1993 Cardtoons #89

Card Review: 3.8
I've had a long internal debate as to whether or not to count this as a Wallach card.  Ultimately, I've decided it counts.  As a card, it leaves a little to be desired.  The front is fine.  For what it is, it works, I guess.  This is the only card from this set that I've seen, so it may be unfair to judge the entire set, but the back leaves a lot to be desired.  It's just a stupid parody that has nothing to do with the player.  They should have made an effort to tie the back into the player on the card.  Even if it was stupid, and had no correlation to the actual player.  Give me a brief write-up on how the wallet effects or helps fielding.  It wouldn't make the card much better, but it'd at least be an improvement.  And there's plenty of room for improvement with this card.

And tempting as it may be, this will not replace my "wallet card," which has been an '82 Topps that I've carried around for the last 15 years or so.  I'm locked in at this point, as the card is now on about it's fourth wallet.

Number of this card in my collection: 2
2017 update: 3

2018 update: n/a

2019 update: n/a

2020 update: 5

2021 update: 6

2022 update: 7

1993 Memphis Chicks Modern All-Stars #33

Card Review: 8.2  Technically, this isn't a "new" card.  I already posted about it, and gave it a review.  But at the time of that post, I only had one copy, and it was autographed.  This review will be short, if you want to read all about this card, feel free to read my long winded rant in the original post.

This incarnation of the post will serve as the "official" one going forward, and is where all future updates as far as quantity will be marked.  Though, I doubt I will see many more of these cross my desk.  I never expected to see a 2nd one, and thats why I went ahead and used the autograph version for the first post.  I figured that was as good as it was going to get.  But Dave Weber of Minor League Singles came through for me in a big way.

Number of this card in my collection: 2

2014 update: n/a

2015 update: n/a

2016 update: n/a

2017 update: 3

2018 update: n/a

2019 update: n/a

2020 update: n/a

2021 update: n/a

2022 update: n/a

2023 update: n/a

2024 update: n/a

2025 update: 4

1993 Topps Finest #118 Refractor

Card Review: 9.1  If your into price guides, this is probably the most valuable Wallach you'll find listed (a couple others aren't listed "due to scarcity").  20 years later these '93 Refractors still demand a premium.  Even I, a self professed hater of Topps Finest and the "premium" baseball card, can't deny that this is a pretty neat card.  The "refractor" element of it looks really cool.  The '94 and '95 Topps Finest refractors lacked this sort of shine.  Though the '03 and '05 refractors may be even more impressive than this one.  In any event, I only have one of this card and don't really anticipate having anymore in the near future.  Despite allegedly being extremely rare, I see this card show up for sale on a regular basis, but usually it's in the $50-$100 price range.  And for now, I'd much rather have the 500-1000 1987 Topps that that kind of money will buy than one of these.

Number of this card in my collection: 1

2014 update: n/a

2015 update: n/a

2016 update: n/a

2017 update: n/a

2018 update: n/a

2019 update: n/a

2020 update: n/a

2021 update: n/a

2022 update: n/a

2023 update: 2


BONUS POST

I've tempered my disdain for graded cards since their inception.  I can see their value as a safe guard against forgery when buying high dollar vintage cards online .  However, why anyone would pay to grade a card made in the last 30 years is beyond me.  This card came to me in a PSA case.  I only have a couple other cards that came in graded card cases, and I didn't bother to crack them.  But this Wallach needed to go into my binder where I keep one copy of all the different Wallach's.

So I took to youtube and watched a couple of instructional videos on how to open the case.  It looked very easy in the videos.  A couple of twist with a little screw driver and the case neatly popped into two pieces.  I didn't have that kind of luck, but I did free the card unscathed.

1993 Memphis Chicks Modern All-Stars #33

(Updated: No Longer Primary Post)

Card Review: N/A See Other Post  Until recently this card was one of the great White Whales in my hunt for every Wallach card in existence.  I wasn't even sure it was even a real card, as most of the online reference sites didn't include it.  Then this one appeared on ebay.  In all honesty it was kind of bitter-sweet.  I knew I had to have it and would pay whatever it took, but this card didn't originally come out of a pack (or whatever it was packaged in) autographed.  And as a card collector purest, that autograph (which I have no doubt is completely genuine) isn't much different than someone drawing a beard on the card with a black sharpie.  

