It seemed to be more of an amalgam of Goudey designs and the Diamond Stars set from the '30s. Where it really shined was in the duplication of the card size (they weren't minis, like in later sets) and in the art deco stylings of each of the player backgrounds. In the aggregate, it was a memorable set that had a buzz about it.
I recently opened a box of the product and was struck by how easy it was to interpret which cards came out of each pack. There were no unnumbered variations, unannounced insert sets, or parallels upon parallels. The only misstep (a major one) was the forced inclusion of two essentially equal and parallel sets of different colored backs, usually evenly distributed within each pack.
This causes the completist in me want to complete each 200 card set, though they're exactly the same except the ink color on the back (green and red). And I set out to do just that. Additionally, the insert sets were numbered as part of the base set, also making me want to complete them. And I set out to do that as well....Fortunately, the insert sets are of retired and modern players (like Kei Igawa and Ken Griffey Jr). The Heads-up set even parallels itself....with different numbers.....to make a long story short, there are 488 cards to collect. I now need 19, of which only 2 are considered SPs/inserts.
Shown below are some of the other results of the box.
Are there any simple sets out there anymore? And do we want them to be? What does retro mean to you? Why is being a completist such a curse? (Curse you, card 277, you have evaded me for too long).
