1980-83 Cramer (Pacific) Legends

Set size: 124 cards (issued in five series), standard sized

Front Design: A sepia photo with a thick black border is placed on a light brown wooden slat "sign" design, with the player's name "hanging" on a piece of wood beneath the photo. The borders are a dull yellow.

Back Design: The backs continue the wooden slat design, and are printed in brown. The player's name and basic vital statistics appear at the top. A short biography sits in the middle-left, while his career statistics are set slightly diagonal on the right. The set's name, date of issue, and card number appear across the bottom.

Parallels and Similars: None.

Distribution: This set was issued over four years via wax packs and in complete set version directly from Cramer. Each series was released as 30 cards, and the back of the card identifies which series you have. The final fifth series was a four-card box bottom set.

Thoughts: While the cards are fairly dull overall - plenty of sepia and brown to go around - the set isn't ugly. A modernized version of this set with better graphics would serve for a nice western-themed insert. The set is full of legends, as promised, and a complete set would provide one with a large number of Hall of Famers. Scott Crawford sent me one card from each series, and while they classify as "common" or "semistar" level for the set, they're all high quality players. Any set that has Duke Snider as a common has a good checklist.

Additional Images: Card back:

1994 Score Rookie/Traded

Set size: 165 standard-sized cards

Front Design: A color photo appears inside a red "cracked" border, with a green accent in an upper corner with the Score '94 logo, and yellow tab in a lower corner containing the team logo. The player's name appears in a multi-colored shadow design at the bottom of the card. Rookie cards have two photos on the front.

Back Design: The dark blue/purple backs have two more player photos, in addition to position, team, vital stats, a short biography, and recent and career statistics. The card number appears at the bottom with an RT prefix. Rookie cards are horizontal with only one photo.

Parallels and Similars: This design is different from the regular Score set that year, but it was paralleled in a "Gold Rush" series, which have gold foil fronts and the Gold Rush logo in an upper corner. The parallels were inserted one per pack.

Distribution: Cards were released in hobby and retail packs with one Gold Rush card per pack. Two insert sets, Changing Places and Super Rookies, were randomly inserted; a redemption card was included 1:240 packs. The redemption card could be mailed in for a "September Call-Up" Alex Rodriguez card.

Thoughts: With the brighter primary colors in a stand-out design, this set screams 1990s, which means it's a love-hate kind of design. It's probably four years too late, as bright colors seemed to die around 1991 when the banana-colored Fleer set went rotten. I find it fun and fairly unique, showing some design initiative beyond the solid bordered straight-line designs many sets featured. While I know a lot of people won't like this set, it was a big step releasing a set like this amongst the other offerings of the year.

Additional Images: Card back:

1991 Fleer Pro-Visions

Set size: 12+4 standard-sized cards

Front Design: These black-bordered cards feature artwork by Terry Smith. The player's strengths are accented in the artwork - McGwire above was known as a member of the Bash Brothers and this card shows him with larger-than-life arms. Jose Canseco's bat is being struck by lightning, while Dwight Gooden's glove is on fire. The art is surrounded by a black border; the player's name appears in yellow in the bottom border.

Back Design: The team-color coordinated, vertical backs contain the player's name and vital statistics, along with a lengthy biography relating to the art on the front. The card number and copyright information appears on the bottom.

Parallels and Similars: The Pro-Visions line continued for several years following this set, and look similar. The art was used in other baseball items, such as postcards issued by Barry Colla. An additional four-card set with F prefixed card numbers and white borders was released in factory sets.

Distribution: Black-bordered cards were randomly inserted in packs, with the white-bordered cards included with factory sets.

Thoughts: The Pro-Visions line is one of my favorite insert series, and I have complete sets from every baseball issue in my TCIC collection. Being issued in the height of overproduction, the cards are easy to pick up cheap, and the artwork is attractive and creative. There have been many full-issue sets that came after Pro-Visions that tried to copy its appeal and failed.

Additional Images: Card back:

1986 Expos Provigo Panels

Yesterday was the first day since starting this blog that I missed a post. Oops. We're getting into the regular-sized-or-smaller cards now, and I ran out of scans. I'll have to tear myself away from other tasks to do that!

