1990 Topps Coins

Set Size: 60 coins, 1-1/2" diameter

Design Notes: Made of metal, the coins have full-color photos of players with a baseball field design; the player's team and name appear at the bottom. Backs have black text describing a highlight in the player's career.

Parallels and Similars: Most coins have aluminum colorinng on the edges, as seen above, though some award-winning players were issued in different colors - these are not parallels or variations. Several other coin sets were issued by Topps, but this design is unique and a 1990 copyright is found on the back.

Distribution: Coins came three per pack, 36 packs per box. Factory sets and coin holders were also available.

Thoughts: I've listed some of the other coins issued by Topps, and they all have a similar basic design. This has the best images I've seen, and the design is pretty clean and sharp. It's another inexpensive set to obtain, with Ripken and Ryan leading the pack at around $1/coin but it's a fun issue to put together by busting packs.

1988 Topps Gallery of Champions

Set Size: 12 cards, 1-1/4" x 1"

Design Notes: These cards are made of aluminum, using the 1988 Topps design in a relief format. The backs contain statistics and biographical information. The cards are actually parallels of the players' flagship 1988 Topps cards.

Parallels and Similars: Bronze and silver parallels exist.

Distribution: Complete sets in velvet cases were sold through dealers; 1000 of the silver sets were produced.

Thoughts: I really like these sets, despite their small size. The detail is pretty good, especially for such a small card, and they can display well.

1986 True Value Super Stars

Set Size: 31 cards, standard size, in panels of four cards

Design Notes: The photos are airbrushed and cropped small, as the border surrounding the card contains the True Value logo at the top, several stars over a red background on the sides, crossed bats and balls towards the bottom, and the player's name, team, position, and the MLBPA logo at the bottom. Backs are black on white and contain some recent stats, biographical information, and and a short highlight paragraph. The cards are often still found in folded panels of four, with only the top card visible. The back of the panel-pack shows the fourth card, which features a product (as you can see, my panel advertises a gas can). The product card has a sweepstakes offering trips and prizes. On this panel, Murphy is joined by Robin Yount and Tom Seaver.

Parallels and Similars: None known. There is one error/variation in the set - Don Mattingly has a card which lists him as being an infielder.

Distribution: Panels were given free to customers who spent at least $5 in the store.

Thoughts: Dale looks like he's staring into the sun, or about to get his teeth drilled. On the other hand, this set has a fairly fun front design for an oddball issue of the 1980s. Too much of the front is used for the design, though - this layout wouldn't fit in today's products. Being a logoless oddball set of the 1980s, its value is quite low but the set has several superstars and Hall of Famers.

1986 Meadow Gold Stat Back

Set Size: 20 cards, 2-9/16" x 3-1/2", issued in two-card panels.

Design Notes: This is the only one of three issues by Meadow Gold in 1986 to have printing on the back. I have a complete panel - Bruce Sutter is paired with Pedro Guerrero. An advertisement is also included in the panel which is found on the back. The logos are airbrushed from the cards as Meadow Gold didn't have an MLB license.

Parallels and Similars: Blank-backed cards with the same design were part of a different release found on ice cream cartons.

Distribution: This version of cards was included with packages of frozen specialty sweets, such as popsicles, fudgesicles, and bubble gum coolers.

Thoughts: While the design is fairly plain, this is supposedly one of the toughest regional issues to complete. Bruce here is sporting a nice beard, and looks ready to play for the local sandlot team with his logo-less hat and shirt.

1962 Salada Coins

Set Size: 263 coins (221 subjects), 1-3/8" in diamater

Design Notes: These plastic discs contain a color portrait on the front, which is actually a paper insert on the inside. The plastic discs themselves could be one of several colors, with the text on the "back" embossed or pressed into the plastic. The color portrait front also contains the disc number, team name, and player name and position.

Parallels and Similars: Other coin issues have been made by Salada and other companies, but this is distinguished by the plastic disc and text on the back.

Distribution: Coins were included with Salada tea packets and Junket pudding mixes. There are 10 players for each of the 18 original teams, with an additional 20 subjects for the Mets added in a later version. In addition, several players were updated with new teams and 21 players were replaced with new subjects (with higher numbers - 201-221). The updated players make the total number of variations/coins available 263.

