It's Opening Day. Let's look at some new cards!
I hit up Target looking for some cards the other day, and Panini's Donruss was pretty much the only stuff on the shelves to be found. I grabbed packs of the $5 and $10 variety. Let's take a look at some of the cards I got, in no particular order.
I don't really know any way around this, but I find this design to be just plain hideous. Scrubbing all of the logos off of the photos just makes it worse. There's also minimal stats (just the most recent season line and a career line), and nothing else that really makes it, you know, Donruss-y.
The inclusion of the 1984-inspired design is a nice touch, though. I ended up with 4 versions (2 dupes) of this Cody Bellinger card, this one being a green foil parallel that falls 5 to a box in the $10 configuration. Unlike previous years, the '84 tribute cards are part of the base set and not inserts.
This is called How To Ruin A Moment in One Photoshopped Fell Swoop, but they couldn't fit it on the swoosh down there. Also, what is with the blank swooshes on these player combo cards?
It was cool to get a hit (out of the $5 already pack searched pack, strangely enough.) However, this has to be one of the ugliest card designs I've ever seen. It's so ugly that I'm starting to come back around to it, actually. This is up for grabs.
Now, this is a nice looking card. Considering that Gwynn was around for '84 Donruss, it just makes sense. This is clearly a photo from the '90s, but that's okay.
Okay, I'm going to try to say something positive about "nickname" variations... nah. I've got nothing.
This bedazzled Khris Davis insert is numbered to 349. It's kind of fun.
These nickname cards can't be rare, considering how many of them I pulled (3? I think?)
In the past, I felt that Panini tended towards selecting photos where the photo alterations wouldn't be so clear or even necessary. This isn't one of those. I think they must have hired some extra staff for Photoshop work this year.
Here's another nickname card. I hadn't actually heard of Francisco Lindor's nickname prior to this set.
Not all was bad, as I pulled a ton of Cardinals, which isn't exactly typical. The one blue foil card in the $5 pack ended up being The Wizard.
I also pulled the green foil version. Nice! All I need now is the base card, and probably some other rare version I don't want to know about.
This is a really nice photo that even Panini couldn't ruin. Look at that green! (Did they mess with the green? Please don't tell me.)
Ozzie Smith is looking like some kind of spaceman on this heavily doctored card with Ryno.
People seem to like the Trout.
Finally, here's a look at the Diamond Kings design for this year, which is super busy and just... not good. I miss Dick Perez.
This year’s Donruss is s mixed bag for me. I don’t mind the logo-less pictures, although I’d love if Panini would get a full license. Most of the inserts are fugly, I agree with you there. I’ve got a stack of hanger packs to open and I’ll probably build the set before it’s all said and done.
ReplyDeleteAnother awesome blog post by an awesome blogger! Can I put my name down for that Francisco Lindor Mr. smile card? I am slowly putting together another trade package for you.
ReplyDeleteI tried one of those 60 card packs today as well, and landed 6 variations. Ozuna and Brant photos, Kershaw, Ryan, Altuve nickname and Moncada B&W. Yeesh. So, not SPd at all.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I'll try to remember to set the Ozuna aside for you.
Colbey - I'll probably get a few more of these packs as long as there's nothing else on the shelf to distract me. Let me know if you end up with a want list.
ReplyDeleteTim - I'll set the Indians cards aside for you.
buckstore - I actually left out several of the variations from the post because I had no idea what I was looking at. The Reggie is a photo variation, and I pulled Jose Ramirez (photo variation) and Mookie Betts (nickname). So I think that makes it 8 variations in total. Kind of ridiculous!
Oh, and there was a Jose Abreu black & white variation that I missed because the White Sox unis are basically black & white. Just look for the black baseball on the back, I guess.
ReplyDeleteIt's so weird seeing Sonny with the Yankees.
ReplyDeleteThe Ozzie and Reggie cards are great! I'm not really a fan of the nicknames, they seem kinda tacky. Some of them are interesting, I guess..but they shouldn't be on the card fronts IMO. At least they're not needlessly short-printed.
ReplyDeletei've enjoyed Donruss the past few years but 2018 isn't making a trip home with me. The blank 'swoosh' is hideous! If Panini had carried the 84 style across the set, I would've bought in big. Even the DK subset is awful. Why DKs aren't nicely designed inserts, who knows. Ozzie and Ryno - wth?? Two guys I enjoy collecting on a perfectly awful card. Panini has done well in the past, to distract from the lack of logos. This year they have interns running the design department.
ReplyDelete