This is an uncut box bottom of a 1988 Fleer wax box. I'll be leaving this one uncut. I bought copious amounts of cards in 1988, primarily Topps, with an unhealthy dose of Donruss mixed in, as well as a good amount of Score. Somehow, I can say with some certainty, I don't think I bought so much as a single pack of Fleer. For whatever reason, Fleer just didn't find it's way onto the shelves of the stores my parents shopped at. Despite avoiding any wax packs of Fleer, I ended up with multiple boxes, albeit, empty boxes.
In 1988 I was living in Phoenix, and our primary card shop was one called the "Batter's Box," I know it still exists because it still runs ads in Beckett. That year another one opened called "Umpire's Choice." After an ugly incident of price guaging on 1990 Upper Deck my Mother stopped taking us to "Umpire's Choice." However in 1988, it was still fair game. That's where I found empty boxes of '88 Fleer for sale. So of course, I insisted on taking all of them, and immediately cut the cards out when I got home. I don't regret cutting the cards out, but it's nice to have one of these in the uncut state again.
The Wallach card on this box has always been one of my favorites. It's far superior to base card in the 1988 Fleer set. A testament to the importance of photo selection. I'm also a fan of the other players on the box. Schmidt is an all-time great, and any association of Wallach with Schmidt is welcomed, and Dave Stewart is a family favorite. He signed my little brother's glove at a Spring Training game (circa 1987), and that gives him a life time pass as an all-around good guy in my family. To this day a Dave Stewart display poster for Wilson gloves hangs in my parents garage.
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