1980 Columbus Astros TCMA

Set size: 22 cards

Front Design: The cards have a red border around a black and white photo. The player's name and position are in a white band beneath the photo, with the team name in white beneath that. A sponsorship logo for McDonalds is placed to the right of the team name.

Back Design: The backs use the same wavy curved-edge design as the prior year, with an advertisement for TCMA at the bottom. The rest of the card has the team and league name, as well as player's biographical data and prior year statistics, all in blue ink. The manager's card, shown, eliminates most of the information, instead placing an advertisement for McDonalds in the middle of the card.

Parallels and Similars: All 1980 TCMA cards have the same design. Some team sets used color photos instead of black and white. Note that this card is a reprint; the white border on the card front and the use of black ink on the back are giveaways. This card was reprinted by TCMA for use in a collector's kit in the mid- to late-1980s.

Distribution: Team sets were sold through the Columbus Astros, and were available through TCMA and hobby channels.

Thoughts: The Columbus Astros played in Golden Park, a historic stadium that never seemed to draw crowds. The team became the Mudcats in 1989, and in 1991 moved to North Carolina. While I never saw the Columbus Astros play, I have seen a couple games in Golden Park, when the Catfish played through the 2008 season. They moved to Bowling Green, Kentucky in 2009, and became the Hot Rods. As for the cards, they are about as plain as they can be. This is the end of my TCMA posting spree. I am so glad to be finished with this group (though I'm glad to have them in my collection) and now I can move on to more varied releases.

1980 Waterbury Reds TCMA

Set size: 22 cards

Front Design: The red bordered cards have a black and white photo inside a rounded frame. The bottom of the card has a white band with the player's name and position in black; the team name is beneath the band in white letters.

Back Design: The blue and white backs use the same layout as the prior year, with a curving black band framing a TCMA advertisement at the bottom, and the player's name, position, team, league, biographical information, and prior year statistics above.

Parallels and Similars: All 1980 TCMA minor league sets have the same design, and some of the other issues released by TCMA that year have a similar layout. Note that my card above has a white border and a black-and-white back, indicating it was reprinted by TCMA for inclusion in a collector kit later in the decade. Original cards have blue backs, and the red border goes to the edge of the card. Some team sets (other than the Waterbury Reds) were issued in color, though the design is the same.

Distribution: The team sets were sold through TCMA, hobby channels, and team stores.

Thoughts: The black and white photos don't look good surrounded by the red borders. The color cards look a little better. I wonder if Tom Foley was such a bad infielder in the minor leagues that they let him play his position with the batting cage behind him in every game. Foley ended up playing 13 seasons in the majors.

Additional Links: Number 5 Type Collection has images of the non-reprint card #5 (Paul Herring) and a bit on the team.

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:

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).