The last days of DonRuss

DonRuss is now one of several trading card brands owned and run by the Panini corporation. I sometimes refer to it as a "zombie brand" because it feels like it's being kept animated but isn't really alive. 

Panini acquired DonRuss in 2009 when they bought Playoff, the company that had salvaged DonRuss as it headed towards collapse at the turn of the millennium and then issued sets in the first decade of the 21st Century. Today's post features cards from the Playoff era of DonRuss's history.

Card Number 644: DonRuss Champions, 2005; #46

There were actually three Tony Gwynn cards in this set, all with slightly different photos on the front.

The card is designed in such a way that it would be easy to insert a relic or an auto into the space on the right. This was a set with lots of relics and autos, with base cards like this filling the gaps. 

There's a great factoid on the back comparing Tony to Ty Cobb. There is also a very interesting stats box with a line of Tony's career highs and his career totals. I don't remember seeing another stats box like that, so it gives this card something unique. 

The big D in an oval is the DonRuss logo during the Playoff era. It's usually a red oval.

Card Number 645: DonRuss Threads Century Stars, 2008; #CS-6

I have blogged a DonRuss Threads base card before. This is rather a bland insert card from the same set. Tony is sticking his tongue out while running in the photo.

For an insert series called Century Stars, there are very few stars on this card. I would have put on more. The stencil font is an unusual choice. I find stencil fonts remind me of two things from my chldhood in the 1980s - the A-Team logo, and the toys called Action Force, which was the last great toyline to be developed in the UK by the toy company Palitoy (as described in this YouTube video by the very knowledgeable Analog Toys). 

The back says it was only fitting that Tony was inducted to the Hall of Fame with Cal Ripken Jr, but then doesn't say why. I know the similarities between the two, and DonRuss clearly expacted everyone who pulled this card to know them too. 

In 2008 Playoff had lost their Major League Baseball licence, and this card claims it was directly licensed by the player depicted. This form of licensing explains the obvious airbrushing on the front. The SD logo is still intact on Tony's helmet, partially obscured by some reflective glare. Weirdly, it only says San Diego on the left hand side of the cardback, but it mentions the Padres by franchise name in the write up on the right hand side. 

This card was from the last year before DonRuss was acquired by Panini. All subsequent cards released with the DonRuss branding have also been unlicensed so this was a portent of things to come.

Total: 645 cards