Technically, I have this card now, but a clean copy will still sit high atop my yet to be published "want list."  Previously this card was in the number 2 spot on that list, a clean copy will drop a little but still be near the top.  I'm not real optimistic about finding one either.  The Memphis Chicks, a minor league team, gave sets of these out as a Stadium Give Away (SGA) in 1993.  It was a set of former players who went on to be Major League All-Stars.  Typically SGA's tend be given to the first 2,000 to 5,000 fans.  Often times it's towards the lower  number when the SGA is just for kids under a certain age.  Baseball cards usually fall into that category.  So there were maybe 2,000 sets to begin with.  25% of which likely didn't make it home from the ball park, another 50% that probably didn't survive the summer of '93 when mom's did back to school cleaning.  I think it's optimistic to think 500 or so of these ended up in the hands of fans who actually took the steps to save them.  There's a good chance this one only survived because it was autographed.  If 500 or so did survive the summer of '93, I'm sure that number has been thinned down over the last 20 years, and when guys dig through their childhood collections looking to cash in, Tim Wallach isn't exactly a name that rings out with ebay riches.  This card may have to do.

Fun Facts:

* This is the only minor league Wallach card in my collection, and to my knowledge the only one that exists.  

* In 1979 Memphis was the "AA" affiliate of the Montreal Expos.  It was Wallach's first minor league team after being drafted #1 by Montreal out of Cal-St. Fullerton

* Wallach batted .327 with 18 home runs and 51 RBI's in only 75 games with Memphis in '79.

* Tim Raines, Charlie Lea, and Bryn Smith also played for Memphis in '79.

* Wallach homered in his 1st professional at-bat with Memphis.  In 1980 he would homer in his 1st Major League at-bat as well.

1993 Stadium Club #686 Members Only

Card Review: 8.0 This is the 3rd and final variation put out by Stadium Club in 1993.  One would have been fine, but given the over-production of the era, they had to find some way into duping people into buying obscene amounts of product.

I find the "Members Only" stamp to be a little odd, but I guess odd is better than stupid.

Number of this card in my collection: 1
2014 update: 2

1993 Topps Micro #570

Card Review: Incomplete  This thing is tiny.  Just ridiculously small.  Too small to be graded as a "card."  It's a novelty item for all intents and purposes.  If I remember correctly these were sold in box sets that resembled a skinny tube of toothpaste box.  I never bought one because while I wanted the Wallach, I didn't need the other 824 cards in the set ('93 Topps was huge).  This is the 5th, and I believe final, variation of the 1993 Topps base card that I've posted.  If you click this all five will pull up, plus the '93 Topps Traded which, mercifully, didn't  come with any variations.

Number of this "card" in my collection: 1
2013 update: 2

1993 Donruss McDonald's Expos #8

Card Review: 7.1  I like this design a lot more than the '93 Donruss base set.  This card is part of a 33 card set issued by Donruss for the Expos 25th anniversary.  They were distributed in McDonalds throughout French Speaking parts of Canada.  There was also one done for the Blue Jays, but allegedly that set looks a lot more like the '93 Donruss base set.

Number of this card in my collection: 3
2014 update: 7 
2015 update: 8 
2016 update: n/a
2017 update: n/a
2018 update: 10

2019 update: n/a

2020 update: n/a

2021 update: n/a

2022 update: 11

 

1993 Panini #215

Card Review:  9.4  This is easily my favorite Panini Sticker ever put out.  It's also one of the largest, at about 90% the size of a regular card.  It's also one of the only cards put out of Wallach in the "new" Montreal Expos jersey that I like.  For the most part I can't stand that uniform and cards featuring it.  Based on this card though, I might give the uniform a 2nd look.

