Lance Parrish Autographed 1995 Score Gold Rush #550 Pittsburgh Pirates Card

This is a better variation to highlight than Parrish's regular 1995 Score #550. The 1995 Score Gold Rush #550 is the Gold Rush parallel of his Pittsburgh Pirates card, personally autographed by the eight-time Major League All-Star, three-time Gold Glove winner, six-time Silver Slugger winner and starting catcher for the 1984 World Series Champion Detroit Tigers.

The card is correctly cataloged as 1995 Score Gold Rush #550 Lance Parrish Pittsburgh Pirates. The Gold Rush release paralleled the regular 1995 Score set, with the cards distinguished by gold-foil treatment on the front and a Gold Rush logo on the back.

Distribution gives the Gold Rush card considerably more hobby interest than the standard Score issue. Gold Rush parallels were inserted one per regular hobby/retail pack and two per jumbo pack. Parrish #550 belongs to Series Two of the 605-card Gold Rush checklist.

The Gold Rush program also had another interesting layer. Collectors could use Gold Rush team sets along with randomly inserted Platinum Team Redemption cards to obtain special Platinum versions. Gold Rush cards submitted through the program were returned with a stamp indicating they had already been used for redemption. That creates yet another variation collectors can encounter from this unusual mid-1990s promotion.

Parrish's card is particularly appealing because it depicts him with the Pittsburgh Pirates, one of the shortest stops of his 19-year Major League career. He played only 40 games for Pittsburgh during the strike-shortened 1994 season, making Pirates cards a relatively small portion of his extensive career checklist.

Despite being 38 years old, Parrish performed well during that brief Pittsburgh stint. He batted .270 with 34 hits, five doubles, three home runs and 16 RBI, while posting a .363 on-base percentage and .744 OPS. Pittsburgh would be his next-to-last Major League team before he finished his career with Toronto in 1995.

Card Details:

• Player: Lance Parrish
• Team: Pittsburgh Pirates
• Year: 1995
• Manufacturer: Score
• Set: Score Gold Rush
• Card Number: #550
• Gold Rush parallel of regular 1995 Score #550
• Features distinctive gold-foil treatment
• Gold Rush logo on card back
• Inserted one per regular pack and two per jumbo pack
• Parrish #550 is a Series Two Gold Rush card 
• Confirmed separately on the Gold Rush checklist as #550 Lance Parrish Pittsburgh Pirates 
• Represents Parrish's only season with Pittsburgh
• Parrish appeared in just 40 games as a Pirate
• Eight-time MLB All-Star
• Three-time Gold Glove Award winner
• Six-time Silver Slugger Award winner
• Starting catcher for the 1984 World Series Champion Detroit Tigers
• 324 career home runs
• 1,070 career RBI
• Personally autographed
• Condition: NM-MT or better

Authentication: Signature obtained through a private signing conducted by Under the Radar Sports Promotions and guaranteed to pass any third-party authentication service.

For the Parrish run, I'd definitely give this a bump over the regular 1995 Score #550. The unsigned Gold Rush isn't a major-dollar card, but it is a legitimate pack-inserted parallel rather than a simple design variation. Current listings also separate Parrish's Gold Rush #550 from the regular issue. Combine that with Parrish's extremely short 40-game Pittsburgh tenure, and the autographed Gold Rush becomes a very nice specialized player-collector piece.