Was Collation Really This Bad in 1992?

No, your eyes are not playing tricks on you. You don't have to worry that all of those threats from your mother have come to fruition.


I never quite had the money to buy a whole box of cards in my younger days. We're talking no boxes of 1988 Topps, let alone a box of Stadium Club. So in my boredom this winter I picked up a box of 1992 Stadium Club for 5 bucks. I figured if nothing else, it would just be fun to rip open 28 packs filled with 15 cards. Hell I'd buy Topps Opening Day if a box cost me only 5 bucks.

After 10 packs, I noticed a bit of a trend and I stopped ripping open packs. What was this trend you ask? Well, obviously you failed to read the title of this post. I got a frickin' crapload of triples and doubles.

10 packs, 150 cards yielded the following:
Mike Benjamin x3
Willie Banks x3
Willie Wilson x2
Scott Leius x3
Mickey Morandini x3
Roberto Kelly x3
Harvey Pulliam x3
Luis Aquino x2
Jose Uribe x2
Jose Offerman x2
Billy Spiers x2
John Kiely x2
Tom Gordon x2
Charles Nagy x2
Dave West x3
Steve Buechele x2
Shawon Dunston x3
Gary Redus x3
Jose Oquendo x3
Jim Austin x2
Cris Carpenter x3
Greg Litton x3
Mark Guthrie x2
Tim McIntosh x2
Vicente Palacios x2
Mel Rojas x3
Kirby Puckett x3
Delino DeShields x2
Jay Bell x2
Paul Faries x2
Kelly Downs x2
Kevin Appier x3
Dan Plesac x3
Mark Gubicza x2
Chris Bosio x2
Fred McGriff x2

HOLY FRICKIN' CRAP! 88 of 150 cards are duplicates. Maybe I'm naive, but that's amazing. I'm almost scared to open the other 18 packs. I'm afraid I might get sucked into some type of Super Premium Cardboard Vortex.

Nostalgia is nice, but damn if this was what buying a box was like in 1992, I'll stick to 2009, heck I'll stick to retail in 2009.