Set size: 28 standard-sized cards, issued in perforated panels

Front Design: A color photo is surrounded by a white border. The Expos logo and "Collection 1986" appear in an upper team-colored banner while the player's name and jersey number and the Provigo logo appears on a bottom yellow banner.

Back Design: The backs are printed in team colors, repeating the top border and bottom border (this time in red). The player's jersey number and name appears below the top banner, while most of the card is filled with the player's vital stats and biography in both French and English. The cards are numbered in the lower right.

Parallels and Similars: Despite the year markings indicating there were other similar sets, it doesn't appear that the Expose released standard-sized team sets in surrounding years. Provigo has issued other non-card Expos products in the 1980s, including posters in 1986.

Distribution: I can't find any information on how they were distributed, but it is my guess that they were given out at Provigo. The intact panels contain two cards plus an offer card (see below). An album was available, but required the cards to be separated.

Thoughts: As far as team sets go, this is fairly standard quality. They're not as good as Mothers Cookies cards from the era, but they're a bit better than the Police cards I've featured here so far. The photography and printing is above-average for its time period, but the card stock is thin - something necessary if you're tearing the cards, I suppose. It's fun seeing French writing on cards, but takes space away from the card's ability to provide either a larger biography, larger print, or statistics. I wonder (if Provigo still exists) if I could try to use the coupons. I'm not sure what I'd do with a 1986 Expos ticket today, but that coupon has no expiration date.

Additional Images: The entire set, in panel form (not necessarily in order):

1911 T-205 Gold Borders

Set size: Currently, 220 cards, 1-1/2" x 2-5/8"

Front Design: There are three different designs based on which league the subject played in. All cards have a painted image of the player surrounded by a gold border. National League players have a plain background and for the first time on a card, facsimile autographs. American Leaguers are surrounded by a baseball diamond, while minor leaguers contain a detailed arch-like border.

Back Design: Card backs contain a player biography and basic statistics in addition to an advertisement for one of the tobacco brands in which the set was released.

Parallels and Similars: There are plenty of reprints, some of them marked as such. There are also several sets done in similar style, most notably by Topps in the past decade. The different tobacco brands featured on the back could be considered parallels.

Distribution: Cards were inserted into various brands of cigarettes as a premium.

Thoughts: I really need a better example from this set with the back intact. I can identify the back as being Hassan Factory 649, a common version. This is an easier set to put together than the famous T206, with a smaller, more affordable set. Perfectionists and completionists will have trouble, though, because one variation is extremely rare, and the gold borders are susceptible to damage, making mint and near-mint examples difficult to come by. The art on these cards is beautiful, much better than the Topps homage sets in recent years. This card is tied (with a 1911 Zeenuts) for second oldest baseball card in my collection. I have a T206 sitting stored in Georgia.

Additional Links: The t205.org site contains a checklist with images and approximate values.

Additional Images: What's left of the card back:

2009 Fathead Tradeables

Set size: 150 players plus 30 teams, 5" x 7"

Front Design: A cropped color photograph appears over a curved team-color background swoop, with a large team logo, sometimes placed sideways to fit better with the image; behind the color photograph and team logo is a shadow of the image and player name on a wood-grain panel. The player's name and team appear on the right-hand border, with the card number in the upper-right corner.

Back Design: The backs contain team logos surrounding the Fathead logo.

Parallels and Similars: Future year issues are similar, but these are distinguished by the year printed with the brand logo.

Distribution: Fathead Tradeables were released in packs of five, usually in sporting goods stores, Toys R Us, Meijer, and Walgreens.

Thoughts: The full-size Fatheads run around $100 each and take up a lot of wall-space, which means only fairly-wealthy fans with plenty of wall space can afford to take the plunge. Granted, putting a giant Nolan Ryan opposite a Tony Gwynn would make a great hallways entrance to a man cave. These are a great way for kids to play collect and interact with "cards" though. I've never seen these for sale in stores, but now that I know where to find them I can seek them out. The larger format looks great, though since these are designed to be stickers, the relatively boring backs leave a lot of space empty that could be better served with statistics, a biography, additional photos, etc. Being that these are stickers, they are flimsy, but the vinyl looks like it would hold up pretty well. They could be a fun set to collect, just like the Fan Pak Standees that came out the same year. Having just a team logo set would be great - the large size would make them a great background behind team souvenirs.

