One card only - Certified

The "certified" refers to Pinnacle Certified. I've picked this card for today's solo card blog post mainly because of the back!

Card Number 343: Pinnacle Certified, 1997; #45

There are high end card sets and then there are ones that the manufacturer decrees are so special they stick a film over the front to protect it from the ravages of the packaging process. This is one of those sets.

The problem with the film is that if you acquire the card 23 years later and the film is still on it, then you are taking a massive risk to try and remove the film. This being a premium product, I imagine most collectors left the film on to preserve the card forever. Maybe one day I will find one that has been peeled.

Meanwhile, the picture of Tony shows some dirt on his trousers. He's been sliding around after getting on base in a previous at bat!

And here's the back!

This breaks down Tony's performances against all the other National League teams in 1996, a season when his .353 average landed him a batting title at the end of the year. He batted .615 against the Rockies - what a shame he didn't play more than 4 games against them. He batted at least .300 against everyone else, except for the Dodgers. He managed .400 across 13 games against the Mets. Their pitchers must have been sick of the sight of him.

I'm increasingly attracted to unusual data representations on the back of baseball cards, and this one really stands out. It feels like this kind of innovation has been stifled out of the hobby since the end of the 90s. I would love to see at least one of Topps sets having something this interesting on the back. 

Total: 343/394