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

Monday Mixer across the decades

Three random cards from three different decades today. To start us off, here's a card from the very beginning of the 1990s...

Card Number 273: Topps, 1990; #403

It's an All-Star card!

Topps were really a budget operation in 1990. In previous years the All Star cards featured posed portraits (which was just as well in 1987 as Tony's base card didn't show his face or the name on his shirt, so the All-Star card gave you a chance to see what he looked like). But in 1990 they used a slightly different action shot for the All-Star card. It might even have been a photo from the same game (decide for yourself by looking at his base card, here).

The back manages to use three different typefaces. 

At least the factoid is relevant and related to his batting average, even if it doesn't mention the All-Star Game.

Card Number 274: DonRuss Threads, 2008; #40

Allan from the UK Baseball Cards group on Facebook sent me this card. 

This card was issued just before Panini acquired DonRuss and their associated brands. DonRuss were already practicing producing unlicensed cards, although they didn't make much of an effort at erasing the SD on Tony's helmet or left sleeve. For a logoless card, it's a decent effort. The baseball stitching along the top makes it stand out.

The back notes that seven years after he retired there still wasn't a Padres player within 2000 hits of Tony's total. 12 years after this card was printed, Garry Templeton is still second on the all-time Padres hits chart. There are a few players who have played this century who have made it into the top ten - Chase Headley (#5). Brian Giles (#6), Adrian Gonzalez (#7), and Phil Nevin (#8) but none of them made over 900 hits while they were Padres. Tony's record is secure, unless the Padres lock down Fernando Tatis Jr and he ends up playing 20 seasons for them.

Card Number 275, Panini Prizm, 2014; #157

Panini Prizm base cards exist just so Panini can pad their packs with filler in-between all the parallel colour variations. I don't know of anyone who collects these sets. 

Is there anything positive that can be said about these cards. Well, yes. For a shiny card, this scans reasonably well on my basic scanner. There are no mistakes (that I can see) on the cardback and that's quite a good, succinct write up. It's an action shot and you can see Tony's face. Panini are always going to be stuck with what they can do without a licence but at least they get the basics right on this card. 

Total: 275/394

Holding out for a Hero

Hero may be an over-used word these days, but I think it's perfectly applicable to use it when referring to Tony Gwynn. A couple of card companies have thought the same.

Card Number 130: DonRuss Team Heroes, 2004; #357
This was a nice looking set that was mainly of the then-current players with a bonus retired player for each team. Tony was the natural choice for the Padres.

All the cards gave a little summary of the current status of the team and the team stat totals for the previous year. On the Padres cardbacks the write-up mentions Petco Park, which opened for the 2004 season.

The generic blurbs also mention Padres former stars, which means that Tony Gwynn's name is on all 13 cards featuring Padres players. I have not yet reached a level of insanity when I would include those in cards I am chasing.

Card Number 131: Upper Deck Baseball Heroes, 2008; #147
This is another set with a mix of contemporary players and retired stars.

Nothing to complain about here, with the 1984 uniform and a photo of young Tony. There's a mention of his .394 batting average in 1994 on the back.

Tony featured on another card in this set on a card he shared with Cal Ripken Jr. There were three other Padres with their own cards in the 200-card set - Jake Peavy, Greg Maddux and Kevin Kouzmanoff (a highly rated young star in 2008, who unfortunately burned bright and fast). Peavy and Maddux also shared cards in the set with players from other teams.

[For those interested in this sort of thing, these are the first cards from 2004 and 2008 to feature on this blog.]

Total: 131/394