Buzz Break: 1993 Classic Pro Line Live 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 Classic Pro Line Live football cards
Where to buy: Will take some hunting ... BlowoutCards.com for newer NFL boxes

Keep reading to see a full breakdown and gallery of everything that was in this one.

Packs per box: 36
Cards per pack: 12
Cards in this box: 432

Pro Line Live set completion: 
256 of 285 (89 percent)
Duplicates: 12

Pro Line Portraits set completion: 
34 of 48 (71 percent)
Duplicates: 10

Pro Line Profiles set completion: 
90 of 117 (77 percent)
Duplicates: 20

Notables on non-inserts – Barry Sanders, Harvey Martin, Archie Manning, Shannon Sharpe, Ricky Watters, Reggie White, Art Monk, Jerome Bettis, Drew Bledsoe, Jimmy Johnson, Emmitt Smith, Dan Marino, Joe Montana, Steve Young, Howie Long, Cornelius Bennett, Lawrence Taylor, Ronnie Lott, Eric Dickerson, Tim Brown, Jerry Rice, Cris Carter, John Elway, Derrick Thomas, Michael Strahan, Marcus Allen, Warren Moon, Randall Cunningham, Joe Montana, Thurman Thomas, Steve Young, Michael Irvin, Brett Favre, Troy Aikman, Rick Mirer, Shannon Sharpe, Sterling Sharpe, Bernie Kosar, Bruce Smith, Andre Reed, Andre Rison

Inserts: 10 (all in gallery below with notables from all sets)
Pro Line Portraits Wives (5) – Annette Rypien, Ann Stark, Cindy Walker, Cindy Reed (2)
Pro Line Live Limited Print (4) – Chris Webber, Lorenzo White, Barry Foster, Marion Butts (/40,000 each)
Pro Line TONX Preview (1) – Deion Sanders

Autographs/Memorabilia: None

What's Buzz-worthy: I didn't land any retail this week so I opted for a Flashback Friday approach with this one ... a box from what I think might be one of the best eras for football cards -- the 1990s -- at least while many of the 1980s guys were still around and before it all became a lot more huck-it, chuck-it football all the time. Why rip this? A shot at certified autographs that could be very good paydays -- but they are not every box in this one like they were the year before and were in some years after. Autos are only a few times per case in this one and they are also tougher in jumbo boxes that have fewer packs but ultimately look the same at a glance. Thankfully, I got this one for less than $1 a pack which made it an easy try ... and there are some classic cards to be found in this one if you don't get an auto. (I wouldn't overpay for these boxes, though, either. If I were to go around $50 to $75 it would be for a year with guaranteed ink. ... As I noted in a past break of this one a few years ago, this set marks the first time that Pro Line had not been just portrait photography and it's still among the coolest brands of its time. You could argue that the 1991-93 Pro Line Portraits are among the most-creative sets ever -- unless you're talking value. Why? They made plenty of these cards back to meet the demands of the time and the added interest that came with certified autographs on a regular basis. (Their non-traditional approach isn't big with a lot of collectors, too.) The product is made up of three sets -- Pro Line Portraits and Pro Line Profiles, which is a nine-card story of a player's life that fits in a pages, are sets continuing the releases from the first two years and the Pro Line Live set that is the main one. There are some crazy/fun portraits here -- check 'em out.

Product Grade: A
Box Grade: B+ (my inserts were pretty rough in this box)
Fun Grade: B

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