1975 Yankees Dynasty 1936-39 TCMA

 Set size: 54 cards

Front Design: For most of the cards, a black and white player photo sits on a white-bordered 2-3/4" x 4" card, with blue ink at the top stating "1936-1939 Yankee Dynasty" and the player's name and position at the bottom. The last five cards in the set have team photos and are larger (4" x 5-1/2").

Back Design: The backs are printed in black and appear to have been typed on a sheet of paper before being sent to press. They contain the player's full name and statistics from 1936-39. A very simple copyright line at the bottom identifies the set as being issued by TCMA.

Parallels and Similars: A reprinted and (slightly) extended version was released in 1983, with blue ink on the back instead of black.

Distribution: TCMA sold sets directly to collectors, as well as dealers and other hobby sources.

Thoughts: I really wish TCMA would have put a little more effort into the design of their cards in the 1970s, as they issued several topical sets that would be interesting to niche collectors. Instead, the set has only a photo and basic statistics, without even any insight on how the player factored into the dynasty. It's my thought that a topical set should tell a story or at least have each subject related back to the main theme. That said, many players from this set have only a handful of affordable cards, so issues like this bring historical players to modern times (at least, back in the 1970s).

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.

1981 Wausau Timbers TCMA

Set size: 29 cards

Front Design: The very basic design has a black and white photo inside a rounded red border, with a white band across the bottom containing the player's name and position in black.

Back Design: The backs duplicate the rounded border, surrounding the player's name, position, team and league names, biographical information and prior year statistics (when available). The bottom of the horizontal backs has a black band with an advertisement for TCMA cards.

Parallels and Similars: All 1981 TCMA minor league sets have the same design. Some team sets were issued with color photos; those have black borders and red printing (the opposite of this design).

Distribution: Team sets were sold by TCMA, through hobby dealers, and through the team.

Thoughts: Ivan Calderon might be the most well-known of the minor leaguers included in the collectors set this card was reprinted for. He had a respectable .272 career batting average over 10 seasons, and was an All-Star in 1991. Sadly, Calderon was murdered in 2003 in his home country.

These TCMA cards are almost done! One more tomorrow, and it's back to major league releases!

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.

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.

1981 Wisconsin Rapids Twins TCMA

Set size: 23 cards

Front Design: A red rectangular border with curved corners holds a vertical black and white photo and a white band at the bottom with the player's name and position in black.

Back Design: The horizontal backs are black and white, with a rectangular border holding the team logo, player's name and position, and vital statistics. A big black box across the bottom has an advertisement for TCMA sets.

Parallels and Similars: 1981 TCMA minor league sets all have this design. It looks like some sets use black and white photos and others use color photos. I recall finding information a while back (I can't recall where) showing that TCMA gave teams a choice between the two. Color sets use black borders with red text instead of the red borders with black text seen above.

Distribution: Team sets were sold through TCMA, hobby channels, and minor league teams themselves.

Thoughts: This issue is a step backwards for TCMA, with an extremely uninspired design and no stats - the 1979 sets had stats, even if they were quite limited. That said, I like the inclusion of the team logo on the back. It would have been better on the front, in color, with a color photo, but this is an early 1980s minor league team set, so I can't expect much.

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.

1986 Jackson Mets TCMA

Set size: 27 cards

Front Design: The fuchsia border surrounds a color photo of the player, with his team name beneath the photo in the border. A black band at the bottom of the card holds the player's name and position.

Back Design: The plain backs have the team and league names, followed by the player's name, jersey number, and position. Vitals and prior year statistics follow. A sponsorship for Mallette's, a sports card shop, is in the middle, with a TCMA advertisement in a banner at the bottom of the card.

Parallels and Similars: All 1986 TCMA minor league team sets have this design.

Distribution: Cards were sold through team stores, hobby means, and TCMA. I'm sure Mallette's got a nice handful for sponsoring the team.

Thoughts: This authorized reprint meant for inclusion with a collectors kit seems to differ only by the banner at the bottom of the card back: this banner is black and white, while I think banners on original cards have a green tint. Thankfully, this is the last of my 1986 TCMAs for a while, but I have some late-70s/early-80s to wrap up over the next week. Mike Santiago is the only player in the group of 1986 cards that doesn't seem to have made the majors, despite having an acceptable record. In fact, he never got past AA Jackson, despite having a 1.86 record in 1987 as a reliever.

