Victory is an overlooked card range from Upper Deck. Like other card companies at the turn of the Millennium, Upper Deck were experimenting with new sub-brands to attract the attention of collectors who were all getting a bit fazed by it. The original collecting bubble had popped a few years previously, the people who had piled into the hobby to build up investment portfolios had piled out again, and a number of collectors had grown disaffected and given up.
So, in 1999, Victory was launched into this unpromising landscape. The brand was used on ice hockey and football cards and for five baseball seasons. Upper Deck also issued 'Victory' ranges for Japanese baseball, but I think they were only sold in Japan.
Like a lot of the Forgotten Fleer, Victory cards tip up in joblots infrequently enough to feel like they are hard to find.
Card Number 205: Upper Deck Victory, 2000; #338 (Big Play Makers insert)
Tony was one of 20 players designated a "Big Play maker" within the set.
This is definitely a contender for the most yellow card in my collection. The yellow tint makes Tony's face in close-up look a bit odd.
Tony's yellow-tinted face is also on the back. The cardback mentions Tony passing the 3000-hit mark and says he "shows no signs of slowing". Actually, he was slowing down quite a bit in 2000, with a lot fewer appearances due to injury.
Card Number 206: Upper Deck Ultimate Victory, 2000; #76
Ultimate Victory was a spin-off set from Victory. Upper Deck were trying to build sub-brands within sub-brands, Inception-style.
This is blue and very shiny in real life. It did not scan well. It is basically Tony's Victory base card, except in blue foil. (No, I don't have the base card...) 120 of the Victory base set were also given the Ultimate Victory treatment.
The back has a stats box with a watermark of a ballpark in the background. It look like the same image was used on every Ultimate Victory card, and I don't which stadium it is.
Card Number 207: Upper deck Victory, 2001; #459
At last! A regular base card!
There is nothing particularly good or bad about this card. It is what it is.
The back is dull. I noticed that it listed Tony's weight as 225lbs. Most cards printed his weight as 215 or 220lbs. His weight was probably even higher than what's printed here at this stage of his career, although he did lose some weight in his final couple of seasons.
There was space on there for a factoid. Or a photo. Or something.
Card Number 208: Upper Deck Victory, 2001; #646 (Victory's Best insert)
The last 50 cards in the set were the Victory's Best insert series.
This insert is an uninspiring as the base set, really. Just the words "Victory's Best" repeated in the background.
The prominent number 19 on the back is a little bit irritating as it feels like it's pretending to be the card number.
The factoid mentions that he had become the National League record-holder for consecutive seasons batting over .300. (So there was a factoid they could have used on the base set.)
Total: 208/394
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