800-COUNT BOXES MOSTLY FILLED WITH EXTRAS. NOT TO MENTION THE ONES I PUNCHED OUT AND PUT TOGETHER. IT'S ASTOUNDING HOW THESE THINGS ACCUMULATE. I DO NOT HOWEVER HAVE A LIST OF WHICH PIECES I NEED TO COMPLETE MOARER SETS. I SHOULD MAYBE GET ON THAT ONE OF THESE DAYS

THREE HALL OF FAMERS IN THE PACK, QUITE ACCEPTABLE. I WISH THE PACK COST A QUARTER INSTEAD OF EACH CARD BUT IT'S THE FUTURE, BABY! QUARTER BOXES BARELY EXIST ANYMORE, THIS WAS A STEAL. AM I GONNA RUN BACK TO THE ANTIQUE MALL AND BUY UP THE REST OF THE PACKS? EEEEH.... I'D NEED 20 PACKS MINIMUM TO COMPLETE THE SET AND LORD KNOWS THAT KIND OF COLLATION AINT' HAPPENING. NOT SURE I WANT TO SPEND 40 BUCKS TO WIPE OUT THE REST OF THE BOX JUST TO BE SHORT SEVERAL CARDS FROM BOTH THE MAIN AND POP-UP SET. I HAD MY FUN THOUGH AND CAN STILL DREAM OF STUMBLING UPON A CHEAP COMPLETE SET ONE DAY