CARD: Action Packed 1990
ACQUIRED: EBay, 2021
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
NOTES:
Since after his playing days, Vinny has been almost a non-signer TTM. Despite some fade and light smudging, I figured that this one was worth it based on what I already had in my collection. This one was pretty much grabbed with a stack of other Bucs to help fill out my Action Packed 1990 set. I absolutely love the photo, and the lighting really catches that creamsickle orange that I am so fond of.
CARDS: Fleer 1990, Gameday 1992, Skybox 1993 Premium, Action Packed 1990
ACQUIRED: TTM 2021, C/o Home
SENT: 12/8/21 RECEIVED: 3/21/22 (103 Days)
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
CARDS: Skybox 1993 Premium, Skybox 1992, Proset 1989, Action Packed 1990, Action Packed All Madden Team 1990
ACQUIRED: TTM 2022, C/o Home
SENT: 7/6 RECEIVED: 8/10 (35 days)
CAREER SNAPSHOT:
NOTES:
The Skybox 1992 set was something completely different at the time and I really enjoyed it. The 1993 Premium set was even more… different. In fact at the time initially I was not a fan of it, however the choice simplicity has really grown on me over the years, and in 2022, the set really has resonated with me. If anything could be more minimal than Skybox 1992, this was it. -Now there’s a certain line to me where minimal just becomes nonsensical, and that to me is Pro Set Platinum 1991. (It’s just a photo with the logo on the front.)
1993 was the crash and burn year for me with trading cards, so I really didn’t get as much of a chance with the 93 Premium set as I’d have liked. I curtailed my spending with girls and Nintendo on my mind, and with there being so many options out there, trading cards quickly became a fleeting fancy at Hollywood Video or something to be snobbish about for the next… 15 or so years.
The All-Madden Team subset was really a filler for me at the time. When I got out of school my mom would stop at 7-11 and I’d pick up a pack to keep the habit going when there wasn’t any other cards to buy. Hoge’s card again is an excellent looking canvas. The AMAD logo is a bit overpowering, but otherwise, it gets by. (There seems to be a heavy amount of artifacts on the card itself, but that was probably from the scanner glass.)
Merril had really good luck with some amazing cards during his run in the NFL. Outside of my personal hiccup, Hoge is a voracious TTM signer and I was not disappointed to see that he decided to sign all 5 cards that I sent him. I could say that all of these were set needs, but that still doesn’t really explain away the fact that I had him sign 5 cards for me. I rarely go for such large numbers anymore, and I figured instead of waiting another 7 years or so, I’d just knock him out now.