COMC haul #10: the best 90s Lark since Saved by the Bell's Voorhies!

(Note:  all COMC haul posts can be accessed here)

Today's haul cards tie in nicely with my other post over at TMM, and in both cases I think Chris of Nachos Grande will be especially interested.

In addition to Detroit Tiger Bill Freehan, I've decided to feature my Barry Larkin pickups over here since I have a relative dearth of haul cards to post on this blog otherwise, and I think especially Larkin will garner plenty of interest over here.  Today I'm showing of just a small part of my Larkin haul (the best is yet to come!), but I think you guys will like it all the same, because I'm talking about 1990s INSERTS!

Barry Larkin 1996 Bowman's Best Refractor

Barry Larkin 1998 Donruss Diamond Kings (#09671/10000)

That's right--I didn't just throw a ton of money at a bunch of big hits (not JUST, but I did do that)--I also picked up a pair of what I thought were really cool inserts.

For my money, 1996 Bowman's Best was one of Topps' cooler designs in the series, but regardless, the Refractors really make the design's color scheme pop, and that's always a plus.  And, I mean, who doesn't like Refractors?  If you answered "me!" then I'll stay off your lawn and let you get back to watching Matlock with an onion on your belt (which was the style at the time).

The Diamond Kings insert is just as fun.  These certainly grew in quality from the original series in the 80s to some pretty nice inserts in the 90s and beyond.  This is an outstanding painting of Larkin in a cool, pensive pose and is well-executed.  The Diamond Kings series is one of the things Donruss did well to differentiate it from the other brands, and some of Topps' more artistic offerings have the DKs to thank for their success.  And let's not forget how rare these cards are--ONLY 10000!  If I see another one before I turn 60 I'll be shocked.  By the way, if you also dislike Diamond Kings, I'll be careful to stay off your lawn as I carefully place a flaming bag of dog poo on your doorstep.

I promise to come back to the even better Larkin stuff within a couple posts, but for now, please enjoy the majesty of some amazing inserts from TWO DECADES AGO (God, I'm getting old).