I resolved to do this post about a month ago when Dime Boxes listed some of what he considers the worst of the junk wax era.
I ranked my least favorite from this time way back in the blog's early days, so this time I wanted to list what my favorites from 1987-93 are. You probably already know most of them -- I'm not exactly quiet on my card favorites -- but this post is also to counter all the praise for traditional favorites like 1987 Topps and 1989 Upper Deck. I can be contrarian and those two sets were never my favorites when I was buying packs during that time. (Didn't even see '89 UD).
So I'm listing seven of my faves for posterity. Why seven? Because I consider the junk wax era to have lasted seven years, 1987-93. I can't comfortably squeeze 1986 and 1994 into that span, based on my experience of that time.
Here is a very quick run through.
1. 1993 Upper Deck: You should know this by now. I'm writing a blog about it and everything. I don't know of another set where every card seems to be completely unique.
2. 1990 Upper Deck: I bet you didn't see that one coming. 1990 UD is the only set on this list that didn't immediately appeal to me when it came out. But over time I grew to appreciate it and I now consider the improvement from 1989 UD one of the largest in card history.
3. 1991 Topps: Once overlooked, I don't think it is anymore. I've written a magazine article on this set and the research I did for it made me appreciate it even more. This was Topps attempting to be Upper Deck and a good example why competition is healthy.
4. 1992 Stadium Club: This is the first Stadium Club set I saw. I didn't collect any of it in 1991. For that reason, I like the confined Stadium Club logo in '92 better than the blue racing stripe in '91, which just seems to go on forever on the horizontal cards. I'd try to complete this set but 1) It's huge; 2) Forget about buying a box, the cards are probably bricked; 3) There are far too many head shots of guys who didn't go anywhere.
5. 1988 Topps: 1988 Topps is better than 1987 Topps. I will die on that cardboard hill that will consist of all my 1988 dupes. I find it more colorful, more dynamic in the way the design and photo overlap, simply more fun. I don't know what anyone is thinking when they say this set is boring. Here's what I find boring: wood paneling.
6. 1992 Pinnacle: I was taken by this set the moment I saw it. Slick, black-bordered cards, who had ever heard of such a thing? Much like '88 Topps and another set you'll see in a moment, I like the interplay between the photo and the design.
Although I don't think they did a great job with that foot cut-out.
7. 1992 Topps: Another set that I like more and more. I should probably just part with the $15 and get the whole set. It looks more attractive to me as the years pass.
So that's seven. If I was making it a traditional top 10, I'd let Score into the party. Both '88 and '91 would probably go in. I also like 1993 Score, but it might have to wrestle with '92 Upper Deck for the last spot.
There are other junk wax sets I enjoy. I have completed several after all. 1987 Topps is fine, but I couldn't rank it higher than maybe 15th on any favorites list from this period.
So there you are, something good to say about the Junk Wax/Over Production Era. It's not that hard if I leave out Donruss.
Comments
Quick list of sets I loved from 87-93: '88 Fleer, '89 Score, '89 Donruss, '90 Upper Deck, '91 Topps, '91 Upper Deck, '92 Topps, '92 Ultra, '93 Bowman, '93 Donruss, '93 Flair, '93 SP, '93 Ultra, '93 Upper Deck
Never liked but collected anyway: '88 Donruss, '89 Fleer, '89 Topps, '90 Donruss, '90 Topps, '91 Fleer, '92 Leaf, '93 Pinnacle, '93 Score
As for faves in no particular order. 87 and 88 fleer, 89 UD, 90 UD, 91 topps and UD. The hobby sales of new products peaked in 1991 at a bit over a billion. By 92, too many brands and chase cards left a lot of people only buying certain sets.
Good news is that I started a multi year project on 61 to 67 topps sets with the money I wasn't blowing on boxes at 80 bucks a piece for the "premium" products.
Paul t
I also agree with you on 92 Topps, which I happened to open a lot of. One thing I loved about it, which is rarely mentioned, are the photos of the stadiums on the back. Man, what a fascinating window into the broader world of baseball for me as a kid. A lot of iconic photographs of great players, too.
I dislike Topps 88 greatly (and am no fan of 87 either), so there I would humbly swap in another 1993 set...either Fleer, Flair or Donruss.
But I agree that Topps 91 and 92 are great sets, Pinnacle 92 is a winner, UD 93 is of course classic, and nothing from Donruss deserves to be here except 93 (also I don't mind 92, though I know Mr. Owl hates it). Score 88 is worthy but none of their others from this time frame.
It was during this time that slimy dealers would also search the packs for inserts. One of the inserts (92 fleer rookie sensation?) You could feel the difference if it was on top or bottom of the pack vs a regular card. They supposed fixed that later by including the inserts only in the middle when the trust damage was done.
A friend bought an entire wax box of 89 topps and didn't get any of the big name rookies (Jeffries, sheffield, Abbott, etc.) Who were selling for 3 or 4 bucks at the time. Odds were likely that he'd get at least one, but the stories of dealers opening and resealing packs had started to circulate. Which is why 89 UD was a nice upgrade but pricey (over 1 dollar per pack at shows). At least you felt the guy wasn't screening your cards and selling you the riff raff.
Paul t