1979 Tacoma Tugs TCMA

Set size: 26 cards

Front Design: The color photos have a thin black border. The player's name and position are beneath the photo in a yellow band; the cards have white borders.

Back Design: A wavy design holds the card number at the top and a TCMA advertisement at the bottom. The player's name, biographical information, and prior year statistics usually fill the remaining space. The backs are printed in black ink only.

Parallels and Similars: All 1979 TCMA minor league sets have the same issue. This card is most likely a TCMA reprint inserted into a collectors set in the 1980s; the only distinction for this issue may be lower-quality printing on this reprint.

Distribution: Complete team sets were sold through TCMA, dealers, and the Tugs.

Thoughts: One of the best names for a baseball team didn't last for too long. They were the Tugs for only one year, between several names based on their associations (Giants, Cubs, Yankees, Twins, and Tigers); they're now known as the Rainiers and are affiliated with the Mariners. The logo wasn't too impressive - the T has an anchor laid over it - which may have hurt the marketing. Granted, 1979 wasn't a good year to market a minor league team, as they were viewed as afterthoughts for small towns that weren't good enough for a major league team.

Additional Links: Matthew has the #5 card from this set, where you can see the darker, bolder inks on an original printing, over at Number 5 Type Collection.

1979 Tidewater Tides TCMA

Set size: 25 cards

Front Design: A thin black frame surrounds the color photo, with a sine-wave line at the bottom separating the yellow-background box containing the player's name and position. The top corners of the black frame are rounded inside the white borders.

Back Design: The wave pattern continues vertically along the left side of the card, ending in a black banner at the bottom above a TCMA advertisement. The rest of the card back contains the player's vitals and very basic 1978 statistics.

Parallels and Similars: All 1979 TCMA team sets follow this same design.

Distribution: About 4000 sets were made, some of which went to the team to be distributed as they wish. The rest were sold directly by TCMA and through hobby channels.

Thoughts: Despite the relatively basic design, this layout is more appealing than many of the 1980s issues TCMA released. I'm wondering - do any professional baseball players wear stirrup socks anymore?

Additional Links: Matthew at Number 5 Type Collection doesn't have the Jeff Reardon from this set yet, but he's featured several other team sets issued in 1979 by TCMA.

1979 TCMA 50's Bill Virdon: Snow or Sand?

 Set size: 291 cards plus two "bonus" cards

Front Design: A player photo with a thin black border is printed on white-bordered cards. There is no writing on the front.

Back Design: The back has a basepath surrounding the card number, and the player's name at the top. A red band contains vitals, which is followed by a career biography. Lifetime stats finish up the card before a second red band with copyright information and the title "Baseball History Series."

Parallels and Similars: Several TCMA sets follow this basic design, and identifying the exact set usually involves checking the card against a database.

Distribution: TCMA sets were generally sold by the company and through hobby channels.

Thoughts: I could easily dismiss this set because of the lack of design on the front, but the simple concept is great for all the themed sets TCMA produced over the years. While their sets dealing with post-1950 players aren't as important, several TCMA sets feature World Series champion team sets and players from pre-World War 2, not to mention all the minor league sets issued in the 1970s and later.

This particular card stands out because of the photograph itself. What must be Forbes Field is clearly visible in the background (correct me if I'm wrong), but is Virdon standing on sand? Or is that snow? I first thought it could be fluffy frozen water, but the more I study the card, the less I'm sure.