Mike Piazza - 2002 Donruss Originals

Ever since they first appeared on the scene in 2000, I've been a sucker for retro sets.  I like the classic designs from the 70s and earlier because I don't have many of those cards in my collection.  The designs from the 80s trigger nostalgia from when I first got into the hobby.

 

In 2002, Donruss decided to release a set that paid homage to 4 of their previous sets.  Each player appeared on a card in the design of the 1982, 1984, 1986 and 1988 sets.  One of those four variations would be short printed (something that would later be repeated almost exactly by Upper Deck in their rookie SP sets) meaning that that this wasn't just a tough set to built, but it was a pain in the ass for player collectors as well.

I picked up a box of this stuff when it was brand new and I got the three non-SP Piazza cards out of the box.  The '84 Piazza version is the only one not currently in my collection.  It's a shame that this set didn't perform better because I would have much rather seen the odd numbered years with 1981, 1983 and 1985 especially being favorites of mine.

 

"Hits" usually aren't a huge deal to me, but I remember disliking the ones that I pulled from Originals thinking that the player selection was terrible and the cards poorly designed.  That's probably why the boxes didn't sell better.

Overall, I do like this set and you can find the boxes for around $35.  I doubt that I'd ever get around to completing the whole set given that I'm pretty sure that one-fourth of it is short prints, but I wouldn't mind having a set excluding the SPs.

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