Ripping Packs of 2017 Donruss Gets Me Feeling Nostalgic

I am working on getting a scanning system up and running so that I can resume/conclude my 12 Days of Trade Posts, recap my first card show of the year, and show off the results of my 2017 Topps jumbo box break. Until I'm ready to go, I'm sticking to posts that are light on the scans(when I'm posting at all). That being said, I happened to be in my LCS looking for some new 'home-made repacks' that they always have out. The pickings were kinda slim today, so I took a look at the product on the shelves. I had no idea that I would see a freshly opened box of 2017 Donruss staring back at me. I picked out two packs and set them on the counter to pay.

Turns out, that had just been delivered an hour or so b fore I walked in. I was the first to grab any packs out of the box. The owner of the shop wished me luck, I said thank you and left. I hadn't read any product reviews/previews prior to picking up these packs and therefore had no idea what the design looked like. This made me feel like a kid getting ready to open packs again. I never knew what a new product looked like before I opened my first pack of it back when I was younger. In some ways, I miss that feeling of anticipation as I would get ready to rip open the wrapper of a product for the first time. For a moment, I got to feel that again this afternoon. If anyone knows the feeling I'm talking about, I would highly recommend you try to go into a product without any prior knowledge. These days I know it's tough, but it can be done...and it is soooo worth it! Let's get on to what I saw once I removed the wrapper of pack one.

OMG. This design will clearly not be for everyone. However, it was perfect for me. Why, you ask? My first thought as I saw the design was 'Wow! It's a slightly updated 1990 Donruss!' This was perfect for me because I'm one of the few people that happen to have fond memories of that set. I actually liked it quite a bit back in its day. Seeing that this was the design for this year's set allowed my nostalgic feelings to continue through the ripping of both packs. Let's look at a quick comparison.

There you go. Both designs share similarities of two lines across the top, script writing for the player name, and a 'paint splatter' motif. Panini can't use the team names these days, they opted to put the position above the top line, and the Donruss logo is significantly different but the inspiration was definitely drawn from this set from 27 years ago. Let's get back to the contents of the first pack.

There's a look at the card back. It's interesting. So far I don't hate it or love it. The Cueto continues the trend of insert sets paying homage to the sets of Donruss' history. This year, they rework the 1983 set. I've liked these over the past few years and this year is no different. If they continue these efforts next season, it may be the first time I try to complete the set. I'm kinda partial to the '84 set. Seven cards down, one to go in the first pack.

This is a blue parallel of the Signature Series auto set. I have not heard of Jose Rondon and haven't looked him up yet. If the back of this card is to be believed, he may end up being a decent player. Either way, it was a nice way to finish the pack. On to pack two. As I ripped the mylar, I could see something thick in the middle of the pack. I closed my eyes and reorganized the stack so at the thick card was on he bottom of the stack. I'm not really sure why I did that because since their return, Donruss packs have often contained the thick, blank, 'dummy' inserts.

The more I see the base set, the more I like it. If these were fully licensed, it would be my favorite set of the past few years. From my small sample size, I'm not sure that Panini has done as good a job selecting photos that mask the lack of logos as they have in past years. Perhaps as I see more, I'll feel differently on that.

This Balckmon Dominator is #/99 and very shiny. I'm really digging this particular insert set. I'm going to have to look into who else is on the checklist.

Wow! I guess it wasn't a dummy! Apparently, I'm being pushed into starting a Javy Baez PC. I guess there could be worse things. This sweet relic concludes my unexpectedly nostalgic pack busting session from earlier today. What do you think of the Donruss design this year. Am I the only one crazy enough to like it? Thanks for reading.