1991 Conlon Collection

Three unusual /oddball sets to follow. 

 Firstly 1991 Conlon Collection featuring classic photographs from American photographer Charles Conlon. His collection of black and white portraits of thousands of players was turned into cards sets from 1991 to 1995 by Megacards in conjunction with The Sporting News. 

The set consists of 330 cards released in 3 printings. 

The first two printings, whilst missing the MLB logo also differ slightly in design. The picture remains the same but the top right banner reads Hall of Fame in the first printing, and HOF plus induction year in the second printing. Almost identical to the 2nd printing, the 3rd printing displays the MLB logo. The 3rd printing is the most commonly found. There are also subsets in the 1991 collection which includes Hall Of Fame (1-67), 1927 Yankees (100-125), 75 Years Ago World Champs (135-150), 75 Years Ago League Leader (151-164), Great Stories (165-176), Unassisted Triple Play (200-208), Trivia (225-229), All Time Leader (250-277), Most Valuable Player (300-317), and a Charles Martin Conlon Special Card (327). 

The pack contains 18 cards. This pack is the most common 3rd printing. 

The Pack: 

Moe Berg WW2 Spy

#11 Frankie Firsch HOF-1947 

#31 Earl Averill Indians HOF-1975 

#48 Ray Schalk White Sox HOF-1955 

#65 John McGraw Giants HOF- 1937 

#99 Fritz Ostermueller Red Sox 

#116 Charley O’Leary Yankees 

#133 Bill Dietrich White Sox 

#150 Carl Mays Red Sox 

#167 Paul Waner Pirates 

#184 Moe Berg Red Sox 

#201 George H. Burns Red Sox 

#218 Riggs Stephenson Cubs 

#235 Ivey Wingo Reds 

#252 Rube Marquard Giants 

#269 Spud Davis Cardinals 

#292 George Grantham Reds 

#294 Shanty Hogan Braves 

#320 Roy Spencer Indians

An interesting fact about Moe Berg, according to the back of his Conlon card- Moe was a language and mathematical expert. He also became a top WW2 spy, who gathered atomic information from German scientists. Add to this 12 seasons in baseball, what a wide and varied life he had. 

1991 Topps baseball

The Topps 1991 set is a highly unappreciate set, unfortunately falling bang in the middle of the overproduced Junk Wax era. It should sit high in this era considering it followed the awful 1990 Topps with a return to better photography and neater finish. The 792 card set is packed with corrected errors to keep collectors searching for years to come.

A complete list of errors can be found here.



The most significant cards from this set are:

#113 Carl Everett RC
#333 Chipper Jones RC

The Red Sox available in this set are;
#14 Dennis Lamp
#21 Joe Morgan MG
#37 Tom Bolton
#70 Ellis Burks
#94 John Dopson
#123 Greg A. Harris
#155 Dwight Evans
#189 Daryl Irvine
#206 Carlos Quintana
#247 Jody Reed
#269 Joe Hesketh
#303 Mike Boddicker
#338 Luis Rivera
#356 Mike Marshall
#375 Tony Pena
#450 Wade Boggs
#474 Phil Plantier RC
#496 Marty Barrett
5#30 Roger Clemens
#542 Rob Murphy
#574 John Marzano
#605 Jeff Reardon
#629 Wes Gardner
#652 Kevin Romine
#675 Tom Brunansky
7#02 Tim Naehring
#731 Jeff Gray
#761 Larry Andersen
#763 Dana Kiecker
#792 Mike Greenwell
There are 15 cards and 1 stick of gum per pack.
I was recently sent 3 packs purchased at a flea market in Manchester, New Hampshire.

