Card of the Day: Terry Glenn 1996 Pinnacle #153

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Product Highlight: 1996 Upper Deck Folz Vending Machine Minis

The odds are strong that at one time or another you ran into a Folz vending machine.  Folz once had almost 200,000 machines spread across the United States and Canada.  For awhile, it was the world’s largest bulk vending company.  You could find them in mom-and-pop shops, grocery stores, and well known department store chains.  Their vending machines carried a variety of goodies such as candy, stickers, and even sports cards.

In my day, I don’t recall running into many vending machines that dispensed sports cards.  A card shop I visited while in Ohio had one.  I gave it a shot and pulled a Troy Aikman from 1990 Fleer.  It wasn’t until the 2014 National Sports Collectors Convention where I came across another.  They make an interesting conversation piece.

Upper Deck made a deal with Folz Vending that involved specially made cards.  You’ll find that (1) baseball, (1) basketball, and (2) football sets exist.  I’ve heard that a hockey set was made, but I have yet to find any cards from it.  Designs look very similar to the Collector’s Choice sets that were released.  Instead of the Collector’s Choice name, just the Upper Deck logo is found on the fronts.  Photos on the backs reach all the way to the edges too.  The biggest difference are the card’s overall size.  They’re smaller in comparison to a standard sports card (2 5/16″ x 3 3/8″).  Most likely so they could fit in the machines better.

Sets consist of (48) cards.  The first six cards in each set are short prints and contain foil on the front.  Condition can be a big factor considering they were stored in vending machines.  Back then, cards with foil were difficult to pull out of a pack in good condition let alone being stored and distributed in a vending machine format.  All short prints carry a premium, especially the Michael Jordan.  Although its not a short print, the Derek Jeter is highly sought after as well.

Lets get one thing straight.  Its “Folz” not “Foltz”.  At first graders rejected these when they were sent in.  When Beckett decided to grade them, everyone else fell in line.  Because of a typo at first, some graded examples identify them as “Foltz”.

Card of the Day: Brian Dawkins 1996 Topps Finest #344

Card of the Day: Gilbert Brown 1996 Topps #272

Card of the Day: Shane Spencer 1996 Bowman #251

Card of the Day: Errict Rhett 1996 Leaf Grass Roots #6

Flashback Product of the Week: 1996 Best Harrisburg Senators Team Set

Throughout the summer I usually attend a handful of minor league games.  My main focus is on bobblehead giveaways.  As of right now, I’ve got tickets for the Harrisburg Senators and Lancaster Barnstormers.  The State College Spikes only have one bobblehead giveaway on their schedule so far, and its at the end of the season during the week.  I’m waiting for the Williamsport Crosscutters to post their promo schedule.  It drives me crazy when teams giveaway bobbleheads during the week.  I suppose it helps boost weekday attendance.

The first time I attended a professional baseball game was in 1997.  It was on City Island to watch the Harrisburg Senators take on the New Haven Ravens.  One of the Ravens players even gave me a broken bat as he walked by.  To this day, I still don’t know who that player was.  I like to think it was Todd Helton, but I believe he was in Triple-A by then.

Upon arriving to the game, I remember stopping at a souvenir booth.  It wasn’t a store that you could walk around in.  You’d walk up to the counter and tell the person working what you wanted to buy.  All of the items for sale were on display behind the employees.

Team sets for the 1997 roster hadn’t been released yet, so I picked-up one from 1996.  It consists of (29) cards.  The two most recognizable names you’ll find in there are Vladimir Guerrero and Jose Vidro.  Both had long and successful careers in baseball.  A complete set can easily be found for $10.  It probably would be worth a lot more if these would’ve been the first cards of Guerrero and Vidro.  Vladimir Guerrero and Jose Vidro already had cards in nationally issued sets.  Guerrero in 1995 Bowman’s Best, and Vidro in 1993 Bowman.