Blue DonRuss

Have you ever bought a complete set just to get one card? A couple of months ago, I did.

The 1990 set by DonRuss is one of those incredibly common junk wax sets that I quite like. I think it's the red borders. I have a few cards from it (which I blogged about in the very early days of this blog) but I hadn't seen blue versions of the cards before (even though Fuji had mentioned them in a comment on that post from the early days of this blog!) Some junk wax is harder to find, especially here in Wales.

But then this sealed factory set of the 'Best of the National League' turned up in the UK collectors group on Facebook. Adrian, the seller, had three of them. I had a think about it and then decided to take one off his hands. Mainly because when the player you collect is listed on the back, you kind of have to, right?

Opening up the box, there was an inner tray with three blocks of shrink-wrapped cards.

The 'puzzles' that are mentioned on the outside of the box were underneath the blocks of cards. Does anyone care about puzzles?

Anyway, I had to open all three shrink-wrapped blocks to find Tony's card, but here it is!

Card Number 1039: DonRuss Best of the National League, 1990; #11

It's not the greatest photo of Tony at the plate, but it's a close up cropped shot rather than the photos that were used on the cards in the regular set released by DonRuss that year. The photo clearly shows the Mimsbandz anti-drugs wristguards that Tony wore.

The back is a bit dull, but the yellow means they look very different to cards from the regular release. 

I have taken this card out of the set and put it in my binders. I have no plans for the rest of the cards. I know a few people who collect other players from that era, so I might send a few cards out. In the unlikely event that any regular readers want one (or more) of these cards, please let me know!

Total: 1039 cards

Tuesday Twins from Upper Deck sets

Card Number 1037: Upper Deck Victory, 1999; #339

This is one of those cards where I had the parallel a long time before I acquired the base version. In fact, when I blogged the parallel version I bemoaned the fact I didn't have the base card!

Personally, I feel that is almost a perfect baseball card. I like posed photos where you can actually see what a player looks like. The simple framing and unobtrusive logo give this a high class, timeless feel. 

The cardback is also elegantly laid out, with a bit about the Qualcomm Stadium (as Jack Murphy Stadium was known in 1999) and a bit about Tony. The truncated stats box is fine when there is so much other detail to include. 

The prediction that Tony would reach 3,000 hits in 1999 proved true. The idea that he might reach 3,500 hits turned out to be optimistic. However, it does show how well Tony was hitting in the tail end of the 90s that it was considered a possibility, however remote. 

Card Number 1038: Upper Deck SP 'Superbafoil', 1995; #105

As if SP cards weren't difficult enough to scan anyway, here is the shiny 'superbafoil' version. Unlike the dark blue foil triangle on the regular SP card, this card has a triangle that looks silvery in real life but scans in a fractal ice-blue colour.

A bonus of showing this parallel card is showing the fistbump photo on the back again.

Looking through the roster of the 1994 team, I think the player fistbumping Tony is Bip Roberts. That's a deduction I've based on the mystery fistbumper's complexion,  jawline and ear. Bip was a second baseman so would be reasonably close to Tony when he was in the outfield. If only he had a number on his wristband like Tony did!

I'd be interested to hear what readers think about this. Is it a Bip-Bump? Or could it be someone else? Make your suggestions in the comments!

Total: 1038 cards

Modern Monday - another class of Gold Label

I'm not consistent in how I write the headers for Gold Label cards. The "class" of the card is sometimes in brackets, sometimes not. But I doubt anyone cares too much. I feel people come to my blog to look at the cards rather than read what I'm calling them.

Card Number 1036: Topps Gold Label - class 2, 2021; #12

The class 1 and class 3 cards issued in 2021 are in this post from February, although actually one of those cards is a black parallel, so I think that means I'm missing the standard version...

All three classes of cards in the 2021 issue juxtaposed that ever-so-cool photo of young Tony with an action shot from his later years. In this one elder Tony is running the bases. I also like the juxtaposition of 'San Diego' on elder Tony's uniform and 'Padres' on younger Tony's jacket. (I want a jacket like that!)

The classes in Topps Gold Label, basically mean there are three sets to collect, all with the same numbering and cardbacks. So there isn't much to add to what I've previously said about this cardback. 

Total: 1036 cards

One card only - Tony's first home run

Opinion is divided on 'manufactured relics' like this card. They're usually found as bonus cards in blaster boxes. While I realise they aren't to every collector's taste, they're a bit out of the ordinary and I like adding them to my collection. This particular one was an eBay purchase from a seller in Germany.

