Reason #945,223,256 Why I Love my Wife. (Or Merry Christmas Me)!

This Christmas was a great success - especially on the card receiving front.  My dad bought me a blaster of Bowman, my brother bought me one of those value packs that hold Topps Update and Bowman Chrome, and my wife...well, my wife knocked both of those gifts out of the proverbial water with this:

That's right, a lunch box full of 1999 UD Retro cards!

I remember first seeing an advertisement for Upper Deck Retro in an issue of Tuff Stuff back in 1999.  From that moment on, I've always wanted to own one of the lunch boxes and bust the packs.  Before I opened the box up (and yes, I opened the box before I scanned it, I couldn't wait to dig in), I had no idea what the actual cards from the set looked like...I simply knew that I liked the concept of a "retro" set.  Remember, this was back in 1999 - well before the retro craze of the 00s.

Anyhow, even though it's over a decade later, I was still extremely excited to open up the box - and let me tell you, the box didn't disappoint!  Over the next few posts, I'll reveal the contents of a box from a set that many people probably didn't ever even see on store shelves let alone purchase.  And once again, a HUGE thanks to my wife for the awesome gift!

1999 UD Retro:
Pack 1:

For the first pack, I'll scan all the cards so that you can get a feel for what they look like.

13.  Cal Ripken Jr.

19.  Frank Thomas

The card backs feature up to thirteen years of major league stats.  For most players, that's more than enough...but as you'll see in a moment some players had a 25+ year career by the time they were on a 1999 trading card.  The other thing that I like about the back of the cards is the "Claim to Fame" blurb.  Each player gets one - and you can learn an interesting thing or two by reading through the various cards in the set!
40.  Carlos Febles

89.  Nolan Ryan

105.  Gary Carter

The Gary Carter card (along with the Nolan Ryan) show off another highlight of the UD Retro set - retired stars!  I'm always a sucker for sets that feature great players of the past - yet another reason why I was drawn to this set in the first place!
D6.  Distant Replay:  Roger Clemens

 The Distant Replay cards are seeded 1:8 packs (there are also sequentially numbered parallels of the Distant Replay cards but this wasn't one of those).  I don't really like the design of the insert that much - I'd actually rather have another base card I think so that I could get closer to completing the set but I'm guessing if I had the entire Distant Replay set in a binder it'd look pretty sweet.

Pack 2:

4.  Randy Johnson

20.  Ray Durham
57.  Tino Martinez
74.  Barry Bonds
87.  David Wells
T1.  Throwback Attack - Ken Griffey Jr.

The Throwback Attack cards look suspiciously similar to a certain Topps design...  That said, I have to say that I still enjoy pulling a card of "the Kid" so this one is special to me.  The Throwback Attack cards are the most common of the inserts and are seeded 1:5 packs.

And that's the first two packs (out of a total of twenty four packs).  My question for you is:  Did any of you collect this set?  And, if so, do any of you have any cards available for trade?  I haven't collated the box yet but I'm guessing I won't have a complete set on my own...  Stay tuned throughout the week for more packs from the box - and as a special hint:  Each box contains an autograph, and that autograph may be either a "current star or retired legend."  Unfortunately, there are some redemptions that are lurking (and have long since expired)...but I can say that I was fortunate enough to NOT pull a redemption...who did I actually get for my auto?  You'll have to wait to see!