Buzz Break: 1993 Action Packed Rookie Update NFL cards

From time to time, Buzz will break a box of something and post the results here. Like this and want to see more? Or maybe there's a box you'd want to see busted? Send Buzz an email at BlowoutBuzz@blowoutcards.com.

The box: 1993 Action Packed Rookie Update football cards
Where to buy: Will take some looking ... BlowoutCards.com for Retro Rips boxes

Keep reading for a breakdown and gallery of what was in this one.

Packs per box: 25 (24 standard and one two-card promo pack)
Cards per pack: 6
Cards per box: 146
Base set completion: 
60 of 60 (100 percent)
Duplicates: 60 (Yes ... two complete sets.)
Triplicates: 24

Base card notables – Joe Montana, Reggie White, Rocket Ismail (Nearly every card here is a RC.)

Rookie Cards (55 unique ... Don't make me count this more!) – Notables include Drew Bledsoe, Jerome Bettis, Mark Brunell, George Teague, Rick Mirer, William Roaf, Robert Smith, John Copeland, Eric Curry, Dana Stubblefield, Jason Elam, Natrone Means

Inserts: 2 (in gallery below with some base)
1993-94 Action Packed Hockey Prototypes (2) – Bobby Hull, Bobby Hull (gold)

Autographs/Memorabilia: None

What's Buzz-worthy: I have a soft spot for Action Packed NFL back in the day (now part of the Panini America trademark portfolio, by the way) but after opening this one I think it's from the sets before this one. I found this on the cheap awhile back and was so not-impressed that it's sat some time for a slow Throwback Thursday like today. The set is like 55 cards of 60 rookies with a few notable veterans tacked on with the only chase here being 24K gold leaf cards ... and I didn't land one. This was a hobby box with its bonus topper pack -- a plug for an NHL set that is perhaps way more obscure than anything NFL. (I'm not sure I have ever seen it.) This one I never opened back in the day beyond a pack or two and I knew it was odd based on the labeling and color-coding of draft rounds for players. They're not parallels or anything, just color-coded ... and to be honest I'd prefer them without all that foil that seems to not be aging well in some instances ... even from fresh packs. I grabbed this since it was cheap -- likely under $1 a pack if I remember correctly -- but was pretty underwhelmed even with two sets in one box. That saved its grades from me. Condition-wise, there were a lot of issues here and that makes me think there may not be a lot of stuff graded here ... so high-grade copies might be pricey if they exist and people are looking. All in all, it was a nice trip back to the Action Packed years but I think 1991 and 1992 are more my jam ... and I think I still want to open the first series of this year -- the design is way better and there are some insert cards to chase, too, unlike this one.

Product Grade: A- (in its time ... now, it's probably a C product)
Box Grade: A (can't argue with two sets)
Fun Grade: B- (tiny set and checklist hasn't aged well)

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