Tony's cards from the 1980s, as he was breaking on to the scene, are a great resource for building a picture of him as a player before he became the legendary figure of "Mr Padre". It's weird to think that at one point he was a hot rising star. In a strange way the hitting machine of the 1990s with his powerful mature physique has eclipsed those early days. I find it hard to imagine him as a young man.
And yet here he is, heralded as a young superstar.
Card Number 495: Kay-Bee Young Superstars of Baseball, 1986; #17
Like the Fleer cards I posted about yesterday, these cards were sold in self-contained sets of 33 cards. They were made by Topps and sold exclusively in K.B. Toy Shops. (The little toy soldier logo is really cute!)
Although this card was manufactured by Topps, I regard it as an 'oddball'. Our second card today is also a Topps card, but one they manufactured for a bakery.
Card Number 496: Drake's Big Hitters, 1985; #14
As the card says, this was the fifth series of Drake's cards. It was also the final one with Topps. The sets produced for Drake's after that were produced through Michael Schechter Associates (MSA), who created a lot of 'oddball' sets.
There were 44 cards in this set, which were included in Drake's products.
So, here we are, almost at the end of 80s week. I've decided it's going to be an 8-day week with a bonus card tomorrow as well.
Total: 496 cards
I feel like I never really considered Gwynn a "rising star" either. I think it's because I was just hitting my teens and he was in his mid 20's (and old in my eyes) when I started rooting for him. By the time I started actively collecting him... he was a seasoned veteran with multiple batting titles.
ReplyDeleteP.S. It's cool to see the Drake's back with the 1985 Topps back. Lol. Looks like the perfect Christmas post.
Yes, red and green! I bet there are people who think the backs of the 1985 cards are blank.
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