The first "shiny" cards

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

With all of that, would it have been a big deal without Griffey Jr.? I mean suppose the biggest rookie had been Sheffield.

No Randy Johnson, either? I would remember the set (in your example) as the one that missed two KEY rookies.

I'd still remember the innovations, though. It would be similar to the 1991 Wild Card Football release. That set included the first parallels (1,000 stripe version, anyone?) but largely fell flat.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by Eric72

No Randy Johnson, either? I would remember the set (in your example) as the one that missed two KEY rookies.

I'd still remember the innovations, though. It would be similar to the 1991 Wild Card Football release. That set included the first parallels (1,000 stripe version, anyone?) but largely fell flat.

I thought 1991 Stadium Club was really a breakthrough in quality, more so than Upper Deck.

[packs]

Oh yeah those Stadium Club sets were really nice. I loved seeing the rookie cards included on the back of them.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Originally Posted by packs

Oh yeah those Stadium Club sets were really nice. I loved seeing the rookie cards included on the back of them.

This is still one of my favorite cards, it's just a thing of beauty.

[judsonhamlin]

I think 1988 Score doesn’t get enough love, in context. Action photos and a decent format and color on the reverse. Kind of weak on rookies but the Reggie subset was decent. Compare that to the late ‘80’s Topps, Fleer and Donruss efforts and it stands out. Insane overproduction didn’t help and UD stole their thunder the next year but, still…

[Mike D.]

Originally Posted by judsonhamlin

I think 1988 Score doesn’t get enough love, in context. Action photos and a decent format and color on the reverse. Kind of weak on rookies but the Reggie subset was decent. Compare that to the late ‘80’s Topps, Fleer and Donruss efforts and it stands out. Insane overproduction didn’t help and UD stole their thunder the next year but, still…

I agree. I wouldn't call them "shiny" cards, but they certainly are premium compared to the other 1988 offerings.

[JustinD]

I call the 1990 Topps Mylar the first shiny.

If you have qualms with a test issue, then I would go with ProSet holograms. I think the 1990 Stanley Cup was the first of those. Then they went nuts in 91’ and the holographic cards were everywhere. I sure ate a ton of Denny’s to work on that Grand Slam set, lol.

[Bigdaddy]

Originally Posted by judsonhamlin

I think 1988 Score doesn’t get enough love, in context. Action photos and a decent format and color on the reverse. Kind of weak on rookies but the Reggie subset was decent. Compare that to the late ‘80’s Topps, Fleer and Donruss efforts and it stands out. Insane overproduction didn’t help and UD stole their thunder the next year but, still…

Agree. I actually thought that Score would really take off and take over the top spot. I though the photography was great and the backs were the best of any card I'd seen up to that point. If they just didn't have those little nubby things on the corners. And if UD hadn't come out the following year. And..And.....

[steve B]

Originally Posted by Bigdaddy

Agree. I actually thought that Score would really take off and take over the top spot. I though the photography was great and the backs were the best of any card I'd seen up to that point. If they just didn't have those little nubby things on the corners. And if UD hadn't come out the following year. And..And.....

Ah, you must have bought them early. The nubby corners were the first run, Followed briefly by ones with two nubby bits just off the corners and finally the rest of the year with normal corners.

Add in variations, and re-screening, and it's a wonderfully complex set that's still cheap enough to be collected that way.

[Chicosbailbonds]

Originally Posted by judsonhamlin

I think 1988 Score doesn’t get enough love, in context. Action photos and a decent format and color on the reverse. Kind of weak on rookies but the Reggie subset was decent. Compare that to the late ‘80’s Topps, Fleer and Donruss efforts and it stands out. Insane overproduction didn’t help and UD stole their thunder the next year but, still…

Agree, i really like that score set.

[Bigdaddy]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

This is still one of my favorite cards, it's just a thing of beauty.

Agree, any card with more than two bats automatically gets bonus points. Gotta love the lumber. And that Griffey is a gorgeous card.

In general though, I was not blown away with the Stadium Club sets. Photography was too dark, the backs looked amateurish and the cards tended to stick together.

[sthoemke]

Originally Posted by packs

Oh yeah those Stadium Club sets were really nice. I loved seeing the rookie cards included on the back of them.

For what it's worth (not much, last time I checked), I have an unopend case of Series III.

[sthoemke]

1965 Topps Embossed Baseball cards were shiny

[rugbymarine]

[RayBShotz]

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

I thought 1991 Stadium Club was really a breakthrough in quality, more so than Upper Deck.

Shameless plug: I currently have consigned 40+ different PSA 10 and PSA 9, 1991 Stadium Club Baseball in the Sirius Sportscard Auctions ending Thursday.
Here's a few highlights:

[ALR-bishop]

The Topps 1990 Mylar Sticker test issue mentioned by Justin. This is all of them with their little sparkles:




As for the 65 Embossed, they were very shiny but doubt even their mothers could have identified the players

[wdmullins]

These 1950s Good Luck Margarine Airplanes cards were shiny -- printed on the backs of foil coated boxes.

[JUrsaner]

Stadium Club and Studio were both always focused on fantastic photography. In terms of "shiny" cards really depends on definition and whether you're talking about pack-pulled mass-produced sets (or inserts) with nation-wide distribution (Topps/Bowman, Donruss/Leaf, Fleer, Score/Pinnacle, Upper Deck) or regional / promos.

Originally Posted by Peter_Spaeth

I thought 1991 Stadium Club was really a breakthrough in quality, more so than Upper Deck.

[Exhibitman]

Originally Posted by Eric72

the 1991 Wild Card Football release. That set included the first parallels (1,000 stripe version, anyone?) but largely fell flat.

I was just discussing this with another collector the other day. It is the first instance I can recall of a company issuing a progressively rarer version and urging collectors to collect the rainbow. The first one I got was a 50-stripe Troy Aikman.



FWIW, I have two unopened boxes of 1992 series 1 for sale at $30 each plus shipping.