[marcmapex]

I just plunked down $100 for a hobby box of 1995 Bowman. This product came out before I was even in 8th grade, and I remember how hard it was to come by back then.
I remember the foil subset cards looked amazing- especially the gold foil chase cards (lame how 'chase' was replaced with 'hit' in modern lingo) and a few key rookies (Vlady/Rolen/Jones/Carpenter).
Having just come off a good 2010 hobby tear, and not yet ready for 2011 (c'mon Heritage), I figured the timing was right to open some old gems.
The first thing I thought of before opening my box was that there's a good chance that these cards will stick together...I guess when there's no gum to cause stains, this is a very real 'number two' foe for collectors. Whatever, I just wanted to try and land a Vlady rc the ole' fashion way.
NOPE! No Vlady's for me...no Rolen, no Carpenter (a home state hero), no Jeter or Nomo foils...the proverbial 'icing on the cake' was landing doubles of Andruw Jones and Bobby Abreu (the Abreu has surface rolling marks!).
That was a bad $100 drop. Oh, and no Garciaparra either. I should have paid $50 extra to get the 1992 Bowman box instead. http://www.beckett.com/forums/images/smilies/dodgy.gif
I'm sure I'd feel better if I dropped $50-65, but I won't dwell in the past. Any similar stories?

[natejeffries]

Five years ago, before the steroid thing about Clemens exploded, I bought about 20 packs of 85 Donruss and 85 Topps at a card show in a Jersey mall from a guy who was selling them for three bux a pop. I got all the prime players from those sets except for the Clemens and McGwire rookie. I think the suspicion about McGwire and roids had already been out.

Anyway, I have always been suspicious that the cards were counterfeit and placed into already opened packs.

I felt this way because a number of the doubles in the Topps set were cut grossly unevenly in the same exact spot.

Both sets also feel a little thinner than I think is normal and the backs on the Topps cards are a darker green than the other Topps cards I have.

[eyeamjames]

Well I gave into the blaster box craze and bought like $160 worth of $20 boxes in the past year. My only GU pull thus far: A 2010 ginter bat card of Kyle Blanks. No autos. No heywards. Two Poseys were really all I got out of all of it. Could have spend $20 on ebay and gotten all the same cards....

[charleybrown]

I gave up buying packs and boxes. That is exactly why - you can spend half the money for the cards you want. Live and learn i guess.

[cweiland]

I gave up buying packs and boxes. That is exactly why - you can spend half the money for the cards you want. Live and learn i guess.

+1

[marcmapex]

I gave up buying packs and boxes. That is exactly why - you can spend half the money for the cards you want. Live and learn i guess.

If boxes seems like a good deal- especially like averaging $2-3 a pack for old Finest, or 96 Select Certified- then I'm OK with it. There's some fun and rare 90's inserts that are still out and about. A lot of new boxes are crap now- Lineage is a neat concept but the guy down the street has his boxes for $109 ea. The same as Bowman Platinum! To get back to reality- I broke a 1990 Donruss box the other day during Hurricane Irene. The cool thing about it was completing the Puzzle of DK Carl Yastrzemski. And also got a Dennis 'Oil Can' Boyd card which was a really cool blast from the past.

[jmc316]

Not a big investment, but about a month ago I bought a box of 2002 Bowman for $40 on ebay...The best pull I came away with was a J Bay and B Jenks RC...no Wright, Liriano, Bautista, or Mauer...and the auto I got was Nick Neugebauer...didnt even get a good gold pull of note!!