Thoughts: I like oddball issues and this one is fairly odd. These don't really feel like "coins" but discs because they're made of plastic. These are fairly small, but it would have been cooler if action art was used instead of portraits.

2004 Mets Post Fleer (200th Post!)

Set Size: 9 cards on an unperforated uncut sheet, plus one bonus card

Design Notes: The player photos appear over a background with the Mets logo and their jersey number. Backs contain statistics, a short write-up, and a blue-tinted head shot.

Parallels and Similars: None.

Distribution: Uncut sheets were inserted into the New York Post. Cards are standard size if cut properly from the sheet. A bonus card of Kazuo Matsui was available from the Mets Clubhouse stores when customers showed the sheet and bought a pack of Fleer cards at the store.

Thoughts: This is a nice oddball to add to my collection. It has a nice design and features several stars. The header makes the sheet taller than a standard binder can hold but I'm sure it will display well in other ways. I found this sheet here in Japan, at a store on the west side of the Tokyo metropolitan area. It was a pretty good deal, too! I'm guessing the original collector got the sheet to get the Matsui card, and returned to Japan with it. Of course, they would have kept the Matsui or sold it for more money.

This is my 200th post! Thank you to all my readers and followers. As of this writing (on November 2nd, as I'll be in Nagoya doing sightseeing and card hunting when this posts) I have 43 loyal followers. Last month (October) I finally broke 1000 page views in a month (1249 total! with only 16 posts last month) and since starting in June last year (with a mostly-stagnant period the first nine months of this year) I have over 11,000 page views. I just realized while looking at my stats and history, I have made only about 25 posts this year, so most of my writing is really old.

My most-read posts (aside from the two posts that were my "last" for the long periods of empty blogness this year) are 1997-98 Score Board Autographed Collection Autographs, my Japanese Menko post, and 1993 Upper Deck All-Time Heroes (one of my favorite sets). Looking at the rest of the "top 10" it seems that the more oddballish the set (and the older it is) the more popular it is. Too bad I don't have tons of old oddball cards sitting around!

Right now I'm clearing out a scan folder from right before I left for Japan, which is why there are going to be a bunch of late-2011 issues in the next week or so. But my Japanese card collection is growing fast, and I have plans for presenting those cards sooner than later. Plus there are plenty of older cards and oddballs in my collection just waiting to be posted. And if I can somehow get the motivation, energy, and time together to sort out all my scans (from the US and Japan) I will have even better posts here for you in the future!

Meanwhile, I want to say thank you again to my readers for stopping by and looking at the most insane collection I think anyone could try to put together.

The card that started it all.

1999 Kenner Starting Lineup Cards

Set Size: 38 cards

Design Notes: The 1999 set has the player's name on the left-hand side, and the player's photo jumps from the background with a black shadow effect. The backs are black on white.

Parallels and Similars: Unknown, though other 1999 issues might use the same design.

Distribution: Cards were packaged with action figures of the pictured player.

Thoughts: This is a very vibrant design, with the graphics and player photo really standing out. Included with a toy, the cards have a very kid-friendly design. It also looks very much like the designs Fleer created in the late 1990s. Interestingly, despite the cards being part of the 1999 issue, the statistics only include about half of the 1998 season, and the cards carry 1998 copyrights.

For those of you who read every day, don't worry. I'm done with SLUs for a while!

2000 Hasbro Starting Lineup Extended Series

Set Size: 9 cards

Design Notes: The cards use the same design as the other 2000 SLU issues, with a red-tinted background. The backs are black on white. "Extended Series" is in the lower left of the card front in a logo style.

Parallels and Similars: As mentioned, (I think) all the 2000 Starting Lineup cards have the same design. The set easily identified by the "Extended Series" logo on the front.

Distribution: Cards were packaged with 2000 Starting Lineup Extended Series figures.

Thoughts: If it wasn't for the logo, identifying which set each card came from (if separated from its packaging) would be impossible. I like the design, though - simple and modern but not boring. The checklist is pretty impressive (as with most smaller sets) - Griffey Jr, Gwynn, Chipper Jones, Ripken Jr, and A-Rod are all in the Extended Series.