1986 Omaha Royals TCMA

Set size: 25 cards

Front Design: A rectangular purple border outlined in black surrounds a colored photo, with the team name in the bottom of the border. A black banner across the bottom of the card holds the player's name an team name.

Back Design: The plain backs contain the team and league names, followed by the player's name and biographical stats. His prior year statistics follow. A banner advertising TCMA cards sits across the bottom of the card.

Parallels and Similars: All 1986 TCMA minor league issues have this design.

Distribution: Cards were sold through TCMA, the team, and hobby channels such as stores and shows.

Thoughts: I ended up with four different team's reprints from this 1986 set in the lot I purchased from the collectors sets. That is a lot of bright colors. Schuler is an interesting card to reprint, because at the time of this printing, his rookie year was about six years in the past. He was never too successful a pitcher in the majors, and 1985 was his last year in the majors. He would go on to coach for a few teams after retiring.

1986 Jacksonville Expos TCMA

Set size: 26 cards

Front Design: The photo is inside a fuchsia border with black edges; the player's team is beneath the photo in the border. A black band at the bottom of the card has the player's name and position.

Back Design: The white backs have black text with the team and league names, player's name and vitals, and statistics. An advertisement for Golden Glove, a sports card store, is beneath the stats; a dark green banner advertising TCMA minor league sets is at the bottom.

Parallels and Similars: All 1986 TCMA sets have the same design.

Distribution: TCMA sets were sold complete through the manufacturer, hobby channels, and the team.

Thoughts: This card is most likely a reprint that was packaged with a collectors set issued by TCMA. The regular cards appear to have a greenish tint to the banner on the back, while this one is black. The very plain design on the front is the least-creative of all the TCMA minor league issues I'm familiar with, and the use of fuchsia in the border is an odd choice. John Trautwein was pretty much a flop in the majors, and even his minor league record wasn't too goo, but around the time printing was one on the reprint issue, he was probably a fairly promising prospect.

1986 Albany Colonie Yankees TCMA

Set size: 32 cards

Front Design: The white bordered cards have a photo contained in a purple frame with black inner and outer edges; the team name appears beneath the photo in the frame. A black bar across the bottom of the car has the player's name and team.

Back Design: The backs follow the same basic TCMA layout as prior years, with the team and league, followed by the player's name, position, biography, and prior-year statistics. A TCMA advertisement banner is at the bottom of the card.

Parallels and Similars: All 1986 TCMA team sets have this design, and this card is a reprint used for a collector set - the TCMA banner on the back is black, while I believe original issues had the banner printed in a dark green ink.

Distribution: Team sets were sold by TCMA, through hobby dealers, and through the team itself.

Thoughts: Purple is an interesting choice for a trading card border. There isn't much to the design here - even less than in prior years. Prior to owning this card, I was unaware of a team in Albany-Colonie (which, really, is two different cities side by side; the team played in Colonie but Albany is the bigger city). The stadium was located right next to the airport but was demolished a couple years ago - all that remains is an empty field and some blacktop.

1985 Durham Bulls TCMA

Set size: 31 cards

Front Design: The photo is surrounded by a thin black border, while the rest of the card is blue, with the team name across the top and the player's name and position sideways on the left side.

Back Design: Team and league names and the player's name, position, and jersey number are at the top, followed by vital statistics and 1984 stats. The bottom half of the card contains local sponsor logos and a TCMA advertisement banner.

Parallels and Similars: 1985 TCMA cards all carry the same design. Note that this card is a reprint, used in collector starter sets, and can be easily distinguished from regular 1985 TCMA cards by the white border.

Distribution: Team sets were sold through TCMA, hobby channels, and the team itself.

Thoughts: Not all TCMA sets contain sponsor logos, which in my mind add a bit of local flavor to an otherwise nonspecific team issue. Assenmacher is another player who made the majors, which most likely explains all the players who were reprinted - recent callups. He had a decent career, though it mainly came in on-save relief.

1985 Richmond Braves TCMA

Set size: 26 cards

Front Design: The blue-bordered cards have the player's name and position sideways along the left border, and the team name across the top. The photo is surrounded by a thin black frame.

Back Design: The backs are black on white, with the team and league names at the top, followed by the player's name, position, and jersey number. The vitals and 1984 stats are followed by sponsor logos and a TCMA banner advertisement.