Pack 1:

#217 Chris Bosio Brewers

#218 Rick Parker Giants

#255 Brain Downing Angels

#303 Mike Boddicker Red Sox

#421 Alex Cole Indians

#466 Charles Nagy Indinas

#538 Bip Roberts Padres

#614 Luis Salazar Cubs

#620 Ozzie Guillen White Sox

#639 Frank Robinson Orioles

#705 Robby Thompson Giants

#744 Nelson Santovenia Expos

#753 Paul Marak Braves

#785 Scott Fletcher White Sox



 

Pack 2:

#13 Mariano Duncan Reds

#14 Dennis Lamp Red Sox

#48 Dennis Boyd Expos

#52 Francisco Oliveras Giants

#68 Gary Sheffield Brewers

#144 Dave Henderson Athletics

#173 Jason Grimsley Phillies

#323 Cory Snyder Indinas

#371 Jeff Montgomery Royals

#453 Lenny Harris Dodgers

#495 Charlie Hough Rangers

#529 Marc Newfield Mariners

#710 Kent Hrbrk Twins

#713 Scott Scudder Reds

#735 Ron Darling Mets

 

Pack 3:

#56 Jeff Parrett Braves

#57 Jack Howell Angels

#87 Tracy Jones Mariners

#139 Jeff Treadway Braves

#174 Ken Caminiti Astros

#227 Steve Avery Braves

#297 Manny Lee Blue Jays

#403 Bobby Bonilla Pirates AS

#435 Kevin Maas Yankees

#502 Carney Lansford Athletics

#568 Ron Karkovice White Sox

#667 Kent Anderson Angels

#681 Jeff Scaefer Mariners

#703 Juan Agosto Astros

#764 Mark Carreon Mets

 

 

So a couple of Red Sox and three piece of delicious gum.

1991 Score Series 1

The third instalment of the Big B Junk Wax package. What a pack it is too! You just have to appreciate Scores attempts to join the big boys. They went all out in 1991 and included a host of inserts, or subsets as they like to call them. Rookie Prospects, First Draft Picks, AL All-stars, Master Blasters, K-Men, Riflemen, NL All-stars, No-hitters, Franchise, Award Winners and Dream Team. That is 10 inserts and the card fronts on the rest were one of four different colours. A massive 893 cards issued in two series.

There was also a special American Flag insert card (#737) to honour American soldiers in Desert Storm. If that is not enough for you, there are Chipper Jones, Mike Mussina, Carl Everett and Jeff Conine rookie cards and enough errors to keep the specific collector happy.

There are 16 cards per pack and a magic motion trivia card.

I still need these Red Sox cards:

#245 Tom Brunansky

#348 Phil Plantier RC

#393 Wade Boggs All-star

#655 Roger Clemens

#790 Tony Pena

#831 John Marzano

#859 Reuben Sierra Franchise

The Pack:

#7 Will Clark Giants

#82 Dave Martinez Expos

#98 Bill Landrum Pirates

#102 Jaime Navarro Brewers

#173 Jody Reed Red Sox

#176 Larry Sheets Tigers

#178 Chris Gwynn Dodgers

#179 Melido Perez White Sox

#293 Les Lancaster Cubs

#295 Kurt Stillwell Royals

#298 Glenn Wilson Astros

#300 Ramon Martinez Dodgers

#390 Rondell White Expos Draft Pick

#395 Cecil Fielder Tigers All-Star

#410 Bobby Witt Rangers K-Man

#415 Ken Caminiti Astros Rifleman

#45 Mini magic holo-magic motion thingy

Hey, hey a Red Sox, 4 inserts/subsets and yet still what a beauty of a set.

1991 Donruss Series 2

The second helping of the Junk Wax package from Brian.
There are still 6 cards I need to complete the Red Sox team set:

#234 Luis Rivera,

#367 Tim Naehring,

#430 Mo Vaughn (Rated Rookie),

#553 Mike Greenwell,

#665 Larry Anderson,

#680 Mike Boddicker

Series 2 card were released roughly 3 months after series 1 and started at number 387. There are 15 cards per pack and 3 puzzle pieces.

