Beyond the Base - Upper Deck 1992

Here are three cards produced by Upper Deck in 1992 that were more than just regular base cards. 

Card Number 313: Upper Deck, 1992; #717

This was one of the many cards that arrived in my collection from Gawain several weeks ago.

Upper Deck proclaimed Tony the Best Hitter in 1992. Not gonna argue.

The ball is either making its way onto the bat or streaking off the bat in the photo on the front. The Upper Deck Diamond Skills logo looks a bit like the logo for a heavy metal band. And also like how the Diamondbacks have sometimes arranged the letters in their name.

There is a big write up on the back. These mid-career summaries are illuminating - Tony was yet to win his second quadruple of batting titles, score .394, or star in his second World Series. 

Card Number 314: Upper Deck - Ted Williams' Best insert, 1992; #T6

This was another of the cards sent to me by Jeff as part of his Wax Pack Wonders giveaway.

Ted Williams picked 20 players he regarded as the best and they had their own insert series. Tony was 6th on the list.

There is a quote on the back from Ted himself.

Tony was in awe of Ted Williams. It was on Ted's advice that he started using a bigger bat at the start of the 90s, which was one of the reasons for his highly successful second decade. He also helped Ted throw out the first pitch in the 1999 All-Star Game at Fenway Park. Tony apparently re-read Ted's book about hitting two or three times every year. If Tony saw this card then it must have given him a bit of a thrill.

Card Number 315: Upper Deck All Star Fan Fest, 1992; #25

This card was sold as part of a complete 54-card set, which appears to have been linked to the All-Star Game. (I acquired it in an eBay lot recently.)

The front has a sliding action shot. I like photos of Tony sliding.

The grey background with pin-stripes is very Fleer-esque.

The write-up includes a new description for my list of different ways Tony gets described on cardbacks. This time I can add "splendid ballplayer". There's a lot of detail in the summary with an emphasis on Tony's excellent fielding that led to him winning his fifth Gold Glove in 1991.

Total: 315/394