My First Starting Lineup addition in a decade

Yesterday, took a trip to the local antique mall. This is my favorite place to go- there is always something good to buy there. (At least a dozen dealers have cards, for example) While there I came across a dealer with Starting Lineups. I've seen the table before but I didn't really know what I had. I've since made a listing of which ones I had, and this dealer had a figure I didn't have. For a scant $5 I brought it home. It is the first Starting Lineup I've added to my collection since 2005, and the first NBA SLU I've added since roughly 2002. It's a good thing I made the list because I already had the other figure he had.

This is the 1988 issue Akeem Olajuwon. The first year of SLU, it even predates him adding the H at the beginning of his name, which he did so it would be pronounced correctly.
Here's the card...

This was when Kenner actually produced their own cards. In time they would use specially produced cards made by Topps, Stadium Club, Hoops, Skybox and Upper Deck. Never Fleer though.









This is the 4th figure I have from the inaugural 1988 release, which was actually the largest in SLU history, at least for NBA. I don't have any from 1989, which is the smallest and rarest release, but every other season is represented in my collection to some degree.

I was a big time action figure collector for many years, only really stopping in 2007. I've often thought about going back and trying to fill in some of the lines I collected, but there's always been something that I chose to spend the money on instead. Usually cards. For $5 I couldn't resist.

To be honest, I actually bought one on Ebay a few days previously, but it hasn't arrived yet, so Hakeem became the first new member of my action figure family in that long time. The last figure I got from any line was in 2011, a Star Wars figure.

I've been on a bit of an action figure kick lately, I've really had the urge to do some photo documenting; and I did...just a few nights ago we got some of the DC Direct figures out of deep storage and I photographed them, 3 years to the day since I last did any photo documenting. (My website tells me when I take and upload photographs, not like I remember this stuff!)

I have a whole section on my website for action figures...if anybody wants to look, you can see them HERE. Only the GI Joe and Starting Lineup collections are fully photo documented though; everything else still awaits; I will do the Simpsons line later this week, most likely.

Oh yes...the figure was sealed when I got it. I wouldn't buy a figure if I planned to leave it in it's plastic coffin.