The Pack:

#724 Jose Vizcaino Dodgers

#727 Bob Welch Athletics AL Cy Young

#728 Gary Ward Tigers

#732 Vicente Palacios Pirates

#734 Howard Farmer Expos

#738 Kelly Downs Giants

#440 Chris Sabo Reds

#743 Dave Rohde Astros

#752 Terry Lee Reds

#757 Gary Wayne Twins

#762 Barry Bonds Pirates NL MVP
#766 Willie Randolph Athletics

#769 Rich Rodriguez Padres
#BC-21 Dave Stieb Highlights

#700 Checklist

puzzle piece 4,5,6

Surely the highlight of the pack, the checklist. I just couldn't bring myself to scan the puzzle pieces.

1991 O-Pee-Chee baseball

The 1991 O-Pee-Chee Premier set contained 132 cards.
There were no inserts or parallels.
Each pack contained 7 cards (this pack had 6 cards)

The Pack:

#48 Andres Galarraga Expos

#110 Doug Simons Mets

#118 Pat Tabler Blue Jays

#123 Alan Trammell Tigers

#52 Leo Gomez Orioles

#90 Jose Offerman Dodgers

No Red Sox, however I did pull my mandatory Dodgers card. And what are the odds of pulling two Canadian teams from a Canadian pack?

1991 Donruss Series 2 Baseball

The second helping from Big B at Waxaholic, 1991 Donruss Series 2-The Green ones.
For information on this set look here.
The pack contains 15 picture cards and 3 puzzle pieces of Willie Stargell.

The pack:

#411 Will Clark All Star

#667 Chris Nabholz Expos

#407 Kevin Mitchell MVP Giants

#711 Carlos Hernandez Dodgers

#717 Wait Terrell Tigers

#725 Randy Tomlin Pirates

#410 Len Dykstra MVP Phillies

#427 Jeff Conine RR Royals

#430 Mo Vaughn RR Red Sox

#729 Rob Deer Tigers
#735 Ken Dayley Blue Jays
#740 Kevin Appier Royals
#745 Paul Sorrento Twins
#764 Julio Machado Brewers
#767 Scott Erickson Twins

plus 13, 14, 15 Puzzle pieces Willie's head.

One Red Sox card but what a card, Big Mo Vaughn Rated Rookie.

Thanks for the two packs Brian. Much appreciated.

1991 O-Pee-Chee Premier Baseball

This pack came from Big B at Waxaholic. Produced in 1991 O-Pee-Chee in London, Canada
There are 132 cards in the set. No inserts or parallels. A nice simple set.

There are 7 cards in a pack.

The pack:

#21 Jack Clarke Red Sox

#46 Willie Fraser Blue Jays

#66 Todd Hundley Mets
#84 Jack Morris Twins

#80 Hensley Meulens Yankees
#95 Terry Pendelton Braves

A Red Sox and interestingly a 'Frappeur Designe'!

1991 Topps Baseball

The third and final helping of Junk Wax from Big B.
There are 792 cards in the base set.
The sub-sets (inserts) are: Record breakers, All-Stars, Managers, First draft picks and Future Stars.
There are parallel sets: Topps Micro, Tiffany and Desert Storm (or Shield as it was known then).

There are 15 picture cards and 1 stick of bubble gum per pack.

The pack:
#80 Fernando Valenzuela Dodgers

#196 Jim Vatcher Braves

#204 Herm Winningham Reds

#334 Todd Benzinger Reds

#351 Joe Torre Cardinals

#361 Scott Garrelts Giants

#466 Charles Nagy Indians

#537 Jose Lind Pirates

#587 Jose Offerman Dodgers

#719 Keith Miller Mets

#736 Dick Schofield Angels

#745 Doug Jones Indians

#769 Tim Sherrill Cardinals

#780 Randy Myers Reds

#785 Scott Fletcher White Sox

A couple of close calls; an ex Red Sox and a soon to be Red Sox, but no actual Red Sox cards.

