BLACK FRIDAY COMC PICKUPS - PART 63: SHINY SET

OH YEAH, THIS IS A BIG ONE. THESE PICKUPS REALLY MADE ME HAPPY AND KIND OF KICKSTARTED MY CURRENT PUSH TO COLLECT ALL THE 90S INSERTS. PREPARE THYNESELVES FOR SOME EXTRA SHINY HOLOGRAM GOODNESS

1993 UPPER DECK CAL RIPKEN JR THEN & NOW

1993 UPPER DECK IS FANTASTIC. IT'S SO GOOD THERE'S A WHOLE BLOG DEDICATED TO IT. AS GOOD AS THE BASE SET IS, THE INSERTS ARE JUST AS GREAT. WILLIE MAYS HEROES, FUTURE HEROES, REGGIE JACKSON HEROES, HOME RUN HEROES. SO MANY HEROES. WALTER IOOSS FANCY PHOTO CARDS, ON DECK NON-BRANDED FANCY PHOTO CARDS, FIFTH ANNIVERSARY REPRINTS WITH CHIPPY BLACK BORDERS. SO PRETTY. THERE'S EVEN SEASON HIGHLIGHTS AND TRIPLE CROWN CONTENDER CARDS INSERTED INTO SPECIAL LIMITED BOXES TO GIVE YOU THE RARE JUNK WAX CARD THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO FIND ANYWHERE. THE BEST INSERT SET THOUGH IS THE THEN & NOW CARDS WITH AN OLD FASHIONED PHOTO OF A SUERSTAR ON TOP OF A NEWFANGLED HOLOGRAM OF THE PLAYER. THESE ARE SOME OF THE BEST LOOKING CARDS OF THE DECADE AND SINCE THEY WERE INSIDE ONE OF UPPER DECK'S "LET THE PRESSES RUN WILD" PRODUCTS THEY'RE NOT TERRIBLY HARD TO FIND. AS USUAL CAL RIPKEN JR. IS ONE OF THE CARDS I WAS MISSING AND I WAS REALLY SURPRISED TO FIND IT ON COMC FOR UNDER A BUCK. I SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN AS I FOUND NOLAN RYAN'S THEN & NOW CARD FOR TWO BUCKS AT A CARD SHOW LAST YEAR AND IF ANYONE'S GOING TO BE OVERPRICED IT'D BE HIM. STILL! PLEASANTLY SURPRISED!

I REALLY LIKE THE 1992 UPPER DECK VIBES ON THE BACK. AS GOOD AS 1993 IS, UPPER DECK HAD A VERY SPECIFIC LOOK FROM 1989-1992 AND THAT WENT COMPLETELY OUT THE WINDOW IN 1993, NEVER TO RETURN. IT'S A PETTY GRIPE, ESPECIALLY SINCE EVERY OTHER CARD COMPANY ON THE PLANET THREW THEIR SIGNATURE LOOKS RIGHT OUT THE WINDOW AROUND 1992 IN FAVOR OF FOIL AND UV COATING AND FULL BLEED BORDERS BUT THAT CLASSIC UD LOOK JUST HITS ME IN THE NOSTALGIA A LITTLE BIT. I ALSO LIKE HOW THERE IS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PHOTO OF THE PLAYER ON THE BACK FOR  A BACKGROUND. UPPER DECK TOOK THE TIME TO PICK OUT A NICE PHOTO JUST TO BE ALMOST COMPLETELY OBSCURED BY TEXT. PANINI SHOULD'VE TAKEN NOTES BUT IT'S TOO LATE NOW. BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE

1993 UPPER DECK MICKEY MANTLE THEN & NOW

WITH CAL KNOCKED OFF FOR CHEAP, I CHECKED THE REST OF MY WANTLIST AND LO AND BEHOLD, HERE'S THE MICK. MICKEY MANTLE CARDS ARE WEIRD NOW BECAUSE HE WAS EXPENSIVE AS ALL HELL BACK IN THE DAY BUT THEN TOPPS PRINTED APPROXIMATELY SEVEN BILLION NEW MICKEY MANTLE CARDS STARTING IN THE MID-90S AND THE FLOOD OF NEW MANTLE CARDS DROPPED THE PRICES A BIT. I STILL RECALL THE DAYS PEOPLE WERE RIPPING PILES OF 1988 PACIFIC LEGENDS BECAUSE THE MANTLE CARD WAS SELLING FOR TWENTY-FIVE BUCKS SO I'M A LITTLE PRICE AVERSE WHEN LOOKING AT MANTLE CARDS. BUT THIS SUCKER WAS ALSO LESS THAN A BUCK. SOLD!

THEN I LOOKED AT THE REST OF MY WANTLIST AND THERE WAS NOTHING ELSE THERE. 29-YEAR OLD INSERT SET COMPLETE!

AND HERE'S THE ENTIRE SET

IT'S SO PURDY. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND YOU ALL FIND A 90S INSERT SET THAT SPEAKS TO YOU AND TRY TO COMPLETE IT. IT'S A GREAT FEELING AND NOT TOO SPENDY AS LONG AS YOU DON'T PICK ONE THAT DROPS 1:720 PACKS OR ONE WITH MICHAEL JORDAN IN IT