My Personal History of Non-Sports Collecting

The year was 1987 and my favorite baseball team, the NY Mets, were fresh off a sensational World Series winning season and my Dad saw my brother and my interest peak in the sport. He decided a good way to get us acquainted with baseball and the players would be to buy us some packs of 1987 Topps cards. 

You know the set, the one one with the fantastic wood grain boarders. Well, little did he know that this decision would kick start my love for collecting cards. Every time we would stop by a convenience store, gas station or drug store, I would ask for a new pack of cards and the majority of the time my Dad would cave. It would be years later when I discovered the joys of collecting basketball cards with the 1990-1991 NBA Hoops set.

This newfound love of basketball kind of pushed baseball to the side and I started playing organized basketball and it became my favorite sport. My team won two championships and lost only 1 game in 3 years, I was even named to the all-tournament team as the best all-around "Power Forward"! Those were great times and even though I was big into sports at the time, another interest started to creep in and it all started in 1992 with the...

DEATH OF SUPERMAN! Yes, I had a few comics scattered around the house and yes, I did have a small collection of Secret Wars action figures, but it wasn't until this momentous occasion that I really saw what impact comic books could have on people and that story really began my comic collecting obsession. I had to read all the Superman books! Superman led to Batman, Batman led to Spider-Man, Spider-Man led to X-Men and not only did these comics lead to discussions on the play ground, but it also brought together kids who had never really hung out before. This was a type of pop culture that it seemed everyone had an opinion on and my mind was blown when during one of those meetings of the minds, one of my buddies whipped out his collection of Marvel Universe trading cards!

Two of my favorite hobbies were now together in one amazing package! They were cards, but they featured stats and bios of some of the greatest superheroes of the time! Just like my Dad when he bought us those 1987 Topps packs, these cards introduced me to so many fantastic creations that I had never heard of before and I wanted to know more which led to a deeper love of the comic genre.

I became a big collector of these cards when Marvel Universe Series 3 cards came out and I tried to collect the whole set. I had some of the holograms and came close, but ended up a few cards short. After series 4 of the Marvel Universe cards was released, my interest in collecting them kind of waned and I would pick up a few packs every now and then, but I wasn't as big of a comic card collector as I had been.

I've picked up a few cards recently, but my main focus is on the actual comics nowadays, but if the price is right I won't hesitate to buy a box of these magnificent relics from the era of the comic boom in the 90's. I've brought some of these boxes home for my kids to enjoy and to share with them that experience of discovering new characters via the art on these mini masterpieces and of course I am always happy to share my knowledge of comic book characters with my children. It's a nice little bonding experience for us that I hope they will remember for years to come.

Collecting these non-sports cards was a fairly big part of my childhood and although I am not into the hobby as much as when I was younger it still feels good to look through a stack of these cardboard wonders and relive that time when these characters were new to me.

Non-Sports Card Showcase #2

I have loved collecting cards since I was 6 years old. Recently it's been a bit of a hassle keeping up with the hobby by attempting to actually locate products or seeing the huge prices secondary sellers are trying to get. Regardless, I still enjoy opening a fresh pack of cards whether it be baseball, basketball or Garbage Pail Kids! Recently I was sitting in my basement with my kids going through some of my collection and I realized that I have some pretty cool non-sports cards. Today, I'd like to share a few more of those cards with you. Let's begin!

2002 Inkworks MIIB #PW1

I've stated on here before about how big of a Fresh Prince/Will Smith fan I am and it may come to no surprise that I loved the Men In Black films. This card set came out in 2002 and I did buy a few packs in hope that I would get lucky and pull one of these relic cards. I never did pull one, but I kept it on my wish list and would check the eaby listings from time to time. I finally found this card featuring a piece of screen worn MIB suit, for around $5. I know it's not from Will's suit, but still a cool piece of MIB memorabilia.

2006 Topps Chrome #CO-JM

Last week I told you all about my love of Jenny McCarthy back in the 90s, but as time went on so did I. She still holds a special place in my teenage years, but by the time this card was released I really could have cared less. I think I received this card in a relic card lot that I bought pretty cheap.

2008 Upper Deck Semi-Pro #1

I am a big fan of the movie Semi-Pro and, in my opinion, it's one of Will Ferrell's funniest movies. In 2008 Upper Deck released a 3 card set to help promote the movie. The other 2 cards feature Andre 3000 as Clarence "Coffee" Brown and Woody Harrelson as Ed Monix. I found these pretty cheap and they always make me smile when I see them in my collection.

2015 Panini Americana #MS-JJ

The other half of my most favorite rap duo of all-time, DJ Jazzy Jeff has made quite a name for himself in the music industry. Yes, I enjoy his Jazzy Jeff & Fresh Prince albums, but I also really like his solo stuff that he has put out over the years. Each album is it's own mix tape and features production by Jeff with guest vocals by some of the biggest names in hip-hop like Eminem, The Roots, Method Man & Biz Markie. This is one card I will never let go of!

