Grab Bag Bonanza – Bag 3

Grab Bag #3

Grab Bags come from Championship Cards in Allentown PA, in a 50% off 2 for $1.00 special. So far in these bags we’ve seen a mix of junk wax to common modern cards.

Donruss 1989 – Will Clark – MVP card – front of Grab Bag

Fleer 1990 – Wade Boggs – back of Grab Bag

There were some cool cards in this bag with a few good names. One of the coolest concept cards caught my eye, and I wish they still did this today.

Super-Vet

Super Veteran card! How cool is this concept!? They show pictures from the rookie and current season, and a card back full of accomplishments. I looked Dave LaRoche on Baseball Reference and it turns out 1983 was his last season! This card encapsulated his entire career. I really wish they continued this concept in future years. Such a great way to give the veterans of the game a nod, and educate some of the fan base as well. Very cool card.

Rookie cards only

Seeing that Super Veteran card gets me wondering about a funny thing the card hobby does. Why are rookie cards so valuable, then the very same player the next year the card is worth pennies?

Topps All-Star Rookie cards are 2nd year cards, and I always loved those designs. It is really a strange way the card market works. The value of a certain year of card isn’t even tied to the player’s performance. Harper’s magical homerun to clinch the NLCS over the Padres didn’t make his base 2022 cards go through the roof. It seems rookie cards only are the law of the card market, and it has been that way for generations.

The Big Unit – Upper Deck 1994

Speaking of cool cards, Upper Deck bringing the card game to a whole new level throughout the early 1990s. This card has some awesome photography going on. The front of the card manages to capture “The Big Unit” hurling a fastball, and you can see the ball blurred and out of focus while he remains centered on the card. The design mixed with the gold foil text and Upper Deck logo were just outstanding!

1994 Upper Deck – Randy Johnson – back of card

Speaking of photography, my good friend and fellow card collector saw the back of this card and informed me that Randy Johnson is now a professional photographer and shoots for the NFL!!

Randy Johnson – professional photographer for the NFL.

Full website is available – https://rj51photos.com/ including galleries of his work. This is incredible, and all the more reason that cards have a story to tell.

Other cards pulled:

1992 Leaf – Albert Belle – TCDB lists a possible variation on this card, I didn’t check at the time, but I’ll have to go back and look.
1989 Upper Deck – Jesse Orosco – I remember this name for some reason I think he had a memorable card in 1991 Topps, or another year. This name stuck out for me when I pulled it.
1985 Fleer – Cecilio Guante – #465 – I like this picture used here, and I never heard of this player. Looked him up on Wikipedia, and it is fitting we have a 1985 card, according to Wikipedia, “His strongest season was in 1985, when Guante posted a 4–6 record in 63 games. He pitched 109.0 innings, had 92 strikeouts, a 2.72 ERA and a 1.138 WHIP.”
2013 Bowman Chrome Prospects – Jeremy Moore
2013 Bowman Prospects – Patrick Leonard
2009 Bowman Prospects – Zach Moore – #BP85
1988 Donruss – Bob Welch
1992 Pinnacle – John Vander Wal – #559 – 1992 Rookie Prospect – very cool card, love the black borders and background on this set. 1992 was a great year for innovative designs.
1990 Leaf – Greg Vaughn #111 – Rookie Card!! Great pull from a grab bag!

A great time was had opening the grab bag and documenting the cards from all different years. Well worth the price, and we got some rookie cards, some hall of famers and even some modern Bowman Chrome cards.

Thanks for checking this out and can’t wait until next time!