Parallels and Similars: All 1985 TCMA minor league sets follow this design. Note that my example is a reprint most likely distributed with collector sets issued in the 1980s. The reprint is distinguished easiest by the white border seen in the scan - originals do not contain the white border. Several TCMA cards were reprinted (many of which I have featured on this blog), but usually there are only a few cards from any given year, and no more than one from any team.

Distribution: Cards were sold in team set form through TCMA, hobby means, and teams themselves.

Thoughts: This is one of TCMA's less attractive designs, with the blocky 45-degree angled borders and excessive use of capital letters on the front. On the other hand, I always appreciate a minor league set.

1985 Syracuse Chiefs TCMA

Set size: 31 cards

Front Design: The cards feature a blue border with the team name at the top, and the player's name and position sideways on the left. The color player photo is surrounded by a thin black frame. (Note: my card contains a white border as it was apparently reprinted by the company for use in a collecting kit.)

Back Design: The backs are black and white, with the team and league name at the top, followed by the player's name, position, and uniform number. Vitals and prior-year statistics follow, with a TCMA advertisement in a banner across the bottom.

Parallels and Similars: As noted, this card is part of the reprinted issue; real 1985 TCMA cards would have a blue border that reaches the edge of the card. All 1985 TCMA minor league sets follow the same design.

Distribution: The team sets were given to teams for sale or distribution at the ballpark; additional quantities were sold through hobby channels and the manufacturer. Approximately 3000 sets were made. The entire set was not subject to reprinting, and I believe only the Tom Filer card should be expected to be part of the reprinted cards.

Thoughts: The black border confines the image a bit more than necessary, as does the big cut taken out for the player's name. The card has about the same feel as any other TCMA issue in terms of design and quality.  I'm not sure why Tom Filer was chosen for reprint, except than he had a pretty good year with Toronto in 1985, going 7-0. He must have had an injury, because he didn't pitch anywhere in 1986 and 1987, and wasn't really successful when he returned in 1988. He's a coach with the Altoona Curve now, according to his sparse Wikipedia page.

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.

1983 Salt Lake City Gulls TCMA

Set size: 26 cards

Front Design: A posed player photo is surrounded by a blue frame and white borders; a white-on-blue bottom-of-a-star style bar crosses the top while a similar bar at the bottom contains player name, team, and position.

Back Design: The black and white back has a banner at the top with the team and league names, a banner at the bottom with a TCMA advertisement, and space in the middle for player vitals and prior-year minor league stats.

Parallels and Similars: All 1983 TCMA minor league sets use an identical design.

Distribution: Cards were issued and sold by TCMA, but could be found through dealers and team stores. *Note: This actual card may be a reprint, possibly part of a sheet distributed with collectors kits in the mid-80s. However, the design is the same.

Thoughts: The Gulls were in Salt Lake City for a decade, heading from the desert heat to Calgary, Canada in 1985. The Salt Lake Bees took their place in 1994, under a series of other names. Spike Owen made his MLB debut the season this card was issued, and made his name defensively, though he was a key offensive contributor for the Red Sox in the 1986 ALCS. Spike sure seems excited to be a part of AAA on this high-school-pose photo.

1983 Albuquerque Dukes TCMA

Set size: 25 cards

Front Design: A posed player photo is in a blue border with a mountain-like design at the top and player's team, name, and position at the bottom.

Back Design: The plain black and white backs contain the team and league names in a black banner at the top, while a similar banner at the bottom contains an advertisement for TCMA cards. The middle of the card features the player's vitals and previous-year's minor league statistics.

Parallels and Similars: All 1983 TCMA team sets are identical.

Distribution: Cards were issued through TCMA, though they could be found at dealers and stadiums. *Note: This actual card may be a reprint, possibly part of a sheet distributed with collectors kits in the mid-80s. However, the design is the same.

Thoughts: Did you know that in 1983, there were two minor league teams named the Dukes? Albuquerque was a AAA-level team for the Dodgers (Orel Hershiser is in this set); Alexandria was a single-A team for the Pirates. I've heard of multiple minor league names copied from major league franchises (the Braves do this, especially), but this is my first case of hearing of two teams playing at the same time with the same non-MLB name. It's just about as confusing as the Columbus (Ohio) Clippers and Columbus (Georgia) Catfish both existing at the same time. The Catfish moved recently.

1983 Redwood Pioneers TCMA

Set size: 32 cards

Front Design: A posed color photo is inside a blue border. The top has a converging lines design with two stars, while the bottom contains the team name, player, and position.