Additional Links: The Fathead Tradeables website has a full checklist with pictures of the 2009 baseball release and a few other non-baseball releases, but does not contain checklists for the 2010 and 2011 releases.

Additional Images: Team Logo sticker, and sticker back.

2004 Topps Pristine Refractors

Set size: 190 standard-sized cards, issued in "uncirculated" form (in a hard case sealed with a Topps sticker)

Front Design: A player image appears over a background containing his name and a 3D-styled track design.

Back Design: The backs contain a black and white photo, player name and position, prior-year and career statistics, vital stats, and a career biography, integrated with the same 3D track design from the front.

Parallels and Similars: This set is a parallel of the regular Topps Pristine issue, and a gold refractor version also exists. These refractors are labeled as such, and the gold refractors are labeled as well as deckle edge-cut.

Distribution: Pristine was released in an interesting tri-pack configuration. Each tri-pack contains one uncirculated card - this could be a refractor or one of a number of low-numbered relic or autograph parallels. The regular refractors are most-likely pulls, though gold refractors appear one per box. Veteran refractors (cards 1-100) are serial numbered to 49. First year players were more complicated, each with three cards in the set. For instance, Howie Kendrick appears on cards 125 (common), 126 (uncommon), and 127 (rare). Refractors were limited based on the rarity of the card - common refractors numbered to 999, uncommon to 399, and rare to 49.

Thoughts: The Pristine sets came out at the height of the grading craze, and several Topps sets were released with "uncirculated" versions. In the end, the holders protect the card but for collectors who don't want holders it means sacrificing the integrity of the card. I've had cases where the stickers have partially come off, which would allow me to access the card and reseal the sticker. The set is one of the unremarkable upper-tier money makers that most collectors won't remember, and the common/uncommon/rare concept must have been developed to permit a large number of rookie cards to be included in packs while still providing a chance at rarity. I've never been excited about the Pristine concept or its design.

Additional Images: Card back:

2004 Bowman Chrome Blue Refractors

Set size: 165 cards, numbered 166-330

Front Design: Cards follow the 2004 Bowman design, with a blue tinted refractor effect added. The player's photo appears in a black bordered card; horizontal plateau borders appear above and below the photo. A facsimile autograph is printed over the signature. The bottom of the card contains the Bowman logo, player name and position.

Back Design: Card backs are identical to the 2004 Bowman design, while the card number has the words "BLUE REFRACTOR" printed beneath it, and cards are serial numbered to 290 on the left-hand edge. The Bowman design has the player's name, position and team at the top, followed by a player photo, vital statistics, a scouting report, and prior year and career stats.

Parallels and Similars: This set is a parallel of the regular Bowman Chrome set card numbers 166-330 (the First Year cards in the set). As such, these cards are nearly identical to Bowman, Bowman Chrome, and all the other parallels associated with the set.

Distribution: Exchange cards were included one per hobby box-loader pack, and via the pit.com website.

Thoughts: I prefer the refractor parallels when the borders are different colors, instead of refractors just having a tint. This set really doesn't stand out for me, and only player and team collectors really have interest in these cards. The card was delivered encased, which is why the scan is blurry. You can see a hint of the Topps security label at the bottom of the card front image.


Additional Images: Card back.

2003 Topps Chrome Uncirculated X-Fractors

Set size: 440 standard-sized cards

Front Design: Cards follow the 2003 Topps design, with a player photo surrounded by a blue border; the player's name, position and team logo appear at the bottom in a team color band. Also at the bottom is a baseball field-shaped smaller photo of the player. The card has received the x-fractor treatment, which is a checkered-pattern style of refractor.

Back Design: Card backs are horizontal, containing the player's name and vital statistics at the top; the team logo appears in a baseball diamond in the upper right corner. The player's career statistics and a career biography (as space allows) fills up the bulk of the back. The card number and the word "XFRACTOR" appear in the bottom right. Uncirculated X-Fractors are serial-numbered to 50 (cards 1-220) or 57 (cards 221-440).