1995 Sports Stars USA #103

Again I am ending on a card that features one of the greatest sporting icons of all-time, Michael Jordan. I found this in a dollar box at a local card shop and had to pick it up. It features Jordan in his White Sox attire during his baseball playing phase in the 90's and encourages us all to eat our Wheaties. I like the shimmery faux autograph on the front and the basic back really help to make this oddball card a standout in my collection! Did you collect non-sports cards back in the day? If so, let us know what your favorite sets to collect were in the comment section below.

Cracking Open Some 1991 FLEER

Recently my kids have become more interested in the NBA due to the fact that we watched a lot of the playoffs this year. I grew up in NJ and I am a Nets fan. This year they made it to game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals, which is the furthest they've made it since they went to back to back NBA Finals in the early 2000's. Needless to say, there were more games on the TV than in years past. I wanted to do something for the kids to help their budding interest in the sport, so I went to a local card store to pick them up some packs of cards. The prices on the new stuff was outrageous!

But, I was able to get a box of 1991 FLEER for about $20. I brought it home and the kids were excited. We are a busy family, so we had to wait a few days to bust some packs and when we did I was transported back to when I was 10 years old looking for cards of Drazen Petrovic, Derrick Coleman and my favorite Net...Chris Morris! As we began the opening, I told the kids to be on the lookout for the randomly inserted "ProVisions" cards. These were a big deal back in the day and we got 4 of the 6 cards in the set. We only missed out on Magic Johnson and Charles Barkley. I also told them to keep their eyes peeled for Michael Jordan cards. Of course they know Michael from Space Jam, but I kept giving them nuggets of info on him and the other players we were unwrapping as the day went on. 

We got some good stuff in this box. A few NJ Nets cards, some Hall of Famers and of course Michael "Air" Jordan. Here is a look at the MJ cards we now have in the collection.

In addition to the 1991 FLEER box, I picked up a pack of 1989 NBA Hoops. That was the last pack we opened and lo and behold, there was a Jordan in the pack!

I love the look of the cards and like I said earlier, it was a nice blast of nostalgia and I had a blast opening packs with my kids. I may have to go back to the card shop soon and pick up a few more boxes. The was a Donruss box from the 90's that may be fun and if we're lucky maybe we can score some Bo Jackson cards!

Space Jam Day!

This past weekend the movie Space Jam: A New Legacy debuted in theaters. I was a huge fan of Michael Jordan and in turn the original Space Jam movie. When it was released in 1996 I drug one of my New York Knick loving friends to a showing of Space Jam and he pretty much threatened to kick my butt if the movie sucked. We both left the theater and there was no butt kicking to be had. Needless to say, I was super hyped to see this new installment that took 25 years to make! Myself and my 3 kids decided we would head to the drive in this past Saturday and dub the entire day "Space Jam Day".

We started the day by watching the original Space Jam movie and chowing down on some Space Jam: A New Legacy cereal. The movie was great as usual and the cereal was pretty good too. It tasted like a not so sweet version of Boo-Berry.

Next, we had some chores that needed to get done around the house, so we put on the Space Jam soundtracks and got to work. The "Space Jam: A New Legacy" jams are actually not that bad, but nothing can standup to the greatness of the original which includes Biz Markie (R.I.P.).

Chores were done, so we busted out the Playstation and had a Space Jam: The Video Game Tournament! if you have never played this game before, it is sort of like NBA Jam with Looney Tunes characters. You can view a bit of gameplay in the video below.

It was no surprise that I ended up beating my youngest daughter in the championship game, but she put up a good fight and in her defense I've had 25 years of experience with this game.

After playing some video game hoops, it was time to go outside and play some real hoops. Me and the kids decided to play a modified game of horse where instead of spelling horse we had to spell "Space". After that game we played a game of "Jam". It was really hot outside, so we headed indoors after the game was over.

By this time, we were ready for lunch. My wife whipped up a few boxes of Space Jam: A New Legacy Macaroni and cheese with hot dogs and we drank some Kool-Aid Space Jammers! It was delicious!!

While settling down after lunch, I dug through my long boxes and found the kids my old Space Jam comic book adaptation from DC Comics. My son loved it and asked if he could read the Space Jam: A New Legacy comic, but my girls were quick to shut that down to avoid spoilers.

While my son was busy reading my girls made everyone in the family these rubber band bracelets in the Tune Squad uniform colors. We all wore them to the movie that night!

Later that evening we hit up McDonalds for some dinner. I got a Quarter Pounder with bacon meal, the wife got a spicy chicken sandwich and the kids each asked for cheeseburger Happy Meals!

The people working the drive through were nice enough to look for 3 different toys for the kids and they ended up getting Bugs Bunny, Road Runner and Taz. These toys kept them busy for a while until we were ready to get packed up for the drive in!

