I think many of us collectors share similar traits. We can't remember what we had for breakfast or forget one of the three items we went to the grocery store for, yet we can recall exactly where we were when we got a particular baseball card.
Recently, I came across this set that I own: 1994 Pinnacle Naturals. This was a 25-card set that came in a box, as well as with a serial number showing me what a rare set I had.
I remember when I got this set. It was the summer of 1996, when I was between 6th and 7th grade.
I had traveled with a friend and his family to Rochester, NY for a few days to stay with some of his family members. I remember playing wiffle ball in their yard, and going for ice cream with my friend's dad when my buddy went to bed for the night after a teenage fight with his parents.
As we loaded up the car to leave for Rochester, his dad handed us an unopened box of 1996 Bazooka baseball cards. We split the packs in half, and I set my watch alarm to go off every 10 minutes. When it did, we opened a pack.
On our way home from Rochester, we stopped at some sort of outlet shops, and my friend and I went into some random toy store within the outlets. There, we found a few card-related items. We split a box of 1993 Upper Deck to open for the rest of the ride home, and I bought this:
A 1994 Pinnacle Naturals boxed set.
I doubt it ran me more than $5-7, but I definitely wanted it after seeing it in Beckett a few times. I remember being torn about whether or not to open it, but ultimately, I caved and opened it up.
I remember the cards feeling very cold to the touch. They still do. And while the checklist is decent, I can't help but notice no Yankee. No Mattingly or Williams or Boggs or O'Neill. I thought that was a curious choice. Undoubtedly, I would like the set even more if the Yanks were represented.
I'm glad to stay I still have the set intact, and in the box. And I still have the memories that go along with it.
Now if I could only remember to take out the recycling tonight...
I collected baseball cards from the late '80s through 2002. Then I went to college and when I came out, I was lost. There were too many brands, sets, choices, relics, autos, parallels, variations. It was a turn off. However, I slowly made my way back. So here is my attempt to venture back into the hobby. I'll buy a few packs of cards here and there, comment on some cards I have, send out some TTMs, and follow the progress of my Topps Yankees Project.
Nice trip down memory lane. Unfortunately I'm in the opposite boat, I know what I had for breakfast and what to get at the store, but every now and then I look at my cards and go "when did I have this?"
ReplyDeleteI think the companies know better than to leave out the Yankees in any set nowadays.
ReplyDeleteOh man. It's funny how certain things trigger certain memories. This post just made a long lost memory pop back into my head. I totally forgot about the toy store (possibly Kay-bee) at our local outlets. I remember buying some of those 8x10 Zenith packs way back in the day.
ReplyDeleteP.S. Great set. Miss the days where 100,000 seemed limited.
I was in a little convenience store the other day and all I thought about was 25 years ago I would be begging my mom to buy me some packs.
ReplyDeleteOnly 100K of these produced? What I find ironic is how many PED suspected users are on this "Naturals" checklist.
ReplyDelete