Parallels and Similars: These cards are parallels of the 2003 Topps Chrome set, and as such there are several other cards with the same design, with different colored borders and styles of refractors. Plus, the Chrome set is identical in design to the standard 2003 Topps flagship set and its parallels.

Distribution: Cards were inserted one per hobby box in 2003 Topps Chrome Series 1 and 2. The "uncirculated" part stems from the cards being packaged in a sealed hard holder.

Thoughts: The sealed card craze was big in the early-mid 2000s, stemming from the graded craze. Being uncirculated meant your card should be gem-mint upon receipt. I don't care for this concept, but I'm keeping the cards in their holders for authenticity-sake. The uncirculated concept certainly comes from the coin collecting community, but it reminds me of the 1990s cards issued with protective coatings (namely, Donruss/Leaf products followed by Topps products like Finest). The image is blurred because my scanned focuses on the glass, and the provided holder is thick enough to cause the image to be beyond the focus point.

1912 Zeenut PCL

Set size: 158 cards, 2-1/8 x 4-1/16"

Front Design: A sepia player photo appears on a borderless brown background, with the player's last name and team, and "ZEENUT SERIES P.C.LEAGUE" in fancy handwritten lettering near the bottom.

Back Design: The backs are generally blank, though some contain advertising for Zeenut premiums, or a Bardell logo (see below).

Parallels and Similars: Zeenut cards follow similar designs, with small differences from year to year. There are counterfeits of this set.

Distribution: As with all Zeenut releases, these were inserted into Collins-McCarthy Candy Co. products, including Zeenuts, Ruf-Neks, and Home Run Kisses. Cards which were collected and redeemed for premiums received a hole-punch cancellation, usually heart-shaped (according to the SC guide).

Thoughts: I'm pretty sure my card is original, and it certainly appears to have received a lot of love over the past 100 years. It isn't my oldest card - I have two 1911 issues and a 1909 T-206 - but it's exciting knowing I have copies from some of the earliest major baseball card sets issued. This is the oldest card shown on this blog to date, by 15 years. My card contains the Bardell logo on the back, which you can see in the scan below. It was obviously taped into an album, and probably put into an album with those sticky photo pages. Was it taped into the album because it kept falling out, or as a precaution against it coming loose? Or was it moved from one album to another? Did some turn-of-the-century child tape this card to a wall at one point? Otto Auer appeared on only two cards in his lifetime, this one and another issue by the same company that year inserted into the Home Run Kisses boxes.

Additional Links: Old Cardboard's site contains information on the entire Zeenut run. Stars of the Diamond has several photos of cards from the Zeenut run, including the 1912 Home Run Kisses set.

Additional Images: Card back showing Bardell Studio logo. It says: "Bardell Sepia San Francisco".

2008 Topps Update Chrome Refractor Box Toppers

Set size: 55 standard-sized cards

Front Design: Cards have the same design as 2008 Topps; the team name appears in colored circles at the top, with a photo surrounded by a triple-lined frame. A facsimile signature is placed over the photo. The white bordered cards contain the player's name in foiled capital letters on the bottom. The cards are given the refractor treatment.

Back Design: The horizontal backs contain the player's name and position over a stadium image, vital statistics, statistics, and a career biography.

Parallels and Similars: This set is identical to the 2008 Topps Chrome Refractors except for the numbering on the back, with a CHR- prefix.

Distribution: Cards were inserted one per hobby box in a special box topper pack.

Thoughts: The 2008 Topps design is one of my least favorites, and the chrome refractor treatment does nothing to change my feelings. At 55 cards, one per box, it isn't worthwhile purchasing boxes to complete the set; purchasing on the secondary market would be your best bet. The highlight of the set, by far, is Evan Longoria, while most other players in the set can be found for under $5.

1985 Angels Smokey

Set size: 24 cards, 4-1/4" x 6"

Front Design: A color player picture appears in the middle of the card surrounded by a large white border. The player's last name appears at the top, while the Smokey The Bear, Angels, California Forestry, and US Forest Service logos appear at the bottom.

Back Design: The black and white backs contain the player's name, position, and vital statistics, and an anti-wildfire message or graphic.

Parallels and Similars: None known, though from 1984-1997 there were over 125 Smokey sets released, any of which could have a similar layout. The Angels had Smokey sets from 1984-1991, with varying designs.

