Introduction

Starting Lineups (abbreviated SLUs) are a line of collectible sports figurines produced by American toy company Kenner from 1988-2001.  Primarily produced for four sports–baseball, basketball, football and hockey–each piece includes a figurine resembling a current sports star, one or more trading cards, and occasionally other things like a mini-poster or small medallion.  They are one of the most popular lines of sports figurines ever produced, and there is still a sizeable market for them, especially the older pieces, which are hard to find in good condition because of their age and packaging.

History

The idea behind Starting Lineups was actually first proposed by former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Pat McInally.  Around 1986, he sold his Cincinnati condominium to an executive from Kenner, and the two of them got to brainstorming toy ideas.  McInally had noticed on a recent visit to a toy store that there were no action figures based on “real-life heroes.”  Kenner picked up on his idea, and two years later, they introduced Starting Lineups to the sports-collecting public with TV commercials featuring a young boy zipping around a room filled with hundreds of the figurines.  The idea, they said, was to collect them all “before he does.”

Released mainly to toy stores, Starting Lineups quickly became a hot item among hobby dealers, who would buy them up and resell them for profit.  The original series in 1988 covered three sports, with each sport color-coded: baseball (blue), basketball (red), and football (green).  Five years later, they started manufacturing hockey (yellow).  The figures were released in cases of 16, designated by year, sport and a two-digit decimal number.  For example, 1988 Baseball Case .01, 1992 Football Case .04, etc.  As time passed, Kenner realized it was getting more business from hobby dealers than toy stores.  Consequently, the company changed its marketing strategy, and greatly reduced the number of different pieces produced.  In five years, from 1988-1993, the set totals dropped from 124 to 45 in baseball, 85 to 29 in basketball, and 137 to 27 in football.

By the early 1990s, the figurines had become a major part of the National Sports Card Convention, and other conventions began that were exclusively devoted to Starting Lineups.  Kenner released a number of convention pieces only available at these shows, some with multiple variations.  They also established the Starting Lineup Collector Club, which one could enter by sending in a form on the back of any piece.  A one-year subscription cost $8.99, and offered collectors opportunities to buy special figurines only available through the club.  The convention and collector club pieces, not being available through retail, usually draw premium prices.  Other subsets of note include: Headline Collection, Cooperstown Collection, Stadium Stars, Classic Doubles, One on One, Gridiron Greats, 12" Figures and Timeless Legends.

Kenner discontinued making basketball pieces in 1998 after the NBA lockout, and the entire line three years later.  A few products are considered “successors” to Starting Lineups, such as Mattel NBA Superstars (1999-2000) and McFarlane Sports Picks (2001-present).  Production years for major sports are as follows:

Baseball: 1988-2001
Basketball: 1988-1998
Football: 1988-2000
Hockey: 1993-2000
Racing: 1997-2000

Anatomy

Starting Lineup packages consist of a clear plastic bubble glued to a rectangular piece of cardboard with rounded corners.  The cardboard measures 7 7/8" wide and 8 7/8" tall.  In the middle of the top edge of the cardboard is a J-shaped hang tab.  The size of the plastic bubble varies depending on the shape of the figurine, but each figurine is held in place by a separate piece of plastic form-fitted to it.  The bubble always houses one or more trading cards, and occasionally another keepsake.  In addition, the bubble has a kind of “foot” extending 2-3 inches out from the cardboard that allows the case to stand.

Each figurine is made of hard plastic, and painted to resemble an athlete.  There is a limited number of poses a figurine can have, initially 10 for each sport.  In 1993 and 1995, Kenner introduced a number of new poses.  They are semi-articulated, with joints at the shoulders, neck and waist.  They each have a base that resembles part of the playing floor for their particular sport: baseball diamond, basketball court, football field, hockey rink, etc.  Some are crafted to look like the player is jumping, and in those cases, the base is actually a separate piece of plastic, connected to the player by a thin metal rod.  Each figurine can stand on its own if removed from its package.

Condition Guide/Pricing

Similar to collectible toys, Starting Lineups are considered to be in mint condition–and therefore most valuable–when unopened and still in their original package.  However, because the packages are made of cardboard and plastic, they are very easily damaged and often hard to find in decent shape.  Creases in the cardboard and dents in the plastic from bending and pressure are the most common problems.  Continued exposure to direct sunlight or cigarette smoke can cause yellowing in the plastic, and can even cause the plastic to peel away from the cardboard.  The most serious issue, however, is damage to the piece itself or the card.  Some collectors prefer to remove the piece altogether if the casing is in poor condition, and opened pieces are valued about the same as those in severely damaged cases.

The now-defunct magazine Beckett Collectibles used a four-grade condition guide for Starting Lineups.  It defined the grades as follows: Mint, a piece with no blemishes that looks like it just rolled off the manufacturing line; Near Mint, a piece with a minor flaw such as small scratches, one to two fuzzy corners or slight touches of wear; Excellent, a piece with noticeable defects such as large scratches, minor denting, slight discoloration or fading, or a “sticker hickey”; Distressed, a heavily damaged piece with major discoloration or fading, creases in the card, creases or rips in the package, the hang tab ripped off, or tack holes.  The magazine listed Near Mint as the standard condition for pieces from 1988-1991, and Mint as the standard from 1992-present.  A player’s “rookie” issue was denoted as First Piece (FP).

One of the most important things to note about pricing is that supply and demand is much more important for Starting Lineups than for cards.  Rare pieces of lesser athletes are often more valuable than plentiful pieces of major athletes.  For example, in the 1988 basketball set, Michael Jordan is the most mass-produced piece, and is valued less than the incredibly rare Utah Jazz pieces (Karl Malone, John Stockton, Mark Eaton, Thurl Bailey).  In fact, the 1988 Karl Malone is the most valuable Staring Lineup ever made, according to Tuff Stuff.

Storage/Shipping

The biggest hazard to Starting Lineups is pressure–having heavy weight on top of them.  They are made of very light material, and crumple easily.  They can be stacked, but do not place them under anything.  The two best ways to store them are to set them on shelves, or hang them by their tabs (that’s the way they were intended to be sold in retail stores, after all).  If you don’t have any spokes to hang them on, a wire suspended from posts in the wall works too, but be sure not to drag them along the wire as it could put a tear in the tab.  Older pieces and ones with damaged tabs should never be suspended.  Do not store them anywhere that they will be exposed to direct sunlight from a window.  Also, if there is a resident smoker in your home or shop, make sure he/she does not smoke in the same room where your Starting Lineups are kept.  Close the door to that room or smoke outside.

The same rules apply when shipping Starting Lineups.  Never ship them in envelopes; make sure to use cardboard boxes and plenty of padding.  Label them as fragile.  It’s also a good idea to buy shipping insurance and use Priority or Express mail.  Don’t take any chances with them that you wouldn’t take with something made of glass.

Older and more valuable pieces should definitely be stored in clear plastic display cases.  There are many companies that manufacture them, including Jake’s Toy Chest.  These protectors completely encase the pieces, holding them firmly in place by pinching the edge of the cardboard, and have a lot of room for the plastic bubble.  They also have an additional hang tab so that cased pieces can still be hung.  Cases like this are inexpensive, costing between one dollar and $1.50, and are a great investment to protect your favorite pieces.  Hard plastic display cases also exist, with a locking hatch on top to insert and remove the pieces, but these are much more costly.

Variations/Key Figurines

In many instances, Kenner produced more than one version of the same piece.  Often the differences between versions were very strong, such as a different jersey or pose, and produced in about equal quantities.  Some, however, had very slight variations, one of which was extremely rare and given a huge premium by collectors.  The most notable variations include: 1994 Cooperstown Collection Jackie Robinson with jersey #44, 1998 Baseball Sammy Sosa at Wrigley Field, 1992 Basketball Magic Johnson with yellow jersey, 1994 Basketball Dennis Rodman with red hair, 1989 Football Ken O’Brien with misspelled name, 1996 Football Troy Aikman with double star, 1995 Timeless Legends Rocky Marciano with brown hair.

The July 2006 edition of Tuff Stuff lists the following as the ten most valuable pieces:

1.  1988 Basketball Karl Malone ($750)
2.  1988 Basketball John Stockton ($550)
3.  1988 Football Marc Wilson ($425)
3.  1989 Football Bill Bates ($425)
3.  1989 Football Bill Fralic ($425)
4.  1988 Football Ron Woodson ($400)
5.  1988 Football Darrell Green ($375)
5.  1988 Football Kellen Winslow ($375)
6.  1988 Football Steve Jordan ($360)
7.  Five tied ($350)

Further Information

Please refer to Tuff Stuff’s Complete Guide to Starting Lineup, by Jim Warren for additional pricing and checklist information.