The 1995 Score baseball card set was unique as it marked a new beginning for the Score brand under its new parent company, Printers Ink. Score had been a prominent brand in the baseball card industry since the late 1980s before encountering financial difficulties in the early 1990s. Printers Ink acquired the Score name and brand in late 1994 and were tasked with relaunching Score for the new season.
For collectors and fans, 1995 Score aimed to build on what made previous Score sets popular while introducing some new design elements and technological innovations that highlighted Printers Ink’s vision for the revitalized brand. The base card design took cues from the classic Score look of the late 80s/early 90s with a clean white border surrounding each player photo. Background colors corresponded to each player’s respective team. Standard card statistics were featured on the reverse along with a small action photo of the player.
A major new addition to 1995 Score was the inclusion of franchise logos directly on the front of each card. Rather than just team colors delineating affiliation, logos from all 28 major league franchises at the time were proudly displayed on the upper right hand corner of cards featuring that team’s players. This allowed for instant team recognition and appealed to collectors interests in representative team logos and uniforms.
Printers Ink also sought to leverage new printing technologies with the 1995 Score release. For the first time, fluorescent ink was utilized to produce a shiny, subtly glowing effect on certain elements of some cards. Fielder’s Choice parallels featured photos with an iridescent sheen bouncing off player uniforms and hats when tilted under light. Short printed insert sets highlighting All-Star candidates also made use of the experimental fluorescent inks. While not a huge innovation, it showed Score’s willingness to experiment with emerging printing techniques.
Population control was a greater priority for Printers Ink in 1995 Score compared to previousScore issues. Stricter guidelines were introduced around printing numbers with the mainstream base set limited to only 999,999 produced cards. Signature rookies and other short print parallels had edition sizes in the low thousands. This rarity escalated collector demand and interest compared to the much higher print runs of early 90s Score which some collectors felt diminished set value over time. A limited release schedule for factory sets and blaster boxes also helped maintain interest levels after initial product release.
Condition sensitive collectors appreciated 1995 Score’s thinner card stock compared to prior years. The lighter cardstock was less prone to dings, dents or surface damage which benefitted long term preservation. Centering issues, a bugaboo of earlier Score print runs, seemed minimized as well with straighter player photographs and cleaner borders being the norm rather than the exception. Overall quality control clearly improved under Printers Ink’s stewardship coming off prior years complaints.
Design-wise, Score continued to feature some of the flashiest and most artistic uniform and action photography of any mainstream card brand. High resolution full bleed photos spilled off the edges of cards bringing player poses and environments to life. Image selection highlighted key stars like Griffey, Bonds, Ripken and Glavine but also unearthed hidden gems featuring more obscure players. A wide cross section of MLB talent was represented from starting lineups down to September call ups.
1995 Score set the collector community abuzz with several highly coveted short prints and parallel inserts. The “Black Gold” parallel featured Select players on solid black bordered cards with a regal old westmotif. Superstar rookies like Chipper Jones also received Black Gold treatments. “Neon Signs” had fluorescent photos inside neon bulb borders paying homage to classic bar/restaurant advertising. “Fluorescent Frames” featured floating fluorescent uniforms against a black backdrop. All showed creativity beyond basic parallels.
Base rookie cards of future hall of famers like Jones, Todd Helton, Vladimir Guerrero and pitcher Kevin Brown continued Score’s tradition of showcasing future stars in their true rookie seasons rather than as prospect cards. Ultra premium parallels and autographs of these rookies like the “Fluorescent Frame” Jones fetched huge prices for early collectors able to pull them. Other standout inserts highlighted statistical leaders, postseason heroes and top prospects joining the show.
In terms of legacy, 1995 Score reestablished the brand as a distinct high quality mainstream release. While not attaining the same stratospheric heights of 1986 Topps or 1987 Fleer, it captured the fun, flashy emotion and nostalgia of the baseball card collector psyche that made Score so popular originally. Printers Ink’s stewardship stabilized the company and laid the groundwork for many successful future Score releases that followed. For collectors and players, 1995 Score solidified a fresh start for a venerable brand ready to enter its second golden age.
