Maybe I was wrong about Pacific

If you were to look back through the Wax Heaven archives (close to 2,000 stories), you’d occasionally run into me being somewhat close-minded on a topic or two. From brands and card companies, to types of collecting, I have always made sure to include my opinion into my work, even if it meant ruffling a few feathers along the way.

One of my main targets has been Pacific Trading Cards, a company I once called “a poor man’s card manufacturer”. It wasn’t an opinion based on one year but really their entire run in baseball, which began in the early-90’s with cheap-looking cards and got more and more tacky with die-cuts and an insane amount of parallels which were many times hard to separate.

Regardless of  how I feel, Pacific was an extremely popular brand among a certain group of collectors and some of their rare inserts still sell for very respectable prices on the secondary market. I have come realize that there is plenty of “Cardboard Gold” laced into Pacific Trading Cards and I think I may have stumbled upon some of the best this morning.

Have a look at this Greg Maddux insert (1:72 odds) from 1996 Pacific Prisms. To me, ‘96 Pacific Prisms was the low point in base card design in that year and while I do still feel the same way, this insert looks absolutely stunning.

You will of course have to slightly suspend disbelief as Maddux was never much of a “flame thrower” but if this card doesn’t suit your fancy there are other pitchers in the checklist, including Hideo Nomo and Randy Johnson.