2000 Hasbro Starting Lineup Cards

Set Size: 30 cards

Design Notes: The player's photo appears on a red background. The backs are black on white with career statistics through 1999.

Parallels and Similars: Several subsets issued in 2000 have the same design with a logo in the lower portion of the card; the regular version has no special logo.

Distribution: One card was included with each Starting Lineup action figure.

Thoughts: As I mentioned yesterday, the 2000 issue Starting Lineup cards aren't horrible looking. I like the inclusion of the gray team logo in the background behind the player, adding an extra dimension to the image.

2000 Hasbro Starting Lineup Classic Doubles Cards

Set Size: 10 cards

Design Notes: The cards have a red-tinted background, and the player's name appears at the bottom. This set is identified by the Classic Doubles logo in the lower left. The backs are black on white with career statistics.

Parallels and Similars: Most 2000 Starting Lineup sets use the same design and can be distinguished by the inclusion (or lack of) a logo as seen and mentioned above.

Distribution: Cards were packaged with Starting Lineup Classic Doubles figurines. Two cards and two figurines were in each package; there are five different packages. John Smoltz was packaged with Pedro Martinez.

Thoughts: As a bonus included with an action figure, the card is fairly attractive. It's not a great stand-alone design, and the back is pretty plain for a 2000-era release. However, I like the novelty associated with Starting Lineup cards and figures.

1973-02 Book Promotional Cards

Set size: approximately 32

Distribution: Cards in this "set" were issued in conjunction with various baseball-related books.

Thoughts: While this is a "set" listed in the Beckett database, it's really a collection of separate releases. Occasionally, book manufacturers will issue a "baseball card" (or series of cards) to promote an upcoming or bestselling book. This example is for the 1989 book Out of the Blue, about pitcher Orel Hershiser. Occasionally, two different cards are issued for a book (Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig for 2002's Breaking the Slump), or even a dozen cards (Who was Harry Steinfeldt? and other baseball trivia). I'm not sure why Orel is wearing something other than Dodger Blue in this promo - especially given the title of the book - and I'm not familiar enough with his history to identify what team he might be representing. I was quite excited to find this card sitting in a dime box at a card show!

1921-23 National Caramel (E220)

It's been a busy New Year's weekend for me, so I haven't posted on the site in a while. Let's start 2012 with a great card from 90 years ago!

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

Front Design: A black and white photo is in a black frame, with a white box at the bottom of the photo containing the player's name, position, and team.

Back Design: Black printing on the white card stock is identical on all cards, as seen to the right.

Parallels and Similars: This set is often confused with the American Caramel sets of the same time period. The design, photos, and text on the back are the same in most cases. However, this set is identifiable by the National Caramel Company text on the back.

Distribution: Cards would have been issued with caramel candies, just like American Caramel issues.

Thoughts: The design is plain but clean, with nice photographs on the front. With a fairly large set, children would have made dentists very busy trying to complete sets by eating candy. I'm sure the kids of the 1920s didn't mind. While I like the set, it doesn't stand out with any special design features. The photographs aren't special and the design itself is plain. Hopefully Topps keeps their hands off this set as a throwback Caramel issue wouldn't interest me one bit.

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.

2002 USA Baseball National Team

Set size: 30 cards

Front Design: The USA Baseball logo in gold foil is beneath a color photo in gold foil, with 2002 National Team beneath. The player's name is to the left, in a fading blue box placed over the photo; his position is in a separate blue box which fades into an American flag.

Back Design: The backs have a cropped headshot from the front photo and a short highlight biography over a background of the USA Baseball logo. The logo is repeated in full color beneath the biography.

Parallels and Similars: There are no parallels, though other USA sets have similar designs.

Distribution: Cards were sold complete in factory set form with an autograph and relic card for $19.99. Upper Deck claims to have released no more than 10,000 factory sets.

Thoughts: A full set, autograph, and relic for $20? These days, full USA Baseball sets retail for nearly $100, though those come with five autographs, two autographed relics, and three triple relics. I'll just pick up the $10 retail version with just the base cards. I enjoy USA Baseball sets, though I'm not sure why. Maybe it's the oddball nature of the sets - amateur players on "professional" baseball cards. Perhaps it's an interest in patriotic cards, though I don't collect non-sport patriotic cards. Maybe I just enjoy collecting Team USA because I saw them play in the 1996 Olympics. This is a nice set anyway, with a patriotic feel and gold foil highlights that add a touch of class without being over the top.

2003 Upper Deck Post: the last of its kind

Set size: 30 cards

Front Design: The player photo is cropped inside a rounded-corner rectangle over a single color low-res fading background. Horizontal rows of foil dots are above and below the rectangle, and the player's last name is in foil along the right side of the card. His team's logo is in a home plate in the lower-left of the card, and his position is in a red box in the lower-left. The player's full name runs up the left side of the card.

Back Design: The back puts the player's name at the top and his jersey number in large print in the upper right, beneath the player's name. To the right is a square close-up photo. The majority of the card holds a box with 2002 and career statistics and biographical information. The Post logo is in the lower right, above the other legal information, Upper Deck logos, and licensing logos.

Parallels and Similars: None known.

Distribution: The set was available via a mail-in offer that required collectors to assemble a full set of six CD-ROMs inserted into cereal boxes in 2003.

Thoughts: This set looks like most Upper Deck issues of the early 2000s, with geometric shapes, foil enhancements, and strange fonts - a very digital feel. In fact, you wouldn't know this was a Post issue if the little logo wasn't included on the back. There is one player per team, appealing to all team collectors, and the mail-in offer requirements mean this set is in shorter supply than most other Post issues.  I believe this is the last Post card set to be issued, and this being card #31 makes it the last Post baseball card issued to date.

1996 Team Out! Game - Piazza and Matt Williams on the same team?

Set size: 101 cards including 10 actions and 91 MLB players, sized 2-1/4" x 3-1/2" (just a little narrower than standard cards)

Front Design: Cards are designed like other game or playing cards, with rounded edges. Action cards have red or blue edges, while player cards have black edges. Real MLB player personalities are used in the action cards (see Mike Piazza and Matt Williams somehow both playing in the field at the same time, in different jerseys). Color photos are used for the actual players, with the position at the top and bottom of the card, and the player's name and team at the bottom of the photo.

Back Design: The unnumbered cards have a baseball sweet spot background, with the Team Out! logo in the middle and copyright information along the bottom. Backs are all identical, as with other game and playing card sets.

Parallels and Similars: None known.

Distribution: Sold as a boxed set, containing 37 of 91 player cards and 23 of 10 action cards. This means action cards were printed in much greater quantities than the player cards (if my math is correct, approximately six times greater).

Thoughts: I like the goofy cartoon above. Matt Williams finds it incredibly hilarious that Clyde is out. Piazza looks creepy, but with the mullet, he looked like creepy trailer trash most of the time anyway. I wonder if they're playing at some Team Out! All Star Game, as there's no other way Williams and Piazza would be on the field together in different NL uniforms at the same time. The card game must have never caught on, as I don't think there was a second edition issued. I would like to have a set of action cards for my art collection, though. Don't buy your singles from eBay unless you're desperate. While the full set books for $40, the highest singles are listed at $3, and honestly, most can be had for a quarter at a card show if you come across one (eBay prices are, as usual, much higher than book).

Japanese Menko UPDATE: JCM 2: 1948 Baseball Back

 Set size: 19+ cards (10 baseball), 1-1/2" x 2-3/8"

Front Design: A color cartoon depicting actual players or a generic team member is on the front, with Japanese text identifying the player and/or the team.

Back Design: The blue ink backs have a solid baseball with three crossed bats behind it, containing a mitt, trophy, and the words "BASE BALL". A menko number (math equation) is in a rectangular box at the bottom.

Parallels and Similars: This menko is easily distinguished from other menko issues by the large blue baseball and text on the back.

Distribution: It's unknown how these menko were distributed, but most menko were packaged in hanging bags, usually sold in uncut sheets of 2, 4, or larger. Most cards were hand-cut by someone along the way - the manufacturers, shop owners, or collectors.