Number of this card in my collection: 1

2013 update: 9

2014 update: 10

2015 update: n/a

2016 update: n/a

2017 update: n/a

2018 update: n/a

2019 update: n/a

2020 update: n/a

2021 update: 11

1993 Humpty Dumpty #33

Card Review: 1.5 I've seen this card popping up on ebay over the years but never pulled the trigger on it.  It was always over-priced and just didn't look that exciting.  I recently picked up a couple on Sportslot.com and when they arrived I was very proud of myself for holding off on ebay.  Every ebay listing I'd ever seen failed to mention the card wasn't a standard sized card.

Both of my copies (at this point) are still sealed.  I assume these came packed with some sort of food product.  Probably chips given what information is available on the "Humpty Dumpty" wiki page.

Number of this card in my collection: 2
2013 update: 4
2014 update: n/a
2015 update: n/a
2016 update: 6
2017 update: n/a
2018 update: 7

2019 update: n/a

2020 update: n/a

2021 update: 8

2022 update: n/a

2023 update: 9

1993 Topps Finest #118

Card Review: 4.9  This card and set, kind of epitomizes everything that I think went wrong with baseball cards.  In my mind "cards" implies "cardboard."  This may "card" may technically have been made using some sort of card stock, but it feels more like a piece of Tupperware to me.  "Baseball cards" aren't supposed to be shiny pieces of plastic.  I'm not saying this isn't a very nice looking item when you have one in your hand, I'm just saying it's not really a baseball card.  It's got more in common with a Starting Line-Up figure than a baseball card.

Number of this card in my collection: 1
2013 update: 4
2014 update: n/a
2015 update: n/a
2016 update: n/a
2017 update: n/a
2018 update: 6

2019 update: n/a

2020 update: 8

2021 update: n/a

2022 update: n/a

2023 update: 9 

1993 LAPD D.A.R.E. #25

 Card Review: 0.8  This 1993 LAPD card is more or less the same design as the LAPD Card from '94.  I'm probably being way too hard on this set with such a low grade.  I just feel that if you're going to make a card, even a promotional one, that you pony up for at least some half-way decent card stock and maybe take more than 45 seconds or so to come up with a design.  That said, the design isn't horrible, it's a clean, nice enough look, the card itself is just far too flimsy.

Number of this card in my collection: 1
2014 update: 3
2015 update: n/a
2016 update: n/a
2017 update: n/a
2018 update: 4

1993 Stadium Club Dodgers #11

Card Review: 8.6  I actually kind of like this card, despite it being the type of product I'm usually predisposed to abhor.  I've never seen any other cards from this set, am not entirely sure that I'm calling it by the correct name, have simply labeled it based on how the person I bought it from described it.  It could be something completely different for all I know.  I have no idea who or where these were sold, I just know I never saw any back in 1993.  I'm assuming they were issued as team sets, but that's pure conjecture based on a name.  A name that I'm not even entirely sure is correct.

Number of this card in my collection: 2
2013 update: 5
2014 update: n/a
2015 update: n/a
2016 update: n/a
2017 update: n/a (maybe I have them all?)
2018 update: 6
2019 update: 7
2020 update: 9

2021 update: n/a

2022 update: 11

1993 O-Pee-Chee Premier #87

Card Review: 2.4  This is in the running for one of my least favorite base cards ever put out.  It probably wouldn't look so odd if they had gone with a shot of Wallach in the road uniforms.  As it is, there is far too much white for my liking.  The front almost looks like it's some off-brand going out of it's way not to use any logos.

Number of this card in my collection: 1
2013 update: 19
2014 update: 23
2015 update: n/a
2016 update: 26
2017 update: n/a
2018 update: 27
2019 update: 29
2020 update: 33

2021 update: n/a

2022 update: 34

2023 update: 35

2024 update: 37

2025 update: n/a

2026 update: 38

1993 Mother's Cookies #6

Card Review: 8.1  I like these goofy Mother's Cookies sets.  Simple and unspectacular, but they work.  I've learned since the 1st Mother's Cookies post that these were given out at stadiums, and hence the autograph line on the back.