Card Number 1035: Topps First Home Run Medallions, 2015; #FHRM-TG

These cards were bonus cards in blaster boxes of Series Two of Topps's flagship set. The 'medallion' is a heavy piece of metal embedded in a partial hole scooped out of the foamboard material used to make the 'card'.

Credit to Topps for using a photo of Tony in a uniform from roughly the right era to commemorate an event in 1982. (I feel like I'm crediting Topps for doing the bare minimum these days!)

If I was more co-ordinated I would have posted this on 22nd August! But sadly I have only just realised I have missed that by a handful of days. 

Wrigley Field is on my list of ball parks I want to visit. As Tony hit his first home run there, I think I might have to make it a priority when I'm next planning a trip to the USA.

Total: 1035 cards

Legendary oddball

An oddball treat today - a card that doesn't appear on Baseballcardpedia. These cards were apparently issued with a magazine called Legends Sporting Memorabilia, supplied in uncut sheets of 9 cards inserted in the magazine. Stars from several different sports were represented. (Info source)

Card Number 1034: Legends Sporting Memorabilia, 1991; #53

Even in the free-for-all frontierland that was the peak junk wax era in 1991, I'm surprised a magazine would produce cards without any kind of licensing. As a media outlet they could well have owned the rights to the photograph, but the copyright claim on the back is unusual even among oddball cards.

From the write up on the back, it would be reasonable to expect Tony to have won the batting title in 1991. He didn't. He won his fifth batting title in 1993. Although 1991 was a pivotal year as he met Ted Williams and switched to a heavier bat after talking to his personal batting hero. 

Total: 1034 cards

Another royal title

DonRuss repeatedly honoured Tony as a Diamond King during the 80s and 90s but Fleer crowned him as a different kind of king in 1999.

Card Number 1033: Fleer Ultra, 1999; #13RK

The spectacular design on the front of this insert card masks the complete lack of logos or identifying features on the picture. Like the Leaf Legacy card I blogged yesterday, this could be a card from the era of unlicensed cards if it wasn't for the full team name included at the bottom. 

The photo of Tony on the back was taken in that brief window when he experimented with a beard in the late 90s. 

The shadow that has been added to the photo is weird and unnecessary - nobody would think Tony is actually standing in front of a big swirly mandala thing.

As noted in the write up, Tony had taken the lead in the Padres all-time franchise stats for RBI by the end of the 1998 season. He is still the Padres all time RBI leader with a career total of 1,138. (He is also the all-time Padres leader in walks with 790, which I didn't know until I looked up the RBI stat!)

Additional bonus point for this card doing what Fleer always did on their late 20th / early 21st century cards and include the year of issue under the logo. 

Total: 1033 cards

The legacy of Leaf

Leaf is a weird minor player in the card world now after the brand name was bought just over a decade ago, but back when Leaf was part of DonRuss there were lots of Leaf sets released. Some of them are still very nice, like this one from a quarter century ago.

Card Number 1032: Leaf Legacy, 1997; #356

The aesthetically pleasing shield motif on the front makes up for the photo where Tony's face is obscured. This could almost be an unlicensed card because of the very small amount of franchise logos on show. 

The cardback provides a great snapshot of Tony's career in the middle of the late nineties. The stats among active players are great records of where Tony stood with regard to his peers. These in-career stats are important career markers that don't often get mentioned on cardbacks. 

There's also a photo of Tony jogging in his fielding gear on the back juxtaposed with the write up about his batting average and hit total. 

Total: 1032 cards

Back to base: SP in the late 90s

A short run of base cards from the Upper Deck SP ranges. These days "SP" means "Short print". I've previously tried to discover what 'SP' meant when Upper Deck was using it, but haven't had any joy. The cards were a premium range for Upper Deck, which means some are printed on foil board... on both sides! That's fancy, and annoying to scan. 

Anyway, enough preamble, let's get back to base!

Card Number 1029: Upper Deck SP, 1996; #160

This is one of the cards that's printed on foilboard on both sides, so I had to use the overhead scanner twice for it. There's also double photo use on the front, although the head and shoulders photo is placed oddly in line with Tony's backside in the main photo.

The foilboard on the back gives the plastic coated outfield wall in the background an authentic sheen.

The write up amusingly describes Tony's sequence of batting title wins as a "habit". That's some habit!

