Just Commons Order Part 3 - 1995 - 1997

I will continue the journey of 1990s cards from my Justcommons.com order with a group from the years 1995-1997.  This is smack in the middle of a time I did little to no collecting, primarily driven by the lack of funds - I was broke for a few years after college so there is a lot of space to fill in the 1990s binder.

The first 4 cards are from 1995 Flair and they are really nice.  The cardstock is pretty thick and the front features two photos (with a 3rd on the back).  The backs feature up to 6 lines of stats along with a career totals line.  It appears that these were broken into 2 series with these all coming from the 1st. I am now 1 card short of the first series team set but still need 4 for series 2.  The Matt Williams card comes from 1995 Upper Deck Special Edition.  I am not sure what is so special about this, the front is nice and shiny, not a lot wrong with the card, just not special in my book.  This is only my 3rd card from this team set, still need 6 more.

The top 3 cards are from 1995 Studio, they are designed to look like credit cards.  I kind of like the big National League logo in the background but overall I am not a huge fan of these cards. I am now just 1 card short of the team set which is nice.  The middle two cards chip away at the 1995 Bowman want list that is now down to 2.  I have bought most of the Bowman team sets in lots but this one has come through trades and singles purchases.  Finally the bottom 2 Barry Bonds cards are from 1995 UC3.  These were the last 2 cards from this team set.  They are very Sportsflics-ish and I like them.

On to 1996, starting off with 5 Pacific cards.  These completed my team set and while not the greatest Pacific design, they are solid with the full bleed photos.  The crown name block and team logo don't take away much from the design.  The backs contain both English and Spanish with the Espanol being more dominant.  The two Pinnacle cards complete yet another team set and while it is only a 4 card team set with two cards each for Bonds and williams, I am still happy to have it complete. For some reason this dark design has always appealed to me. The final two holographic cards are from 1996 SPx, I just need the Bonds to finish off this team set.  The cards actually scan better than they display to the naked eye, the holographs aren't super strong.  It is a nice overall design with the die cut and a nice little write up on the back.

This post will conclude with the cards from 1997, I believe this is the year where I picked up the most cards.  This 6 card Circa purchase left me 2 cards from the team set in what is a pretty deep set featuring 14 Giants.  This design is kinda crazy looking with some wild colors and lettering in the front - I like it.  I also like the quote on the front of each players card.  The 1997 Score design in pretty boring in my opinion.  These two left me 2 cards from the team set.  I need to figure out how many Score base cards I need, this may be the next brand to put to rest.

The 5 SP cards make up the entire Giants team set, this purchase was my first look at these cards.  A very Upper Deck looking set with nice photos and a fairly clean design.  The backs have 2 additional photos with a face shot and another action shot, a very nice touch.  The Donruss Elite Bonds also completes another team set - a team set of 1.  This set just screams Elite with the silver shiny front and fairly high quality look.  The Williams finishes off the 7 card Pinnacle team set (along with 5 cards in the next scan) while the final two Bonds cards inch me closer to the New Pinnacle team set.  Pinnacle/New Pinnacle, no wonder the industry has some issues.

As referenced above, these first 5 are of 1997 Pinnacle.  I like the look of the gold along the bottom/side, there are very tiny words about the team inscribed, I saw Candlestick Park and Willie McCovey among the listed items - two of my favorites from my childhood.  The Bowman Chrome cards look nice and these 4 finish off the 5 card team set for me.  I like the color differences for the prospects and veterans, much better than today's odd numbering conventions.

The final scan shows 6 cards from my favorite set of 1997 - Metal Universe.  My kids love these cards, especially the Mueller with the dragon hand grabbing for him and the Hill about to get eaten.  Even thought JT Snow is shown in an Angels uni, he is listed as a Giant and that earns him a spot in the Giants binder.  The final card is 1997 Pacific Prism card, I now have this one and the Barry Bonds.  These are nice looking cards and the area around the small portrait at the bottom is clear.

I still have lots of base gaps in these years but had fun putting a dent in the want list and having the chance to appreciate some designs from back when I wasn't collecting.  My final post with 1998-1999 will be the final from this purchase.