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The box design of 1995 Sportflix Baseball when opened resembles something very similar to that of 1997 Pinnacle X-Press. The flap out with the Cal Ripken Jr. Sportflix disc is an interesting addition. I can’t bring myself to remove this disc. Until I decide how to proceed with this arrangement, I will keep the box. Pinnacle always did such interesting things when they were around. Before Pinnacle re-introduced this product in the market, it was done under the then name of Sportflics. Pinnacle’s version features the same reflective technology but with the addition of inserts, and Artist’s Proofs. I wouldn’t say this was one of Pinnacle’s flagship products by any means but it definitely was an important one in that it brought back this concept.
This single box yielded almost a complete set, with very few doubles. I appreciate the even distribution of the contents in this box. Sometimes I open a box and get hundreds of doubles, this box contained exactly 3. That means that almost every single pack offered something unique. Before I bought this box, I had never seen one. I don’t see this stuff really at all anymore. All products come and go and some of them once gone sometimes get forgotten. That or it all gets opened and finding sealed boxes becomes a rare encounter.
Breakdown:
A box of 1995 Sportflix Baseball contains 36 packs, each containing 5 cards for a gross total yield of 180 cards. The set consists of 170 cards. The breakdown is as follows:
- 167/170 cards: % of set complete = 98.2%
- Doubles: 3
Inserts:
- Artist’s Proof parallels: 1
- Detonators: 2/9, 22.2%
- Hammer Team: 9/18, 50%
This is an interesting set. The ’95 Rookie subset is a colorful one. The color combination is bright and vibrant. The Artist’s Proof parallels differentiate from the base with a black & gold logo on the lower half of the card. The Hammer Team
and Detonators
inserts feature very animated designs.
Availability:
This product was likely abundantly available at hobby shops back in ’95. As far as retail, I can’t really say with any degree of certainty whether or not this product was available. These days, however, sealed boxes are rather difficult to find. Many hobby shops just don’t carry product from the mid ’90’s because to be quite honest, the return just isn’t there for a lot of it.
Supply & Demand:
Likely when this product dropped in ’95, it was successful even if it was one of Pinnacle’s lower end releases. It reached a unique market. It’s a colorful release with great technology. By ’95, Pinnacle had already established itself as a market leader in the hobby by offering a variety of excellent and innovative products. My guess is that this product was released to ride the wave of success garnered from Pinnacle’s other products. One of those, they’re-buying-whatever-we’re-making-so-let’s-add-this-one-to-the-mix-and-print-more-money releases. In no way am I discounting the integrity of this product. I’m very much a fan of Sportflix and I’m glad this product made it into the market.
In terms of demand in today’s market, this product is probably fairly far down the totem pole. Boxes are rare online and in person. When you do find them, their price points are somewhere in the $30 ballpark, which seems high to me. I got my box for a cool $3, which is 10% of perceived market value. I wouldn’t expect to find that deal again very soon but if I were to gage actual market value, I’d say $15 would be fair. I say this because the ROI lands in that range. You get one Artist’s Proof a box, and they are relatively inexpensive to purchase on their own. You get a lot of cards that are evenly distributed, and the chance to put some cool, low value inserts into your collection.
Conclusion:
I would recommend this product. It’s simple, affordable, and very nice to view. While sealed boxes are rare, they do exist if you look hard enough. You will get almost a complete set, a few doubles, some really nice inserts, and a single Artist’s Proof out of a single box. I can’t guarantee this by any means but this is what was pulled from this box. While this product doesn’t offer a very high ROI, it does offer a fun experience and a chance to add some low end but very decent looking cards to your collection.
To see what’s currently on eBay from 1995 Sportflix, click here.