Thoughts: These are wonderful, colorful cards. There will be many more to come. I have a record of 178 unique menko sets, and while I'm in Japan I hope I'm able to acquire and show most of them to you. This particular issue is not really scarce, other than a few cards. Using the math equations on the back, I'm able to determine that the card with the 7521x10 menko is either Testuharu Kawakami or Michinori Tsubouchi, while the other menko (6465x39) is either Torao Ooka or a generic Kyuei player (my guess: it's the generic player). It's always good to have a bit more information on the unknown cards in my collection! (And, 1 menko set down, 177 to go!) The set is given the designation JCM 2 (similar to T for tobacco/etc) which means to me: Japanese Classic (rectangular) Menko.

Additional Images:

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).

1993 Upper Deck Supers: Off the grid and bigger than life!

Set size: 7

Front Design: The cards are reprints of 1991 Upper Deck, 1993 Upper Deck, and 1993 SP cards. The checklist is provided below. However, the cards are 8.5" x 11" instead of a normal card size.

Back Design: Again, the backs are reprints of other designs in a jumbo size, with one addition: cards are serial-numbered in a special logo placed somewhere on the back.

Parallels and Similars: These cards are jumbo-sized parallels of other issues.

Distribution: It is unknown how these cards were distributed. I wouldn't know where to begin looking for information, short of asking Upper Deck themselves - and even if they responded to an email I doubt they would know or bother finding an answer. Possible methods of distribution could include dealer premiums or previews, card show/convention premiums, or special local test issues released only in California. It's possible they were sold or given away at Heroes of Baseball events (again, possibly as test issues), as they have the same feel as the sheets released for that series. All this is speculation.

Thoughts: First and foremost, if you have any information on this set, please let me know! I'm a big fan of oddballs, especially odd-sized issues such as this. It's quite rare for a release by a major manufacturer to not be cataloged by Beckett. They're listed in the SCD guide (page 1545 of the 2009 edition). Perhaps someone who gets their hands on an updated SCD could check to see if there are any updates. I came across a handful cards from this release several months ago and picked up two examples - the Bonds above and the Finley below. I should have bought them all.

Why is Barry Bonds on the same base as another Giant? Somebody is OUT.

Checklist: cards are numbered below according to their original card number. Print runs were 1000 for most cards, with differences in parentheses. Issues copied other than 1993 are also noted below. If you have any additions to this list, please let me know!

• 6 Kirby Puckett/Triple Crown Contenders insert
• 10 Barry Bonds/SP
• 24 Eric Karros/1991 (2500)
• 75 Tom Glavine
• 77 Chuck Finley (2500)
• 155 Nolan Ryan (5000)
• 199 Roger Clemens/SP

Additional Images:

1988 Donruss Baseball's Best

Set size: 336 cards

Front Design: The cards follow the 1988 Donruss design, but use orange, red, and black colors fading into each other in blocks as the border. The player's photo appears in an inner white frame, with his name and position in white text in a red band across the bottom. The team logo is also placed at the bottom of the photo.

Back Design: The vertical backs have a yellow/orange-ish border, with a rounded-corner black frame surrounding the text. The player's name, vitals, team, and the card number are in an upper box, with career statistics in the middle box. The bottom section of the card describes how the player was acquired by the team.

Parallels and Similars: This set uses the 1988 Donruss design, though it isn't a parallel of the set. There are a few other issues in 1988 that follow the same design, but the orange borders are unique to this set.

Distribution: The set was sold complete through retail outlets in a special box late in 1988. Six copies of a 15-piece 3-1/2" x 2-1/2" Stan Musial puzzle were included with the set.

Thoughts: It's easy to see why this is called the Halloween set. It's the only full set I can recall (other than team issues) that relies heavily on orange (EDIT: OOPS!). The set reminds me of 1987's Opening Day - a similar set issued early in the 1987 season. Maybe due to the unique color scheme, this set is much more appealing to me than the regular 1988 Donruss release. I had to borrow the image from COMC because my example is locked in a storage box 2511 miles away.