Today’s card-pulling ritual from a 2024 Topps Allen & Ginter pack started like any other. I’m always meticulous about extracting just one card, carefully avoiding any accidental multi-card casualties waiting for their moment in the spotlight another day.
As I began to pull out today’s card, something felt different. It was stuck—really stuck—to another card. When I tried to separate them, I realized this wasn’t just any ordinary card stack. This was thick. My heart raced. “OH EXCITING!” I thought. “I’ve got some kind of special card!”
I dramatically extracted the thick card, my imagination running wild with possibilities of what super-cool collectible I might have discovered.
It was a dude with a goatee, wearing a jean jacket and a checkered scarf with fringe. Below the picture is a swatch of black fabric. I got a relic card of… some random dude?
Who is this bloke? I flipped the card over. “Rider Strong, Actor & Film Producer”. What the freak. Who is Rider Strong? Maybe he’ll have some sort of interesting background. I looked him up on IMDB.
Nope.
For those as bewildered as I was, Rider Strong is none other than Shawn Hunter from the ’90s sitcom “Boy Meets World” (1993-2000). You know, the stereotypical heartthrob from that era.
And now, inexplicably, I own a card with a fabric swatch allegedly from his wardrobe. Most likely not from the ’90s TV show, but rather something the actor (now 45 years old) pulled from his closet. Or even more likely, a piece of fabric that Topps bought at Joann’s Fabric.
If you are curious about the fabric (I don’t know who would be), here’s a close-up shot.
I cannot possibly imagine a card that I would be LEAST interested in getting than this one. It’s almost like, “Ew, I have a swatch of one of his clothes. No thanks.” The idea of possessing a piece of fabric potentially worn by a 90s TV actor feels more like a comedic punch line than a collector’s treasure.
Want a piece of 90s nostalgia? I’ll happily mail this card for free to anyone in a plain white envelope. Seriously, I need this out of my house. (The irony isn’t lost on me that I’m now immortalizing this moment on my blog, ensuring these images will persist long after the physical card is gone.)
Any takers?
It’s been 442 days. Has anybody taken you up on the free offer for the card? Maybe you need to include like a bag of chips or something in the offer.