Memories As a 1990's Teen Collector
The 1990's were my coming of age years. I turned nine years old in 1990, and was a senior in high school when we hit Y2K (Class of 2000). We do a lot of growing up and make a lot of changes between the ages of 9 and 17.
I was always a collector (and some may call me a hoarder, and I won't argue with that), and my collecting changed a few times during the 1990's decade.
During the first part of the 1990's I was all about baseball and football cards and my personal collection in 1990 and 1991 was Chicago Cubs baseball cards, and Joe Montana football cards. Yes, I was a Bears fan, but loved Montana.
Shaq Fever took over in 1992 and I had developed a love of basketball. I would spend hours, and hours, and hours in my driveway playing basketball. Living in a small town, neighbor kids would show up and we'd play a game or two, they'd leave and I'd keep playing.
By 1995, I redeveloped a love for pro wrestling post-Hulkamania. I gave up basketball card collecting and turned my focus to pro wrestling magazines like WWF Magazine, Pro Wrestling Illustrated, Wrestle America, The Wrestler, Inside Wrestling, and anything I could find at the local book store. The Book Emporium had a really long wall filled with magazines, and it was like Disney World for me.
And then...1998. First, it was the Kerry Wood 20-strikeout game. By Memorial Day, the Chicago Cubs were still hot. This was a rarity in the 1990's. Sammy Sosa was launching home run after home run, and the excitement at Wrigley Field brought me back. Between Shaquille O'Neal, the 1994 MLB Strike, and professional wrestling I had forgot all about the national pastime until Kid K, Sammy Sosa, and Big Mac brought it back.
In June 1998 I got my drivers license and it felt like the world became much smaller. No longer trapped in my podunk town (population: 800), I discovered a baseball card shop in Colona, Illinois, which was about a 30-minute drive from my small hometown.
That's where I would dig through quarter boxes pulling out Cubs cards like that Topps Sammy Sosa above. Or I'd find prospects that fizzled out like Brooks Kieschnick.
Or Kevin Orie. I also realized baseball cards became a little flashier in the mid-1990's while I was following the NBA and WWF. When I left the baseball card hobby, the flashy cards were Stadium Club and Fleer Ultra. Now Donruss and Upper Deck were making these cards that really stood out.
Baseball stuck to me after 1998, and although I gave up on the baseball card collecting off and on during college and early adulthood, it never completely left my system. In 2001, I was still into baseball, but now in college I was spending my paychecks from working at the local IGA on red Solo cups at keg parties, buying the latest Doc Martens, and new stereo systems and the latest compact discs. None of those things will earn my money these days or moving forward, but Corey Patterson Upper Deck cards may stick with me forever.
Thanks to Stuart in Connecticut for bring back some memories with these 1990's Cubs baseball cards.
Tommy in Ohio has sent a few packages of Cubs baseball cards this year, and another arrived this week. It included some beautiful Javier Baez cards from Topps Fire and Topps Update.
And I didn't buy any Topps Holiday boxes this year, so it's nice to see them come in trade packages. I like this year's design much better than the past two years.
Beth in Vermont sent another great package of cards that had more than just Cubs. Colorado Rockies and Washington Nationals are always cards I can use for bulk trades. Plus, I have found multiple trade partners for Rockies cards. Strange, I know. So, I always have use for the Rockies.
A great Cubs hit in this box. An Aramis Ademan Bowman Chrome refractor numbered /499.
One Million Cubs Project Stats Wednesday's (12/4/2019) Cards: 103
Wednesday's (12/4/2019) Packages: 3
January's Cubs Count: 9,343
February's Cubs Count: 8,980
March's Cubs Count: 15,704
April's Cubs Count: 11,651
May's Cubs Count: 7,273
June's Cubs Count: 7,690
July's Cubs Count: 10,803
August's Cubs Count: 11,929
September's Cubs Count: 9,127
October's Cubs Count: 15,675
November's Cubs Count: 26,705
December's Cubs Count: 201
Total Trades/Donations: 315
Trade States of Origin: Arizona (6) Alabama (5)
Arkansas California (22)
Colorado (6) Connecticut (18)
Delaware (2)
Florida (11)
Georgia (3)
Idaho (3) Illinois (29) Indiana (8)
Iowa (2)
Kansas
Kentucky (2)
Louisiana Maryland (12) Massachusetts (11)
Michigan (3) Minnesota (4)
Mississippi
Missouri (5)
Nebraska (3)
Nevada (2)
New Hampshire (2) New Jersey (15)
New Mexico (4) New York (29) North Carolina (6)
North Dakota Ohio (19)
Oregon (3) Pennsylvania (9)
Rhode Island (2)
South Carolina (2)
South Dakota Tennessee (8) Texas (10)
Utah
Vermont (6)
Virginia (2) Washington (7)
Washington, DC
West Virginia (7) Wisconsin (12)
Countries of Origin
Canada (1)
Korea (2)