The first box (series 1) did have a little bit of an issue with the cards sticking, despite my flexing the packs. However after we got through the first few packs the cards seemed to "loosen" up a bit. With typical Stadium Club fashion, some of the photography was really nice. Here are some of the highlights from series 1.
Here's another great example of some of the great photography that could be found in the set. RIP Junior.
I selected these boxes selfishly because I wanted the first year cards of the Carolina Panthers being that 1995 was their inaugural season. I have a few, but not many. Of course one of the Panthers checklist highlights was Kerry Collins double foil stamped Draft Pix...and we pulled it!
It was fun looking back at some of these retired beasts such as Bruce Smith and Greg Lloyd. I chose the Robert Blackmon card for the John Elway cameo!
That Robert Brooks card is a perfect example of the great photography that TSC is known for.
A selection of the double foil stamped Extreme Corps short prints. The rainbow foil may be a little much, but 1995 was all about being EXTREME!
There were some pretty cool looking inserts to be had and while we didn't pull one of the laser cut Metalist cards, we did pull two Power Surge, a Nemeses and the hobby exclusive Nightmares inserts.
This Power Surge insert of the Cowboys' Michael Irvin was in the first pack we opened and it was solidly stuck to the card in front of it. I tried flexing the two cards, then rocking them gently trying to loosen the cards and free them from their close quarters. Once I was able to get them apart I could see a little "snowflaking" on the front and back of the card. Bummer. I hate it when things like this happen...but that's the chance we take when we open 25 year old cards. Later on in the box we did pull another Power Surge insert and it too was stuck...and it too was another Michael Irvin.
The double sided etched foil Nemeses insert set features a player on both sides of the card. Dan Marino on the front and Cornelius Bennett on the back. Obviously this card had to be randomly assigned between the two teams since they both were claimed...and it ended up going to the Dolphins.
The hobby exclusive Nightmares set was one that intrigued the comic nerd inside of me. I found it a very odd pairing, but cool none the less. The front of the card features etched foil while the back has some "commentary" by Harris Comics' own Vampirella. Yeah, odd.
Moving on to the series two box and it was a much nicer experience when it came to the cards not being bricked. The foil packs themselves were still a beast to open, but the cards all came out really nice.
I like horizontal oriented cards and these were some of my favorites. I like the throwback uniform Reggie White is pictured in.
Here are a few of some of the offensive weapons from the time. In my opinion, they don't make running backs in the mold of Sanders or Bettis anymore.
More young studs (or duds?) and some HOF QBs pulled from the box. As a Panthers fan a lot of comparisons were made of Cam Newton's game to Steve McNair's game. The Oilers didn't get picked in this break so that McNair RC may just stay in my private collection.
I can't tell you how happy I was to see these two cards come out of the box. Sam Mills and John Kasay are legends in my area and both were part of the team's heart and soul for many, many years. I didn't own either of these and while I may have been able to easily pick them up on COMC or Sportslots, there was just something more fun about pulling them from a pack myself.
Series 2 offered some nice inserts as well, though most of them shadowed what was offered in series 1.
This laser cut MVP insert of John Elway was one of the first inserts pulled. To me these were a precusor to the Topps Laser set that would follow in 1996.
Similar to the Nemeses set in series 1, Ground Attack feature dual sided etched foil with two players, this time (thankfully) from the same team. Like most of the inserts in this set, this card looks much better in hand.
The hobby only Nightmares set continues and this time we pulled a Rodney Hampton. This time around Vampirella's name was shortened to Vampi, but still retains the unique "commentary".
Like the Micheal Irving Power Surge inserts pulled from series 1, this card too stuck firmly to the another card inside the pack. I tried my best to gently separate the two cards, but Marino here was stuck more than Irving was. Once the got the card free you could see a little "snowflaking" down the edge of the card near Marino's name. Argh!!!
Overall I thought this break was a success. I know my cup of tea is baseball and next week's break will be returning to baseball, but this was a fun detour of sorts. If I get enough requests I may do another football break in the future. As for the next break...well the box was revealed at the end of the video so if you watched you already know! If you didn't catch the video that's alright as I'll be posting the sign ups at some point Sunday, 06/07/20 so keep your eyes open!!
Thanks again to everyone that joined in on the break, I really appreciate everyone's participation and support.