Distribution: Cards were given out at the July 14, 1985 game at the stadium.

Thoughts: The card photo didn't scan very well, due to low printing quality, but it isn't as bad as it looks. Being oversized and fairly generic in style (larger than but similar in design to police issues of the era), the set isn't very attractive except for player and team collections. I always enjoy the non-baseball content on cards like these, such as the cartoon on this card's back. The two bears are breaking a match in half, but I'm not sure why, because there's no explanation with the image. Perhaps it's to reduce the chance of it being lit by children, or if it becomes accidentally lit, it won't burn long enough to affect surrounding brush. I guess we'll never know without looking it up (something you couldn't do in 1985).

Additional Images:

1978 Royals

Set size: 27 cards, 3-1/4" x 5"

Front Design: A thin white border surrounds a black and white player photo, while the player's name, position, and team name appears at the bottom.

Back Design: The backs are blank.

Parallels and Similars: None known, though given the simple design, it's possible there are other similar sets out there.

Distribution: Most likely these were originally given away or sold at the stadium, given the lack of any identifying marks and their cheap-production appearance.

Thoughts: Given the time period it was issued, the lack of design, stats, or color makes this a boring set. Player and team collectors would be the only ones interested in completing or collecting it (other than type collectors like me).

1980 Exhibits Hall of Fame

Set size: 32 cards, 3-3/8" x 5-3/8"

Front Design: The player's facsimile signature appears in white, in addition to "An Exhibit Card 1980 Hall Of Fame" to distinguish this issue from earlier issues using the same photos.

Back Design: The backs are blank.

Parallels and Similars: As mentioned in yesterday's post, most Exhibits issues from 1921-1980 look the same, with minor printing text differences. This set is identified by the "Hall Of Fame" text at the bottom. The 2004 Leaf Exhibits insert set is standard-sized. An unauthorized reprint set of 16 cards exists, but wouldn't include these cards due to their low value.

Distribution: Complete sets were issued and sold to collectors printed in sepia (above), red, or blue ink.

Thoughts: This is the most accessible Exhibits set, valued at only $25. The selection of players in this set makes it a great way to collect several Hall of Famers on beautiful displayable cards at a low price.

Additional Links: Old Cardboard has basic information on all the Exhibits issues through the 1960s. Adam Warshaw's site looks at some of the more "Interesting Exhibit Cards" (his title not mine).

1939-46 Exhibits Salutation

Set size: 83 cards, 3-3/8" x 5-3/8"

Front Design: A full-bleed black and white photo is accompanied by a personal greeting and signature by the player. The greeting can differ from card to card, such as "Yours truly," "Best wishes," "Cordially," etc.

Back Design: The backs are blank.

Parallels and Similars: There are several issues of Exhibits from 1921 through the 1960s, additional issues in the 1970s and 1980, and an unauthorized reprint set of 16 reproduced in the 1990s. It does not appear that any of the reprints are from the Salutation set. The 2004 Leaf set also contained an Exhibit insert set (of normal card size) reproducing most of the variations seen throughout the Exhibit sets.

Distribution: Exhibit cards were distributed in vending machines, usually for a penny each. Each year, the set would be reissued, adding or removing players or changing photos as the Exhibits company saw fit. While most cards were issued in the 1939-46 time period, some of the most popular players were reissued every year, possibly as far as the 1960s.

Thoughts: While I don't have many in my collection, I've always enjoyed the Exhibits sets for their simplicity and beauty. Like the Zeenuts issues, they have only a small amount of writing over the picture, allowing the collector to enjoy the image. Because of their large size, these would be great for use in a display with memorabilia or souvenirs.

Additional Links: Old Cardboard has basic information on all the Exhibits issues through the 1960s. Adam Warshaw's site looks at some of the more "Interesting Exhibit Cards" (his title not mine).

1932 Zeenuts PCL

Set size: 120 cards, 1-3/4" x 3-1/2".

Front Design: A player photo fills the card front. Instead of "Coast League," the player's last name, and team city are on the front. Starting in 1931, the year of issue stopped appearing on the card, making it difficult to identify the year of issue without a coupon. Based on a limited number of scans examined, it seems that there are some text differences from year to year to help - 1932 cards seem to have this small type font instead of hand-written information, and only the player's name appears in all capital letters.

