I finally ordered a blaster of 2022 Topps with a Christmas gift card, and I felt the way I feel when somebody buys me socks -- glad I didn't have to use my own money on THAT.
So, you'll see some 2022 Topps in March. I know you're excited.
But in order to find cards I could actually open right now, I had to go to the flea market in town, where I found that 1970 Roberto Clemente a couple of months ago. There was nothing like that there -- the glass case mostly contained Yankees I can't afford nor care about, or cards I had already -- but around the corner were some sealed packs, and not the usual stuff I see either.
Welcome back, 1992 Topps! It's been 30 years since I've opened you!
I don't know why I don't see '92 Topps out the wild as often as I see 1988-92 Donruss, or 1990-91 Fleer, late '80s Score or 1991 Upper Deck. Perhaps it's because it's just plain better than all those other sets. It really is one of the best main sets from the junk wax era.
The farther we get away from 1992, the more interesting and unique the '92 set seems.
It's the first Topps set not to include bubblegum in packs. It's also the first set to print its pictures on white card stock. Because of this, this set has been maligned by many a traditional collector as the beginning of the end of the flagship brand.
But '92 Topps is also a transition set, unique in its own right. It did not apply UV coating (or whatever the heck it is) to gloss the bejesus out of the card and ensure the cards would stick together for legions of collectors opening old product. You can open '92 Topps with absolutely no fear of paper loss.
I really like how bright the cards are and I've long thought that I should have this set complete already. So buying five of the packs for a buck-per was a no-brainer (I left a few packs for someone else to discover).
This is a set that I've actually seen in its entirety, although in micro form, as I once owned the '92 Topps micro set before deciding handling cards that tiny was going to send me to the insane asylum and ditching them in a garage sale.
So looking at these cards all biggly -- some for the first time -- was fun.
I'm going to show each pack here. I'll keep track of which cards I need. I've accumulated 382 cards of the set already, which is just under 50 percent. So I should be able to cross halfway here! Let's take a look:
PACK 1
Cards needed: 9 (Jefferies, Kelly, Lancaster, Hernandez, Riles, Sierra, Fernandez, Valle, Foley)
The first thing I noticed when opening the first one was how crisp and clean they were. And bright! One of the disadvantages of '92 Topps is that the white stock tends to yellow (guess that's where the glossy coating comes in). Even the dupes in these packs will be useful as upgrades.
Pack observations: You really seem to get a lot more for your money from a pack than you do now. That's probably just my lack of interest in current ballplayers but I was pretty pleased with the first pack.
PACK 2
Cards needed: 7 (Plummer, Bonilla, Oliveras, Pettis, Otto, Gallagher, Boyd)
One thing I was expecting was that one of these packs would include a gold parallel card. But I forgot those things were one per box. I know I pulled at least a couple in 1992 but I couldn't tell you which ones. Had I known then they were one per box, I would have memorized them.
Pack observations: I pulled that Mike Felder card at least a couple of times in '92. Not as much as the Dwayne Henry in the first pack, I think I had like five of him.
PACK 3
Cards needed: 6 (Smoltz, Stevens, Macfarlane, Machado, Varsho, Hill)
It's 1992 and Smoltz still doesn't have his stache!
Pack observations: 1990s collation strikes. Three packs in and I've already pulled dupes of Lancaster, Gross, Hernandez and Riles, in the exact same order!
PACK 4
Cards needed: 8 (Boddicker, McReynolds, Sabo, Shortstop Prospects, Freeman, Leiter, Watson, Leyland)
This is the pack I opened on A Pack To Be Named Later. I haven't opened a pack over there in a looooooong time. So check it out!
Pack observations: I am disappointed that the cards of Ripken and Yount earlier and Ramirez here are all dupes.
PACK 5
Cards needed: 10 (Hartley, Sanders, Henderson, Thompson, Servais, Fariss, Eisenreich, Olson, Anderson, Terry)
The most successful pack!
Pack observations: I love the Henderson Record Breaker card. The moment I pulled it I remembered how excited I'd get pulling the record-breaker/highlight cards when I was a kid. They were not throwaways, they were a big deal. At least to me.
So that's 40 new cards I found for the set! I'm up to 53 percent!
Yeah, I know, I could buy the whole set for like 15 bucks.
But what fun is that?
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