Mike Devereaux, 1993 Studio #55

Am I the only collector who goes wild for 1993 Studio? I've loved this set since I started buying packs off the shelf of my local hobby shop for 99 cents a pack in the fall of that year. The holographic facsimile signatures and the use of team jerseys, logo patches, and cap insignias as backgrounds were design touches that appealed to me at age 11 and still hold up in my mind. Photographically, it was a departure from the disastrously goofy posed yearbook shots of the previous two Studio sets. Most of the player photos on the card fronts in 1993 Studio appeared to be candid shots, offering a better glimpse into the subject's personality than any stiff "smile for the camera" grin or "show us your game face" glower. The more formal portraits were consigned to the card back, but zoomed in and bleeding in from either the left or right border, giving you a (literally) closer look at your heroes than ever before. These shots are fine as a contrast to the candid pictures on the front, and fit well with the sometimes-enlightening, often-confounding "Up Close" factoids. Where else will you learn that Mike Devereaux dislikes inconsiderate drivers?