Back Design: Backs are blank.

Parallels and Similars: As mentioned above and in previous posts, Zeenuts cards are similar in design from year to year.

Distribution: Issued in San Francisco by the Collins-McCarthy Candy Co., the cards were inserted into boxes of Zeenuts, Ruf-Neks, and Home Run Kisses. Cards originally had coupons attached to the bottom, but it is tough to find intact issues.

Thoughts: This is the third Zeenuts card featured on this blog, and there are a few more I'll be showing this month. Addison Read played in for the Oakland Oaks in the Pacific Coast League for 12 seasons, mostly as catcher. It appears that is all he did in professional baseball - I don't see any additional statistics or information to indicate he was traded to other teams, moved up or down in the minors, or was promoted to the major leagues. While he didn't get much love, this card sure did. It was most likely rounded off and then pasted into an album by an owner.

Additional Links: See Old Cardboard for the Zeenuts set run.

1990 Alaska Goldpanners Team Issue

Set size: 16 standard-size cards

Front Design: A color photo is in a gold border. The player's name appears at the top along with the team logo of a man panning for gold. The team name, abbreviated "Panners," is at the bottom.

Back Design: The black text-only back contains the player's name, vital statistics, and a career writeup inside a thin black frame. The cards are numbered in the upper-left corner.

Parallels and Similars: None known. Previous team issues have different designs, and this was the last team issue until 1999.

Distribution: These would have been sold by the team through the years. Five thousand sets were produced.

Thoughts: First, I apologize for the blurry scans. Some of the modern cards you'll see this month are graded (this card) or encased (sets like Topps Pristine), and while I prefer my cards out of holders, for integrity's sake I'm leaving them in... for now. The set is similar in quality and content to most minor league sets. This is a collegiate summer team.

Additional Links: The Goldpanners team website has a list of all team sets they've issued (at least the ones still available for sale). Most sets are $10; this one sells for $30. I picked up this card for $1 or less at a show.

Additional Images: Card back:

2010 Giants Topps Levi's Workshops

Set size: 12 standard-size cards (apparently)

Front Design: A black-and-white photograph (with orange accents where appropriate) sits inside a baseball motif involving a diamond, bats, and a ball over a woodgrain-style background. The player's jersey number appears in a home plate, and the team logo is in the bottom right. There are two Junior Giants cards featuring kids on a similar horizontal design. Black and orange are the only ink colors used.

Back Design: The player's name and jersey number is repeated on the back along with vital statistics. The player's chosen charity receives a write-up, and a quote appears at the bottom, just above the Levi's Workshops logo banner.

Parallels and Similars: While this set is fairly unique in design, it has hints of the 1951 Topps red and blue backs.

Distribution: Cards were given away at AT&T Park on July 27, 2010 in packs of 12. In my limited research I have not found any cards other than the 12 I pulled from my pack.

Thoughts: This is a very attractive set, designed by Shepard Fairey's Studio No. 1; Fairey designed the famous/infamous Obama "Hope" poster. The set reminds me of the efforts manufacturers went to in the early 1900s to create interesting designs. I would collect more sets that had unique retro or modern designs. See this post at The Mojo Beard.

Additional Links: Offy's Sports Site has a lengthy write-up with scans of the entire set. Levi's Workshops produced a video about the event:

Additional Images:

1969 Milton Bradley

Set size: 296 cards, 2" x 3"

Front Design: The player's name appears in all capital letters above a black and white player photo. Team logos are airbrushed from the photos and team affiliations do not appear anywhere on the card.

Back Design: The player's name is repeated on the back, along with some vital statistics. The remainder of the card has outcomes for a game.

Parallels and Similars: The 1972 issue is exactly the same, with one exception. If you look at any red-ink number "1", the 1969 version has a base, while the 1972 version has no base.

Distribution: The cards were included in a board game issued by Milton Bradley. The cards are perforated, which can be seen in the scan.

Thoughts: As a complete game (see the image below), this is an attractive addition to a memorabilia collection. The cards themselves aren't very exciting as a collectible. Roberto Clemente is the key card of the set.

Additional Images: Game with cards: