1982-89 Louisville Slugger

Set size: 14 cards

Front Design: The player's name is in a blue circle at the top, followed by a green-bordered photo with his position in a box in the top green border. The Louisville Slugger ID is beneath the photo in the green border. All cards have a hole in the upper-left corner.

Back Design: The boxy back contains both a short paragraph and bulleted points highlighting his career, followed by some biographical information.

Parallels and Similars: None.

Distribution: Cards were attached to products as marketing tools and perhaps as a small premium for purchasing the glove or bat.

Thoughts: Every once in a while, I find myself reading through one of the big books. Be it Beckett or SCD, I find pleasure in skimming the pages of all these obscure sets listed between the big companies. Somewhere between Leaf and Pacific lies Louisville Slugger. And listed for Lousville Slugger is this card, which was attached to gloves sold in the 1980s. Looking at a listing like the one for Louisville Slugger, I often wish I had taken advantage of some special offer, or saved the tag from my glove, or just bought that food item in the grocery store. Finding something as simple as a glove tag at most card shows is a lost cause. But occasionally I see something like this Steve Garvey, sitting in a dime box, looking for a home that can appreciate the torn corner for what it means - this card survived retail shipping, a shelf, and a baseball player with only minor damage. Finding cards that I didn't think I'd ever see is much more thrilling than seeing a random Topps insert marked down at 95% off, or even getting a great deal on a player collection autograph or relic. Those cards are easy enough to find - they're all over eBay, COMC, Sportlots, card shows, card stores, and the trading community. But how many of you have Louisville Slugger glove cards for trade?

I have to wonder if the cards were updated as the years went on. Steve Garvey appears as a Dodger and a Padre; Greg Nettles is a Yankee and a Padre. Perhaps other players had their biographies updated once or twice over the years. Incidentally, this set of 14 cards is the only issue ever released under the Louisville Slugger name.