Back Design: The plain black and white backs contain the team name and league, player's vitals and basic minor league statistics from the prior year, and a TCMA advertisement.

Parallels and Similars: All 1983 TCMA minor league sets are identical.

Distribution: Sets were issued by TCMA, but could be found at dealers and stadiums. *Note: This actual card may be a reprint, possibly part of a sheet distributed with collectors kits in the mid-80s. However, the design is the same. (See comments below.)

Thoughts: I had never heard of the Redwood Pioneers until I owned this card, which is remarkable only because they were a member of the California League. I've been to nearly every California League stadium (Visalia Rawhide is the only remaining team), and through my travels I've learned a bit about the history of several of the teams. It turns out the Redwood Pioneers exist today as the Lake Elsinore Storm, south of Los Angeles. I visited their home earlier this year, and they have worked hard to brand themselves as a  modern, unique team that has its roots in Lake Elsinore. It isn't hard to distance yourself from history when you don't have much. They were the Santa Clara Padres for one season (1979), before becoming the Redwood Pioneers (1980-1985). Then, they moved to Palm Springs as the Angels from 1986 through 1993. The Pioneers played in Rohnert Park, California, just south of Santa Rosa. The stadium stood until 2005. The outline of the field was visible until around 2009, and it seems the small parking lot still exists (as of around 2009).

1984 Cedar Rapids Reds TCMA

Set size: 28 cards

Front Design: A purple border with rounded edges surrounds a color portrait; stars appear in the upper corner. An outer green border includes the player's name, team, and position beneath the photo.

Back Design: The border is inverted on the black and white backs; the team name, year of issue, league, player name, position, vitals, and statistics fill most of the space. The bottom 1/3 of the card contains a TCMA advertisement.

Parallels and Similars: All 1984 TCMA sets have the same basic design. See my previous two posts for other TCMA 1984 issues.

Distribution: The cards could be purchased from dealers and usually from teams, as well as TCMA. *Note: This actual card is most likely a reprint, possibly part of a sheet distributed with collectors kits in the mid-80s. However, the design is the same, except for the borders - note that in my card, the green border does not go to the edge; on original-issue TCMAs, the green reaches the edge.

Thoughts: It seems like every new photo I see from these sets gets worse and worse. Kurt must have come straight from an audition for a part in one of those 1980s teen sex comedies - you know, airheaded girls in spandex and bikinis sleeping with unbelievably dumb jocks in incredibly short shorts with brains smaller than the walnuts between their legs. I want to enjoy one of those movies, but I keep getting sick to my stomach within the first five minutes of dialogue. Kurt hails from Southern California, and with the lack of statistics he was a rookie looking for other means of income. Is it just me, or does he look like someone asked him a complicated question, like "What's five plus three?" You have to love that mesh jersey, too.

1984 Omaha Royals TCMA

Set size: 30 cards

Front Design: A color photo sits in a purple frame with curved edges and stars in the upper corners. The player's name, position, and team appear at the bottom in an outer green frame.

Back Design: The black and white backs repeat the front border design, containing the team name and year, league, player's name and position, vitals, and some basic 1983 minor league statistics. The bottom 1/3 of the card contains a TCMA advertisement.

Parallels and Similars: All 1984 TCMA team sets appear nearly identical.

Distribution: Sets were sold by TCMA, and could have also been sold by dealers and the team. *Note: This actual card is most likely a reprint, possibly part of a sheet distributed with collectors kits in the mid-80s. However, the design is the same, except for the borders - note that in my card, the green border does not go to the edge; on original-issue TCMAs, the green reaches the edge.

Thoughts: Poor Frank Wills. He was probably walking through the tunnel, back to the clubhouse, after a tough outing (one of those 11 losses in Omaha the previous year), when a guy with a funny hat and a large, old camera approached him. "Hey, Frank, over here!" *bright flash of light* "Thanks!" Months later, his teammates saw his trading card and mocked him for the rest of the season. "I'll show them!" he said, and the joke was his when he snuck in as Danny Jackson in the 1985 Donruss set.

All fantasy revenge scenarios aside, the set design isn't bad, even if it doesn't stand out. Staring at hundreds of these cards at once would probably cause blindness, not unlike the great loss of eyesight that occurred as millions of collectors opened packs of 1991 Fleer. On it's own, as a team set, it works.