[jhyde77]

Matthew, I know what you mean. I'm in the same boat. I started collecting in '89 and miss the weekend long trades, in between playing RBI Baseball and Tecmo Bowl. The thing that made it alot of fun was that my friends and I each had a player we collected. If I had an Ozzie Smith or Canseco they didn't have, I knew I was going to add something to my Bo Jackson collection.

I think it was one of the best times to collect, because '80s rookies were still really hot and you had alot of new designs with Upper Deck and Stadium Club. Even though production numbers were through the roof, you didn't have 10 new sets each month. The hotel card shows were awesome too. I remember one show where '91 Stadium Club Football had been released. I didn't have the money for an Emmitt Smith, so I bought a pack and was able to pull it. Those were the days. Ebay just doesn't compare to being able to see the actual cards at a show. We didn't have to travel very far for a show either and they came about 3-4 times a year hear in Mobile.