The Junior High Countdown: 114. 1994 Score Rookie/Traded

Score/Pinnacle Company attempted a new strategy for distribution of their R/T sets (previously had been box sets from 1988-1992 with a hiatus in 1993), distributing them in packs with an all-new design template and flair. What results is not for those of the faint of heart.

Design: There were two designs for the set. The veterans (or traded) design (not pictured) featured one photo on the front with red scrapbook style borders. The rookie design featured a mashed-up portrait/action shot design with the same red borders and the "Rookie '94" logo prominently featured. The veteran backs had two photos similar to the rookie front while the rookie backs had one horizontal photo. Stats were featured on the backs.

Details: It was released in the fall of 1994 in 36 pack boxes with 10 cards per pack at a SRP of $0.99. There are 165 cards in the base set. One gold rush parallel was inserted per pack. Other inserts included Changing Places (inserted 1:36 packs) and Super Rookies (inserted 1:36 hobby packs only). There was also a September Call-Up redemption card inserted 1:240 packs. Notable rookies in this set were Chan Ho Park, Jose Lima.....and no one else even had a rookie card.

Impact: Well, it was the last Score R/T set ever produced, so it has that going for it. Also, curse you, redemption cards! You cursed mid-'90s staple!!!

Summary: The reason this set ranks so low is essentially three-fold. In the first place, they did not keep with the base set (1994 Score) design to at least create an illusion of a continuation of a pretty decent set. Red is just a poor choice. Any other card sets with prominent red borders? I can't recall any.

In the second place, where are the rookies? This may be my biggest pet peeve of all, touting something as a rookies set and then not including any. Did the card companies not understand the Beckett rookie card rules when putting together a set. Because some of these so-called rookies have had cards out for over two years. This is acceptable for a base set when you want to showcase players who played on the team during the season, but in this type of set, dig a little deeper for prospects. I mean, Sterling Hitchcock was even in 1993 Score....fail!

And the most egregious mistake of all, is having a valuable commodity like the first pick of the draft, Alex Rodriguez (who did not sign an individual Topps contract by the way), and wasting your first card on him on an impossible to get redemption card. An insert card, a la Boys of Summer in 1994 Score would have been semi-acceptable, but this is a high-profile player. Use the draft picks in the Rookie/Traded sets, this is where they go. In addition, the redemption card expired within a year of release. For more on this sordid tale of mismanagement, click here for the words of the expert at Stale Gum.

Lack of rookies, no desirable insert sets, and a lack of foresight reduce this to the ashes of the 50 cent pack bin forever more. I didn't buy it then and I wouldn't buy it now.

The Junior High Countdown: 119. 1994 Fleer Extra Bases

I'm not sure what Fleer was thinking with this set. Actually, that's not entirely true. I bet they were thinking, "How do we include more of the photo on a card?" Unfortunately, the result is Fleer Extra Bases.

Design: The design itself is very clean. It's a full bleed photograph with the player name at the bottom in team related colors along with a new "Extra Bases" logo. On the back, is a second photo of the player with full career stats. Sounds great to me so far....The problem that I can't overlook is this...the size! Each card measures 2 1/2" x 4 3/4". This is not a proportional configuration and what ends up happening is that you get a squashed image of the player. Also, not fun to store. I completely mangled all the 89 Bowman cards I had as a kid. Imagine what I would have done with these...if I ever had any. It was long...and it wasn't strong.

Details: This had a 400 card base set with each box containing 36 packs with 10 cards per pack for a SRP of $1.99 released during mid-summer. It wasn't quite premium or a base set, kind of a quasi-premium release. I only remember seeing these at retail outlets like Woolworths. Also, continuing the theme of other Fleer products that year, one insert was inserted in every pack. These were 2nd year Standouts, Game Breakers, Major League Hopeful, and Rookie Standout. A set called Pitchers' Duel was available through a wrapper redemption. Rookies of note were Chan Ho Park and Ray Durham.

Impact: It should have stopped card manufacturers from releasing full oversized card sets for a long time, but instead we were later blessed with Topps Super Chrome, also not on my favorites list.

Summary: This was a very poor seller according to my memory. Even a card-obsessed 12 year old like me did not touch any of this stuff. As such, I have none in my collection. I really soured on oversize cards after 1989 Bowman, but I really loved the Allen and Ginter boxtoppers the last couple years. I guess the lesson is an oversized full set is not collectible, but a few cards is alright. Also, the large set size did not distinguish it from the base set that year and the insert sets were not interesting enough in design or concept to pursue. Really, I never had any interest in that set in any point of my time in the collecting zone.