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Nifty 90's Nostalgia #7: Baseball Cards Magazine
Sports cards and the 90's... love it or hate it... the "junk wax era" has left it's mark on a lot of our collections.
The decade showcased the hobby's most creative technologies and innovative products. My collecting experiences during this era taught me to collect for enjoyment, not for investment.
And last, but not least... the 90's introduced the internet to my parent's household... and with that it changed the way I buy, sell, and trade collectibles. I started on the AOL message boards and today, you can find me trading in a couple of different sports card forums.
The internet has made it a lot easier to find the "white whales" that were hiding in collections across the country. It's also saved me hundreds of dollars, by allowing me to watch videos of people busting boxes... so that I don't have to.
But with the development of the internet age... I've also seen the decline of newsprint publications, especially in our hobby. I'm not talking about Beckett and their grasp on our hobby. I understand that they're doing just fine... and they were actually smart enough to invest in a variety of media forms.
However today, I want to take the time to recognize another sports card magazine. This weekend I purchased four different issues of a magazine called Baseball Cards. I'm currently reading the January 1991 issue with Jose Canseco on the cover and have been completely blown away with what I've seen so far.
And I almost forgot to mention... every issue of Baseball Cards came with free cards. I'm missing three of the cards from this magazine... but the original owner did leave these three:
In 2000, Krause Publications (who produced Baseball Cards) purchased Tuff Stuff Magazine from Landmark Communications and decided to merge the two magazines under the Tuff Stuff name. I had a subscription to Tuff Stuff for many years and could see many similarities between it and my copy of Baseball Cards. But Tuff Stuff had nowhere near the number of quality articles that Baseball Cards magazine did, so I eventually canceled my subscription... just like I've done with most of the Beckett magazines. I just didn't feel I was getting my money's worth out of these publications.
However... if Krause Publications still produced Baseball Cards (like they did back in the early 90's), I'd be first in line for a subscription. I guess my father was right again... "they just don't make them like they used to".
If you have the opportunity to pick any of these older issues of Baseball Cards, I would encourage you to do so. It's like taking a trip back into the past... more specifically... a trip back to the "junk wax era".
Which brings me to today's question of the day.
If you could bring one thing back from the 90's (it doesn't have to be sports card related)... what would it be?
Besides my new, favorite magazine... I'd have to say high quality "rap". It's not that I don't appreciate today's artists... because I'm actually pretty open minded when it comes to music. I listen to everything from Rascal Flatts to Katy Perry to Bruno Mars to Justin Bieber... just kidding...no JB for this guy.
But today's rappers just don't compare to the likes of Biggie, Tupac, & Dr. Dre... as well as groups like the A Tribe Called Quest and Digable Planets. These artists along with a host of others made "rap" my choice of music during the 90's.
Alright... it's your turn. I can't wait to read your responses. Happy hump day... and sayonara!
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