I vividly remember when Donruss debuted in 1981. For some reason by buddies and I called in Dornuss for quite a while until probably 1982 or 83. I typically have no problem with reading but for whatever reason we just had it wrong and it stuck.
I actually have every Donruss flagship set in my collection and even put together the "2000" set that was inserted in 2001. There is a 1999 set done similarly that I never put together but who knows maybe some day. So when I heard there would be a set in 2014, the first since 2005, I was kind of excited. I was looking forward to seeing the cards and maybe building the set. When I went to my LCS, they were out of the cards and I started questioning if I was going to go after the set.
Yesterday I went into Target to see if Heritage had made a surprise appearance and while there was no Heritage, there were 2 retail boxes of Donruss. I quickly scooped up 10 packs without thinking and thought I would share the contents with you.
The first pack starts off pretty strong with 2 inserts including the Nolan Ryan No-Nos insert. I like both of these insert sets, they remind me of early 90s Donruss.
Pack number 2 yields my first Giant and a player I collect, Rickey Henderson. The Breakout Hitters insert set doesn't excite me too much.
This pack has a second The Rookies insert. I am really liking that George Brett card, unique angle and no need for air brushing.
A sunset card for Todd Helton and several cards here feature photos that hide the logos without any airbrushing. Smart move by Panini.
The Press Proof parallel is the gold variety numbered /99. Odd that Kennedy is in his D-back uniform but the team is shown as San Diego.
My first two doubles (out of only 4 in the 10 packs) so I decided to show the backs. Very Donruss including the players full name including middle. My first and only Diamond King towards the set which leads me to believe this will be a tough one to put together. The Studio insert does take you right back to the Studio cards produced back in the day.
A solid pack, getting Kung Fu Panda, Nolan Ryan and a new insert type with the Josh Hamilton Power Plus. I like how the card features 2 different uniforms, wonder if that will continue throughout the insert set.
Not really digging the Hall Worthy inserts, they are kind of boring. Not much in this pack that excites me.
Great bounce back pack. Another great looking Studio insert, a base card of the Freak and my first Dominator card. They are serial numbered to 999 and look great!
My second Ichiro insert card, interesting that he is Seattle's Team MVP, I would have thought that would be King Felix. The Diamond King is a Press Proof /199, odd but I would prefer the base card towards my set.
Yes I have decided to go after the base set and knowing me I will probably chase the inserts as well. I suspect I will pick up a Hobby Box sometime soon and see how close I can get. Then I will post a want list and be on the prowl. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
That huge logo takes away from an otherwise pretty nice job at producing logo-less cards. I think they did especially well with the Diamond Kings.
ReplyDeleteThe Team MVP is no longer one per team, so King Felix might be there too. I know there are 30 total and Colorado (and several other teams) does not have one. That is my biggest problem with this set aside from the small set size.
ReplyDeleteI'm torn on this set. I like the 1978-ish design generally, but as Commishbob said, the huge logo takes away from the design. At the same time and as someone also born and raised in the 1980s, I feel like the only sets that should not have logos on the front are oddball food issues.
ReplyDeleteIt's okay, but only okay.
For the most part I like the 2014 Donruss. Some of the inserts I'm not too keen on but I love the base set. I don't think the logo is THAT huge as Commishbob and others are saying. I do agree they did a decent job with their non-licensed product. I'm tired of this logo-less-ness
ReplyDeleteBack in the day for a while dyslexia got the best of me and I'd would call it Dunross, or at least think it that way.
You certainly did get a nice assortment of players. I still can't get past the lack of team logos, though. My loss. Oh, well. I always find something to spend my collecting dollars on.
ReplyDelete