Card Number 1030: Upper Deck SP, 1997; #155

This card has a shiny front and a matt back. The rather odd silver wedge on the left hand side gives this card an odd vibe. For some reason it reminds of the sets that card companies put out aiming at kids, like Triple Play or Fun Pack. 

This set has the head and shoulders photo on the back. It's a really good photo that has appeared on some other cards - like one of the Collector's Choice cards in this post.

The description is less amusing than the previous year, almost mundane in comparison.

Card Number 1031: Upper Deck SPx, 1999; #44

There were several different 'SP' sets in 1999, including SP Authentic, which was the new name for the main SP set. SPx was another range in the SP stable, with the first sets including holograms as chase cards  although there weren't any in the 1999 set.

This base card has a big embossed foil panel on it. And a design that reminds me of Meccano.

Having two photos on the back is less impressive when one of them is the same one that appeared on the front of the card, and is being used like a watermark.

This time it's the batting average above .300 that's "routine". Tony's run of batting titles had come to an end in 1998. But he did get to play in the World Series, and, as the card notes, he passed the 1000 mark for runs batted in. 

Total: 1031 cards

A star from California

This post was made possible by Casey who contacted me saying he wanted to send me a card. In fact, he sent a few, all the way from California. (Casey is a church pastor as well as a baseball card collector, and here is his blog.)

The card in this post isn't the card Casey originally got in touch with me about - I'm still researching that one. However, I wanted to say thank you to Casey for being such a star and what better way than with a card he sent me featuring Tony as a Star Attraction?

Card Number 1028: Upper Deck, 1997; #SA5

These insert cards are die-cut along the top and bottom edges. 

I like cards that use a cameo portrait on the back - especially if Tony is smiling. The silver grey stripes are reminiscent of Fleer in the late 80s, but the use of space makes the design look classy. 

The cardback references the 1997 season, which is unusual on a card released in 1997. 

These cards were only available in retail packs labelled 'Memorabilia Madness' - the Upper Deck set in 1997 was the first baseball product to include memorabilia cards, including the very first memorabilia cards for Tony! 

The Star Attractions cards were included at a rate of one per memorabilia madness pack as an extra perk for collectors trying to get their hands on cards with little swatches of cloth in them. I presume the cards were printed late in the year, which is why they reference the 1997 season. (I've cribbed these details from Baseballcardpedia.)

Many thanks again to Casey for being such a star and sending me this Star Attraction card!

Total: 1028 cards

Modern Monday - crowned a Diamond King again

Another 2022 release, this time from Ryan in the UK collectors group on Facebook. Cheers, Ryan!

Card Number 1027: Panini Diamond Kings, 2022; #12

The painted effect on the card is pretty standard fare from Diamond Kings, with less blue in the design than last year.  

The back is a bit dull, but it has a baseball diamond in the background. Nice touch!

There's a quote from Tony on the back with a nugget of wisdom for aspiring hitters. I'm not convinced it's actually helpful!

Panini's use of these zombie brands is under threat from new licensing deals, and it's unlikely Diamond Kings will continue for many more seasons. So enjoy them while you can!

Total: 1027 cards.

Modern Monday - pristine!

This card arrived in the mail from Mark B - thank you so much, Mark! I've been a bit slack on collecting the 2022 issues. This is the first card from this particular range produced by Topps, which has been revived this year for the first time since 2005. 

Card Number 1026: Topps Pristine, 2022; #69

I'm not going to comment on the card number. 

It's a shiny front, with a photo that looks quite familiar. However, I can't find it on another card in my Topps binder. The 'TP' logo is a bit twee. 

Topps are pulling a Panini-esque stunt on the back and re-using the photo. There is also a quote in the write up from Joe Girardi. I'd like to do a list sometime of all the quotes about Tony that have been included on cardbacks. 

There are two particular things about this cardback that annoy me. Firstly, it includes Tony's weight - at the maximum top end of the range. He was not 225lbs his whole career. Secondly, the card has a picture of Tony fielding, and the write up is about his batting prowess. No mention of the five gold gloves he won for fielding!

Would it be so hard to align the photo to the activity in the write up?

I'm probably just grouchy because we are at the tail end of a heatwave here in Wales (don't laugh!) but I don't want to appear an ingrate. So a massive 'Diolch yn fawr' to Mark for sending me this really great card and helping me fill another gap in my collection.

Total: 1026 cards