It still hasn't sunk in yet that Michael Jackson's dead. He was a man who transformed the music industry by making music videos more like big-time mini-movies. A trend-setter and a showman, Jackson's impact on the world of entertainment will never be forgotten.
So here I found myself this afternoon, basking in the glow of the end of another school year, looking forward to some big changes in September, kicking back and have good chats with my co-workers. Reading the story as it unfolded, it was interesting to see the various stages of reports, overlapping, all quoting the tabloids as their source. Heart attack, not breathing, coma, dead at the age of 50. Those were the headlines I was reading. And while there have been many urban legends and rumors of his death in the past, just like Stephanie from
Full House, Paul from
The Wonder Years and your choice of
Brady Bunch child, he was still alive. But this time it was real. He's gone. I will not meet a life goal of seeing him live in concert. Damn.
I spent the evening dealing with my shock listening to the thunder outside and scanning my set of
Michael Jackson: Series One cards released by O-Pee-Chee in 1984. They're almost exactly like the Topps set except you've got the traditional English/French text and the puzzle cards are not stickers. Both the base set and the puzzle cards have 33 cards in them.
Below is a sample.
Click here to see the entire set.Base Set
Puzzle Cards:
There's no doubt this is clearly an 80s set. The borders are nasty but there's something about the variety of images that's, well, interesting. You've got the superstar Michael in all of his singing and dancing glory. Then there's the crying clown and the llama patter. I love that the set recognized his turn as the Scarecrow in The Wiz.
I haven't checked today, but under normal circumstances, this set has been available online for less than $10. The combination of plentiful stock and ugly design has left it historically not too enticing.
RIP MJ.