Number of this card in my collection: 1
2014 update: 2
2015 update: n/a
2016 update: n/a
2017 update: n/a
2018 update: n/a
2019 update: n/a
2020 update: 3

2021 update: n/a

2022 update: n/a

2023 update: n/a

2024 update: 4

1993 Leaf #363

Card Review: 9.1  As far as crappy sets from the early to mid-90's go, this one is pretty nice.  A simple clean front with a cool King Kong/Godzilla style back.  I almost don't mind the lack of career stats.  I also very much appreciate the ribbon on the front which reads "1993."  Show me just a partial glimpse of a small part of one side of a card from 1952 to about 1989, I'll be immediately able to tell you the year, manufacturer, and what the other side of the card looks like.  Then things get a little blurry for me.  I admit, I often have to read the fine print to tell 1993 Studio apart from 1994 Studio.  So it's nice of Leaf to make it easy to tell.

Number of this card in my collection: 11

2013 update: 35

2014 update: 39

2015 update: 54 

2016 update: 71

2017 update: 72

2018 update: 77

2019 update: 104

2020 update: 106

2021 update: 107

2022 update: 145

2023 update: 146

2024 update: 156

2025 update: 167

2026 update: 168

1993 Pinnacle #178

Card Review: 8.9  This is actually a pretty nice card design.  The only thing Pinnacle really did wrong was skimp on the stats.  The major flaws with this card are the fault of the Montreal Expos.  They went from one of the best uniforms in baseball to arguably the worst uniforms in baseball.

Number of this card in my collection: 4
2013 update: 19
2014 update: 23
2015 update: 25
2016 update: 28
2017 update: 30
2018 update: 40
2019 update: 44
2020 update: 47

2021 update: n/a

2022 update: 49

2023 update: n/a

2024 update: 60

2025 update: 65

2026 update: 66

1993 Upper Deck #547 (Gold Hologram)

Card Review: 8.6  I rate this the exact same as the "regular" 1993 Upper Deck.  I'm not convinced these gold holograms were an intentional thing done by upper deck and not just the result of them running out of the normal foil for a couple days during the print run.  These cards don't make card collecting better, they just make card collector's worse.

Number of this card in my collection: 1

1993 Topps Marlins Inaugural #570

Card Review: 8.8  This is basically identical to the Rockies Ingaugural (click here to read about it), but instead of a Rockies logo, it has a Marlins logo.

Number of this card in my collection: 2
2014 update: 4
2015 update: n/a
2016 update: n/a
2017 update: n/a
2018 update: 5
2019 update: 6

2020 update: 9

1993 Score Select Rookies/Traded #27T

 










Card Review: 9.1  This is a great photo of Wallach fielding, at least as far as photos of batting practice infield go.  It's marred a little by the weird blue sunspot (or whatever caused it?) in the middle, but I can deal with that.  The blue borders really mesh well with the Dodger's uniform colors. All in all it's just a very nice looking card, albeit, one that's difficult to come by.

Number of this card in my collection: 1
2012 update: 3
2013 update: 6
2015 update: 7
2016 update: 9
2017 update: n/a
2018 update: 10
2019 update: 11

2020 update: n/a

2021 update: n/a

2022 update: 12

2023 update: 13

2024 update: 14

2025 update: 16

2026 update: 17

1993 Studio #64

Card Review: 2.4  It really boggles the mind that Leaf/Donruss felt the need to put out this ridiculous set for as many years as they did.  I think most collector's would have been more than satisfied with it as a one shot deal.  The front of this card isn't terrible, but the back is, even by "Studio" standards.  It's just dumb.

Number of this card in my collection: 4
2012 update: 5
2013 update: 21
2014 update: 35
2015 update: n/a
2016 update: 40
2017 update: n/a
2017 update: 41
2018 update: 47
2019 update: 55
2020 update: 58

2021 update: 61

2022 update: 62

2023 update: 63

2024 update: 64

2025 update: 79

2026 update: 81