For the last set I ever collected during my childhood, it turned out to be Fleer. The cards looked absolutely stunning and I had a feeling I was done with Topps for good after this.
A card where the photo took front and center. Which at this time was already being done with other premium cards look Topps Stadium and Donruss Studio. But boy oh boy did Fleer bring the thunder with this one!
After that, I stopped collecting all together. Why? The baseball strike. When I saw greed take away the World Series that year I (and several others) stopped caring about the sport.
To be clear, I never gave up on baseball. Just on collecting. And though I think this contributed to baseball cards losing their popularity it certainly isn't the only reason.
These days Topps has the exclusive rights, so competition is lacking and (in my opinion) the product has too. It's impossible to collect a set on your own without spending 5 times the amount its actually worth. Cards are too expansive and the hobby's dead to me now.
But whatever monster its turned into today, won't offset the fond memories I had growing up.
Have a good weekend folks!
