Back in November I attended a local card show and on a whim grabbed 3 packs of 1991 Topps. It's
been awhile since I did a pack war, so let's get ready to rumble!
For me, it's
all about star power. I'll award 1 point for every All-Star Game nod
a player gets, plus additional points for the major awards (MVP, CY,
ROY, etc.) and 3 points for a Hall of Fame player. Add a point for every Red Sox card, and subtract a point for every
Yankee that makes an appearance!
The last time I did this, I awarded extra points for every card I needed. I'm not going to do that this time because I have a sealed factory set. Technically, all of these are dupes except for potential inserts. Let's see what the packs have for us!
Pack #1
Nolan Ryan (Baseball Heroes: Nolan Ryan insert) - 11 points (HOF, 8x All-Star)
Chuck Cary - -1 point (Yankee)
Tom Pagnozzi - 4 points (All-Star, 3x Gold Gloves)
Roberto Kelly - 1 point (Yankee, 2x All-Star)
Brett Butler - 1 point (All-Star)
Brett Butler - 1 point (All-Star)
Curt Schilling - 7 points (6x All-Star, WS MVP)
Paul Abbott, Jim Acker, Scott Bradley, Mike Gallego, Bernard Gilkey, Mark Guthrie, Scott Lusader, Rick Mahler, Derrick May, Chicago Cubs (Team Logo Hologram insert) - 0 points
Points Scored: 25 points
Speaking of needed inserts, pack one starts things off with a bang! That Nolan Ryan insert is sweet. I've always liked Upped Deck's Heroes inserts. We get multiple points from Curt Schilling and Tom Pagnozzi, and neither would have any points at the time this set came out (Pagnozzi would earn his 1st Gold Glove after the 1991 season, while Schilling was a late bloomer who made his first All-Star team in 1997!)
Pack #2
Jesse Orosco - 2 points (2x All-Star)
Darren Daulton - 4 points (3x All-Star, Silver Slugger)
Marty Barrett - 1 point (Red Sox)
Jack Armstrong - 1 point (All-Star)
Bip Roberts - 1 point (All-Star)
Tim Naehring - 1 point (Red Sox)
John Smiley - 2 points (2x All-Star)
Luis Aquino, Dennis Cook, Jose de Jesus, Andy Hawkins, Mark Lewis, Brent Mayne, Tony Phillips, R.J. Reynolds - 0 points
Points Scored: 13 points
I angled the cards a bit to show off the hologram. If 16 year old me opened this pack he would have been ecstatic to get 3 Red Sox cards in it. I was a bit surprised that Orosco and Smiley made multiple All-Star teams!
Pack #3
Reggie Sanders - 1 point (All-Star)
Jerome Walton - 1 point (Rookie of the Year)
Jerome Walton - 1 point (Rookie of the Year)
Mickey Morandini - 1 point (All-Star)
Ryne Sandberg - 30 points (HOF, MVP, 10x All-Star, 9x Gold Glove, 7x Silver Slugger)
Kelly Gruber - 4 points (2x All-Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger)
Ryne Sandberg - 30 points (HOF, MVP, 10x All-Star, 9x Gold Glove, 7x Silver Slugger)
Kelly Gruber - 4 points (2x All-Star, Gold Glove, Silver Slugger)
Jesse Barfield - 3 points (Yankee, All-Star, 2x Gold Gloves, Silver Slugger)
Greg Vaughn - 5 points (4x All-Star, Silver Slugger)
Tom Henke - 2 points (2x All-Star)
John Wetteland - 4 point (3x All-Star, WS MVP)
Allan Anderson, Rob Deer, Lenny Harris, Bob Kipper, Ron Oester, Kenny Williams, St. Louis Cardinals (Team Logo Hologram insert) - 0 points
Points Scored: 51 points
Sometimes a player just takes control of a game and carries his whole team on his back. Ryne Sandberg alone would have won this pack war, but we also get multiple points from 5 other guys.
Pack #3 defeats all challengers!
For $1/pack, these were fun and enjoyable packs to rip. The Nolan Ryan and Red Sox hologram inserts were pleasant surprises, and there were a lot of great photographs throughout.




