We all threw on our Space Jam shirts...

packed up our Space Jam snacks and we were on our way!

We arrived at the drive in a little early to make sure we got a prime spot. There were a few cars in front of us, but while we were waiting the kids were getting primed for the movie by watching some old Looney Tunes cartoons I brought for them to watch on our van's DVD player.

Around 9:30pm, we were settled in, had popcorn and snacks in hand and the movie started. We all enjoyed it and some of the cameos in the movie were pretty cool to see. My favorite was the Michael Jordan scene. Overall it was entertaining, but not as good as the original Space Jam. If you were a fan of Space Jam or LeBron James, I would highly recommend you give this movie a watch. My kids actually want to go back to the drive in this weekend to see it again, but I'm thinking we will wait for the home release before we give Space Jam: A New Legacy a rewatch. What a great day full of fun, food and Fog Horn Leg Horn! Can't wait for Space Jam 3 to drop in 2046!!!

For more Space Jam goodness, check out these other posts from the past on 20 Years Before 2000!

SPACE JAM...ON VHS!

SPACE JAM...THE WEBSITE!

NIKE Comic Book Ads

In the 90s basketball was everything to me. I was all-in on Michael Jordan and the Bulls, but still supported my local New Jersey Nets. I attended many games with my family and teammates at Brendan Byrne Arena in the Meadowlands to see some of my favorite players hit the court. I got to see Tim Duncan, Chris Mullin, Shaquille O'Neal, Vince Carter, Drazen Petrovic and so many more! I played on teams since the 5th grade and actually ended up winning 2 championships in that time and was named to the All-Tournament team in '95! So, not to get any longer but I was a basketball card collecting, game watching, sneaker consuming fool! I don't remember seeing these NIKE ads below when they were first used, but I found them recently and I love the looks of them! Comics and basketball...COUNT ME IN! Now it's time for me to stop babbling and for you to enjoy some sweet retro advertising!

Pretty cool right? I couldn't find any on-air advertising to back up this print ad campaign, but while searching YouTube, I did find this animated NIKE ad for the Barcelona Olympics in 1992!

The McJordan Special

Let me set the stage for you…The year was 1992 and The Dream Team was taking the world by storm in Barcelona, the Chicago Bulls were coming off their second consecutive championship and Michael Jordan was the biggest sports figure in the universe! Jordan’s celebrity led to endorsements with everyone from NIKE to Gatorade to McDonalds! Not one to pass on a cash grab, McDonalds created the McJordan Special burger in his Airness’s honor! 

This exquisite burger consisted of a quarter pounder beef patty, cheese, onions, pickles, bacon and a special BBQ sauce! Jugs of this limited-edition BBQ sauce show up on eBay from time to time, but you’ll have to spend a few grand to grab one. 

Why am I writing about this particular burger? Because in the summer of ’92 my family vacationed in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We drove from New Jersey to NC and along the way we stopped at numerous McDonalds restaurants not only to get a taste of the limited edition McJordan Special, but to collect the Dream Team collectors cups you would get with every meal order! 

We ended up collecting the whole set and I still drink from them every now and then and when I do it reminds me of the tangy, bacony goodness that was born in the early 90s to capitalize off the greatest basketball player of all-time, Mr. Michael Jeffrey Jordan!

This post was originally written as a submission to the Retro Round Table at the Retro Ramblings website. You can view the original post by clicking HERE.

Jordan in your Undies

I know this is not the typical post you would see here at 20 Years Before 2000, but hear me out. I went shopping for some undies last week and was looking around in the men's clothing section at Target when I noticed some of the Hanes packages were different than the others. On further examination the specially tagged briefs and boxers contained...

Packs of Michael Jordan Anniversary FLEER trading cards! These specially produced cards were made to celebrate 30 years of Michael Jordan endorsing Hanes underwear. They already had me hooked there, but throw in the chance to unwrap an autographed card and I wanted to take home every single one of these bonus packs! I got in the car and tore open the wrapper to find some pretty cool looking cards inside.

The cards feature Michael Jordan in a myriad of poses from his many Hanes commercials. The bottom 2 cards in the above picture actually have red foil backgrounds on them.

The backs of each cards feature facts about Jordan's Hall-of-Fame basketball career and a "brief" synopsis about the Hanes commercial on the front of each card. The overall design of each card is a tweaked version of the 1986-87 FLEER design which happened to be the set that included MJ's rookie card.

In addition to the base set and red foil parallel cards, there were also some All-Star hologram cards randomly inserted into these packs. I was able to pull this one from my pack. Once again the design is a revamped retro FLEER design and I really like it! It's clean, has a holographic background and it's colorful. the above scan really doesn't do this card justice. So if you are in the need of some clean undies and are a Michael Jordan fan, be on the lookout for these specially marked packages of Hanes underwear. You won't regret grabbing one or maybe even a pair!