1997 Circa Fast Track

For my first post on Things Done to Cards, I want to share a card that has kept my interest for over a decade. I pulled this furry little guy from a pack of Circa back in '97. I am pretty sure I got a Scott Rolen card in EVERY pack I opened in the late '90s. I guess I was lucky to have pulled this card. This particular insert was seeded one in every 24 packs.

For those of you who have never seen (or have managed to forget) the Circa line by Fleer, consider yourselves lucky. I am fairly certain that the set caused me permanent retinal damage. It was the dawn of the late '90s. The rules of good design just didn't apply. Circa '97 had some of the gaudiest base cards you can imagine. It is as if the worst inserts from Ultra and Skybox met and had thin card stock babies. (I tried to scan one, but my scanner threw up.)

The Fast Track insert set is a nice departure from the train wreck of the base set. It is a nice looking card, and they certainly did a cool Thing to it. The green, flocked surface was designed to look like AstroTurf. Raised slightly above the surface, the "grass" feels like velvet.

Unlike my other "valuable" inserts and Tony Gwynn cards, this card never went into a plastic sleeve, top loader, or Lucite screw down. This card was made to be touched. Even if Scott became the next Mike Schmidt (as the back of the card suggests,) the money this card might bring on ebay could never buy the joy received by sliding one's fingers across the furry surface.

I was able to find all ten of the cards from this insert set on ebay. But, as much as I would love buy them and knit them all together into a pair of mittens, I can't justify the expense. My lone 1997 Circa Fast Track- Scott Rolen card will have to keep me warm when it dips into the 60s this winter. (Aside from having the privilege of seeing Tony Gwynn's entire career, living in San Diego does have its advantages.)

Until I win the lotto and can afford the $1.00 that these inserts are fetching on ebay, It is my sole purpose in life to recreate this amazing texture on all of my cards. I just wish I could figure out how those design-challenged geniuses at Fleer managed to make these cards so darn cuddly...
... .- -.-- / .... .. / .. -. / - .... . ... . / -.-. --- -- -- . -. - ... / -... . ..-. --- .-. . / .- -. -.-- --- -. . / .--. --- ... - ... / --- -. / .- / -... .-. .. . ..-. / .. -. - .-. --- -.. ..- -.-. - .. --- -. / --- -. / .--. ..- -. -.- .-. --- -.-. -.- .--. .- .. -. - / .- -. -.. / -.-- --- ..- / -.-. .- -. / .... .- ...- . / .- -. -.-- / .... .. - / ..-. .-. --- -- / -- -.-- / -... --- -..- / --- ..-. / .- .-.. .-.. . -. / .- -. -.. / --. .. -. - . .-.