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Today’s post is sponsored by StreamYard.
There’s something oddly comforting about the feel of an old pack of baseball cards—the slight crackle as it opens, the glossy player photos, and the faint smell of cardboard and ink. In this episode, I took a nostalgic journey back into the junk wax era by opening a pack of 1991 Score baseball cards, and it brought a flood of memories.
Score’s 1991 set was massive—893 cards, all with bright, bold borders that changed color based on a player’s position. It wasn’t just a card set; it was a rainbow in a box. And that visual flair, combined with a player checklist that spanned stars, role players, and everything in between, made every pack an unpredictable delight.
Some names jumped right off the card: Bo Jackson, the legendary two-sport athlete; Jose Canseco, the slugging superstar of the Oakland A’s; and Roberto Alomar, one of the smoothest second basemen of the era. But even lesser-known players like Jeff Russell and Steve Geltz added to the fun—each name tugging at some memory from old games, TV broadcasts, or neighborhood trades.
Sure, the trivia on the back is nearly unreadable thanks to the microscopic font size, but it’s still packed with fun facts and full career stats. Score put real effort into giving fans substance, not just style.
The term “junk wax” may sound dismissive, but for many of us, these cards were our entry point into baseball, collecting, and dreaming. We didn’t care that there were too many printed. We cared that we could afford them, trade them, and build entire afternoons around sorting and stacking them.
Today, those cards might not be worth much in dollars, but they’re priceless in nostalgia.
This episode is a celebration of that feeling. I hope it sparks memories for you, too.
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