I was reading the Instant Win Game card included in the pack and was surprised to see that as a celebration of 40 years of card sets, Topps was giving away all 40 years of Topps baseball sets-that's 'EVERY' set they had ever produced. (ARV $125,000) surely they are worth more than that! They also inserted one of every card from the past 40 years in retail packs, chances of obtaining one are 1in 1000 packs. Sorry the 1952 to 1956 cards are redemption cards with instructions on how to obtain the card, expiry date 04/01/1992. Imagine pulling one today.

1991 Fleer Baseball

The second Junk Wax pack from Big B. Interestingly there is a advertisement on the wrapper for the 'Fleer Pro-Vision Sports Art Cards'. There are 12 to collect, they are limited edition and packed randomly in wax packs. Every star player portrait features bright, distinctive artwork that will make the set collectable (sic) for years to come. Anyone collect these or still trying?Apparently they are collectible for years.

There are 720 cards in the base set.
There are inserts: 10 Fleer All-stars, 12 Fleer Pro-vision.
There are two 'special' inserts only available in certain packs: 9 Wax Box cards and 8 World Series cards.
There are 14 cards and 1 sticker per pack.

The Pack:

Sticker

#30 Stan Belinda Pirates

#88 Tom Brunansky Red Sox

#137 Bobby Thigpen White Sox

#165 Frank Viola Mets

#186 Todd Stottlemyre Blue Jays

#194 Tim Belcher Dodgers

#381 Mike Walker Indians

#437 Jerome Walton Cubs

#461 Mike Schooler Mariners

#440 Steve Wilson Cubs

#534 Craig Lefferts Padres

#573 Gary Thurman Royals

#644 Bryn Smith Cardinals

#649 Milt Thompson Cardinals

There is just too much yellow on this set.

One Red Sox though.

1991 Donruss baseball

This is the first of three different packs I received from Dayf in a trade recently. This one is unusual because it contains only three cards. My limited experience tells me that it must have been included with something else like bread or cookies or cereal or cheese. There is no give away on the pack or cards to mark them as different, only that there is less cards.
The 1991 Donruss set has 770 cards in the base set.
The subsets included: Diamond Kings, Rated Rookies, Al and NL All Stars, MVP's.
Additional information in this post.

The pack:

Puzzle piece 40, 41, 42

#1 Dave Stieb Blue Jays

#101 R.J. Reynolds Pirates

#314 Kevin Brown Rangers

NO Red Sox. Any enlightening information would be well received.

1991 Donruss Series 2 Baseball

There are 384 cards in the Series 2 base set (#387 to #770)

There are inserts: 27 MVP (#387-#412), 8 NL All-stars (#433-#441) and 19 Rated Rookies (#413-#432).

There are sub-sets: 22 Bonus cards, 14 Grand Slammers and 10 Elite (#to 10,000).

There are 15 cards and 3 puzzle pieces per pack.

The pack:

puzzle piece 52,53,54

#389 Fred McGriff Blue Jays MVP

#414 Tim McIntosh Brewers Rated Rookie

#433 Ryne Sandberg Cubs All-Star

#445 Kirk Gibson Dodgers

#451 Cecil Fielder Tigers

#456 Tony Pena Red Sox

#457Tim Raines Expos

#462 Rick Sutcliffe Cubs

#463 Danny Tartabull Royals

#468 Dave Winfield Angels

#471 Barry Larkin Reds

#472 Ron Darling Mets

#477 Frank Thomas White Sox

#483 Mike Scott Astros

#489 Sandy Alomar Indians

1 Red Sox card from an interesting set. Series 1 was blue, Series 2 was green.
It was in the 1991 Donruss set that for the first time serial numbers cards were included in a standard set. Each of the Elite cards were numbered to 10, 000, a Nolan Ryan Dick Perez drawing to 7,500 and a Ryne Sandberg auto to 5,000. I wonder if they knew then what this would lead to.