Protect and Mail

Mail in sets. I never did any, though I remember fondly seeing the advertisements on packages and inserts through the early 90s. You usually had to send in proof of buying a number of packs or points or similar cards, and maybe have to cover shipping and handling with a small fee in order to get some mail in set. 

Well, with 1997 Collector's Choice, you were able to send 10 series 2 wrappers and $3 shipping and handling in order to receive a 30 card update set. Here, we have at least a portion of that set, including...

the lone Blue Jay from that set.

It is very obviously the similar design as the base cards from the regular 1997, but to denote some of the movers and shakers as they were.

Now of course, an update is cause for a completely new release of 200 or so cards depending. At least the sets are still decent in size, rather than some of the "premium" releases like...

1998-99 Finest which is akin to Chrome, but these have that nice "peel and remove" wording because the surface is so tender, we needs to protects my precious...

The finest set is all of 150 cards, not even the size of a current baseball update set. Still, nice that the cards are all protected still.

The last set, which like Finest, is not currently in the keep pile...

They don't scan that well, but these are SPx Top Prospects hockey cards from that same year. These are interesting in the the SPx gold foil part is actually just on the one layer of card. These are thick cards, and can think of it as one card that is regular size, then the top part with the player picture is the same size, except cut out around the gold foil part.

Very interesting design. There is also a SN part in the bottom left where, for SN cards/parallels, the number is simply stamped on there and looks "boxed".

Interesting pick ups today all around.