I'm not sure how this is going to go. Do collectors treat Score with the same reverence and devotion as Topps, Upper Deck and even Fleer?
I guess I'll find out.
Score does have one thing going for it. For an 11-year period, Score was the card set of the people. Kids could buy a rack pack with their allowance money. Even college students like me at the time -- who spent most of their money on textbooks they would never use again -- could throw some change at Score. It was cheap, it was plentiful, it was pleasing.
Score was simple, often colorful, and included most of your favorite players. The backs were wordy, but packed with information. Best of all, you could land a bunch of cards in a single purchase. This wasn't Upper Deck or Pinnacle. Score never got the memo that cards were suddenly an investment. And thank goodness it didn't.
However, there is a certain sameness to Score sets from year to year. In terms of appreciation for individual sets, is there really one Score set that stands out above the others?
There is for me. It's Score's debut from 1988. It's colorful. It has a simple, geometric design. It contains the Reggie Jackson subset. I won't go as far to say that it's the only Score set that matters, but it did set the standard. And it is the only one I have completed or have in a binder.
As for the others, I have modest appreciation for 1993 Score. I think it's very team-centric and I appreciate that. The 1994 set marks Score's entrance into "glossy," which ain't good, but I've always enjoyed the midnight blue borders. And, 1989 Score, while not exceptional, makes me go to a warm, fuzzy place as I recall heading to the strip mall plaza after class and scooping up a rack pack or two.
My least favorite Score sets? I've never been fond of 1992. The orange and purple and green makes me want to get rid of everything from that set. And the backs to 1997 Score are downright intimidating.
But this is an exercise for you. I'm asking you to select the biggest year-to-year improvement and year-to-year bust in Score's brief history. Where did Score suddenly go wrong, or right? If you're like me, it'd all revolve around '92. Biggest bust: 1991-92. Biggest improvement: 1992-93. But again, you're not me, and this is a collective expedition.
Please list in the comments what you think is Score's biggest improvement and biggest bust. And then I'll put up a poll for voting purposes in a week or so.
But first, a look at all of the Score sets:
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| 1988 Score |
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| 1989 Score |
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| 1990 Score |
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| 1991 Score |
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| 1992 Score |
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| 1993 Score |
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| 1994 Score |
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| 1995 Score |
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| 1996 Score |
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| 1997 Score |
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| 1998 Score |
Anyway, let me know the biggest improvement and bust in the comments. Or you can just cry about missing Score. I'll be right there with ya.
Comments
Biggest improvement - 1990 to 1991 (not that I didn't like 90, but I loved 91)
Biggest bust - 1996 to 1997 (97 and 94 are the only ones I really don't like)
As to the questions..... 1994 Score is my favorite but ironically that's about the time I was bailing on baseball and the hobby so I had almost none of them. Those I have now came in Fairfield repacks. But the fact it's my favorite doesn't qualify it as biggest jump because the '93 is right behind it on my list of favorites.
My suggestion for biggest bust goes to '94->'95. The 1995 Score is about as ugly as it gets, IMHO.
Biggest improvement...'92->'93. Those huge 'stipes' of color down one side or the other was just too much wasted space.
Looking at the sets lines up as they are here makes me realize that although I usually prefer cards to have team logos on the front the three Score sets that do are my least favorite of the bunch.
I'll probably be in the minority here, but I'll go with 1994-95 as "Biggest Improvement". I've always enjoyed the dirt-themed borders of '95 for some reason. Not to mention the set has a ton of great photography, even more than usual for Score.
Biggest Improvement: I guess 1989 to 1990 because the 1990 set is such a nice clean, pure looking set. I'm not a fan of the little boxes behind the initial capital letters, but that's nitpicking. And I like 1989 -- it's just not 1990's set.
I think '91 is my favourite, with '89 being the worst. So for biggest bust, it's easy. From '88 to '89.
For the biggest improvement, it would have to be from '89 to '90 or '90 to '91. I think I'll go with '90 to '91.
Biggest Improvement 1994-1995. I've always like the design to this set. Plus, you get team logos on the front.
96 is clean and sophisticated enough with just enough color to compete with the big dogs again. Though not whimsically fun like the colors in 88, it's the grown-up design pinnacle.
The rest of the early 90's look like junk wax looks.
I'm going to say biggest improvement was 1995 to 1996.
1995 Score was the only one of these sets I didn't make some attempt to complete - note that I said "attempt" because I still haven't completed any of them, but I'm close on 1988. The primary reason I didn't buy any packs of 1995 Score was because I was boycotting MLB and all its properties after the 1994 labor dispute, but even if that hadn't happened... man that's an ugly design.
Because I have some level of fondness for every design except for 1995, I'll say the biggest bust is 1994 > 1995 and the biggest improvement is 1995 > 1996.
Biggest Bust: 1990 to 1991
Biggest Improvement: 1989 to 1990