TRADING CARDS :: 6 More Random Picks

I kinda love the mixed-bag approach to this series; it's a bore trying to come up with different ways to say "And here's Vicki Vale looking disheveled" five times in a row. Not that I couldn't, mind you, but we've left too much unexplored to stay stuck in the norm. 

- Paul

SAVED BY THE BELL THE COLLEGE YEARS (#46) "Rush Week" -- Pacific, 1994

If you haven't seen The College Years (or The College Year more accurately) you've done yourself a disservice. It's as every bit as joyous and daft as the original series with only very mild young adult overtones. The bulk of this set is posed publicity photos of the cast, but there are a few like this that give you a sense of just how seriously they took this short-lived spinoff. If it's what you're into, you'll be into it.

ROCKCARDS (#20) "David Lee Roth" -- RockCards Inc., 1991

Just having these cards in my collection made me feel more grown up (or at least like a teenager). Not unlike so many sports cards, this series helped me learn the players' names and which teams they were on and what position they played. And I could bring this knowledge to MTV and have a more enjoyable viewing experience. And it should be noted: Dave isn't posing here, this is how he looks all the time. 

THE NATURAL "Pop Fisher" -- 2007

Do you have a Wilford Brimley card? If you don't, you wish you did. Packaged with the 2007 Director's Cut DVD of The Natural was a New York Knights ball cap, a baseball signed by Roy Hobbs, and 5 trading cards - one of which is this Pop Fisher portrait that looks pretty convincing as an antique. All physical media should come with prizes. 

CONEHEADS (#61) "Inside Beldar Conehead" -- Topps, 1993

I found out about these too late, which sucks because I would've consumed them in mass quantities. Putting aside my own passion for this flick, this really is a perfect movie to get its own card series; beyond the makeup and costumes, each scene is its own short comedy sketch (as depicted here) which makes for a great "collect 'em all!" scenario. And that pink border is just too bodacious. 

BILL AND TED'S EXCELLENT ADVENTURE (#18) -- Pro Set, 1991

I can hear this image - as they say. Out of context, most of the frames from this movie are hilariously bizarre. But I chose this one because, in context, the Napoleon subplot is kinda the best part of the movie for too many reasons to list. 

VIDEO VIXENS (#30) "Jeanna Fine" -- Decisive Marketing, 1992

This is by far the most modest Adult trading card I have, but it's the most valued; Jeanna Fine was/is my favorite entertainer in the industry - appearing in Party Doll A Go-Go (1 & 2), The Adventures of Dick Black, Cycle Sluts, Malibu Spice, Edward Penishands, and hundreds of others, as well as cameos in mainstream stuff like Hack-o-Lantern and Boondock Saints. Point is, this isn't my only Jeanna Fine card, and I point that out because it's just wonderful that there was a time when everything including subject matter like this was available in foil-wrapped packages.