ONE SHEET, ONE SET - 2006/07 Parkhurst

Being a player collector has its pros and cons. I love the idea of tracking down everything from base cards, autographs and jersey cards to ultra rare parallels and oddball stuff.

The down side would be that there are a bunch of sets released that don't include Linden. As a result, I don't really get a chance to enjoy all the different card designs that are out there.

About a year ago, I heard of someone starting a side project of one 9-page sheet for each base set out there from the 70's on.

I thought to myself - "What a fantastic idea!" Only 9 cards would "complete" the set, I would be able to go after cards I normally wouldn't and I would be able to really appreciate all the different card designs that are issued every year.

So, in the first installment of "One Sheet, One Set", I'll begin the trek of finding one page worth of every set out there. I'll be taking a closer look at the cards and what I like and dislike about them.

Doing this as a weekly segment will build a nice little side project down the road.

Here we go.



The first set I'll be looking at is the 2006/07 Parkhurst base set. There are 250 cards in the complete set with 90 of them being shortprinted. The player selection is what really grabbed me right off the bat. Seeing some of the vintage uniforms really shot me back to my childhood (Oh those Colorado Rockies uniforms look sweet!) Star players, grinders, impact players and role players make up a quality checklist.

Another great aspect of this release is the autograph parallel. The full 250 card set was also released as an autograph set with the odds of getting an autograph being 1:6 packs. Some of the older guys have gorgeous signatures and the chase to build that complete set should only go to those with some heavy disposable income.



The design of the card upon first glance looks relatively simple. That's another huge plus. Simple is often better. But it's the little tweaks to the photos that punch these cards to the next level. The subtle blurring and color-draining of the background really makes the player stand out. The cards are all "head-to-toe" photos and there are some nicely framed shots and great photo selection. The "black & white" treatment to the older players is definitely effective.

The graphics added are also very subtle with just the logo in the top corner and a name bar in the bottom center. The mesh texture of the name bar bleeds out into the photo along the bottom and looks really good. There are no borders to the cards other than the slight darkening of the photo on each side. A solid looking card.



The back of the card continues the graphic treatment from the front. Rather than toss in complete stats of the player, it's just a "totals" line which gives ample room for some nice tidbits on the player. The color scheme is based on the team color and the mesh texture is prevalent throughout. Simple, yet effective.

I'm starting out with a bang on this one. As nice as these cards are, what makes them even nicer is that they don't cost an arm and a leg. With this set now a couple years old, I predict that one could build the base set (without SP's) for well less than $20. The SP's are even a reasonable price with the Bobby Orr getting top dollar in the set. My only negatives would be that some cards just don't have as much of an "action" feel to them as I'd like and sometimes the drop shadow of the player is a little to heavy.

Overall, a fantastic looking set with great player selection. The template for a successful release.

4.5 masks out of 5