1934 Diamond Match Co. Silver Border

Set size: 200 matchbooks

Front Design: The front of the matchbook has a black and white player photo surrounded by a silver border. The player's name and team appear above the photo on the "top" (called the saddle) of the matchbook.

Back Design: The matchbook back contains a short biography inside a border with a glove/ball/crossed bat header. The inside of the matchbook (which would be the back side of the image above) is blank. The match strike appears below the biography and identifying mark "THE DIAMOND MATCH CO. NEW YORK" (obviously cut or torn from my example).

Parallels and Similars: Red, green, blue, and orange backgrounds exist for each player, and are equally scarce. There are three additional series of covers with different designs.

Distribution: Matchbooks were a popular collectible in the 1930s, and generally sold two for a penny.

Thoughts: Matchbooks are fairly unique as far as cards go, so this is a fun addition to my collection. I would like to have a complete matchbook from one of the Diamond Match Co. issues, because this one is lacking identifying characteristics of a matchbook. This would be an interesting way to release a baseball issue these days, given the views towards tobacco, which most matchbooks are used for (I guess - or birthday candles).

Additional Links: Century Old Cards has a page devoted to all the Diamond Match Company issues. Old Baseball has a checklist.

1993 Kraft Singles Superstars

Set size: 30 cards (15 AL, 15 NL players), standard size.

Front Design: A full-color photo is surrounded by the player's name and team name in caps, the player's name repeated in script on the left hand side, and the Kraft Singles logo in the bottom right corner.

Back Design: The "back" image is surrounded by a blue border containing the set name; Kraft Singles logo; player name, position and team; and card number. Pulling the tab causes the player to "pop up", revealing statistics underneath.

Parallels and Similars: The 1992 Post Canadian issue is similar in pop-up design and layout, as are future releases of the Kraft Singles cards.

Distribution: Cards were randomly inserted into specially marked packages of Kraft Singles. A mail offer was available for complete sets with proofs-of-purchase and a small fee; an album was also available via mail-in offer.

Thoughts: Someday I'll remember this set and pick one up off eBay or elsewhere at a bargain (or at least another card), and pop it up so I can see exactly what's in there. Griffey, Ripken, Gwynn, and Ryan all appear in the set and would be fun additions to the player collections, and there are several minor stars of their day to round out the set, so it's fairly inexpensive to complete.

Additional Images: Card back.

1998 Topps Gallery of Heroes Jumbos

Set size: 15 cards, 4-9/16" x 3-1/4".

Front Design: The player's photo appears on a die cut "stained glass window" design. The player's name appears at the bottom, and the team logo is squeezed into the bottom of the card where it will fit.

Back Design: Most of the card back is simply a mirror image of the front, except for the lower name plate, which instead contains the card number and legal information.

Parallels and Similars: This set is a parallel of the regular-sized Gallery of Heroes set. The Gallery of Heroes insert set followed a the same basic design concept for several years, though the stained glass design changed from issue to issue.

Distribution: The jumbos were issued as box toppers, one per 24-pack box of Topps Gallery. This makes them exactly as rare as the regular-sized cards, issued at a rate of one in 24 packs.

Thoughts: Since this is just an enlarged version of a regular insert, printed at the same rate, your interest in this set will depend on whether you like the design, and if you don't mind the non-standard size. Since I enjoy acetate cards such as this, I would like to put this set together, either in the jumbo size or standard size.

Additional Images: The view from behind is just as nice. No pun intended, at least not at first.

1950 Remar Bread: A Hall of Famer!

Set size: 27 cards, approximately 2" x 3"

Front Design: These cards follow the design of the previous Smiths issues (see 1947, 1948), and are identical to the 1949 Remar issue except for the records on the back. A black and white photo in a white border appears above the player's name and position.

Back Design: The backs contain statistics for the 1949 season, and an advertisement for Remar Bread, and the Oaks broadcast stations. "Let's Be Friends" is a Sunbeam Bread slogan.

Parallels and Similars: As mentioned above, all Remar Bread team set issues look nearly the same, as do the Smiths card issues of the same era. The white border does not occur until 1949.

Distribution: Cards were distributed once per week, most likely at games.

Thoughts: The consistent use of the same basic design over and over again can be monotonous, but minor league issues such as this didn't receive too much effort from the design department. I didn't realize until I started writing this post that George Kelly, here a coach, is a Hall of Famer and the key card of the set (and I got it for a steal, despite the condition). As a player in the early 1920s, he was the best, and without Babe Ruth he would have probably been the superstar of his day. He fell from the top after 1924, and is highly questionable as a member of the HOF. But this is a great addition to the Zoo!

Additional Links: George Kelly's Hall of Fame page lists his accomplishments. You can view images of all the cards in this set here.

Additional Images: Card back:

1981 Dodgers Police

Set size: 32 cards, which have the odd measurements of 2-13/16" by 4-1/8".

Front Design: A color photo appears surrounded by a white border. The bottom of the card contains the player name, jersey number, and position, and "LAPD SALUTES THE 1981 Dodgers" in black ink.

Back Design: A police tip attributed to the player and the LAPD badge with the number (year) 1981 in black ink fills the back.

Parallels and Similars: Many of the police issues of the era have similar designs and card sizes.

Distribution: Cards were distributed by LAPD officers. The Ken Landreaux and Dave Stewart cards are short-printed due to being last-minute additions to the set; this set provides Stewart's true rookie card.

Thoughts: I like reading the tips on the back of these cards. I remember all the PSAs integrated into 1980s children's programming and they bring back memories. I'm just wondering if any of these crime tips are useful or just based on urban legends with no basis in fact. Snopes did a good job looking at the poison and sharp objects in Halloween candy (read the whole article about sharp objects - the only real incident is from the rumor creating the idea for the crime). Are there burglars out there who really knock on the door and break in when a kid answers? Are there predators out there luring kids into their cars with candy bars? (I'm not saying these are false, I'm just asking if they are.)

Additional Links: Old Baseball provides a checklist.

Additional Images: Card back: