I know that these cards were distributed in rack packs, but I'm curious if they were ever available from Topps as complete sets, possibly as a mail in option. If you have any insight, please let me know.
There is a lot to like about the sets in my opinion. Probably first and foremost on my list is the nostalgia factor. To me these scream, my childhood. I also really like the red, white and blue classic, but simple design. You've also got the game's best players.
There are a few drawbacks in my opinion as well. I could live without the manager card, but it is a good reminder of the previous years World Series teams, which is somewhat confusing because again the cards from 1984 feature the 1983 All-Stars and the managers from the 1982 World Series. The set contains the starting lineup for each league, which is a must, but that will sometimes leave out players who impacted the game. For example, the MVP of the 1987 All-Star game was Tim Raines, but he wasn't a starter, so he doesn't have a card in the set. The backs also leave a little something to be desired. Even just their stat line from the game or a sentence about their performance I think would have added to the very plain backs. Finally, including a card of the Captain from each team also has me scratching my head a bit. I guess I'm just not familiar with the All-Star Captains.
Alright, so when I put in all down, there are more drawbacks than positives, but I still think the positives outweigh the negatives and so I'd like to get the complete run. I will add each set to this post as I get them.
1984
1985
1986
1987
1988
1989
1990
1991
I love the All-Star Glossy sets! I've got a pending trade that'll help me finish off the 1987 set!
ReplyDeleteI like these only because they continue the tradition that Topps had in its base set from 1975-80 of highlighting the All-Star starters from the previous year (no manager or captain though). But by the time these were appearing in rack packs, my collecting had diminished quite a bit.
ReplyDeleteLove these cards. I am working on the same exact project. Well... I haven't added anything to the binder in quite some time... but it's definitely a backburner project.
ReplyDelete