2013 oddities courtesy of Glenn

Last week Glenn sent me a little envelope with a couple of oddities from 2013. That year is right in the lull caused by the Topps monopoly squeezing other card companies out of the baseball market at the end of the noughties, and the recent resurgence in baseball card popularity that started in about 2019. There aren't many Tony Gwynn cards from that period so I was surprised when Glenn sent me pictures of two cards I didn't yet have from the same year. 

Card Number 914: Topps Archives 1969 mini-stickers, 2013; #69S-GBRS

The card number is weird. 69S stands for 1969 sticker, because they replicate the 1969 Topps card design. Tony is the G in GBRS. He shares this card-sized sticker sheet with Wade Boggs (B), Cal Ripken Jr (R) and Ryne Sandberg (S).

Tony easily has the best photo on the front. Wade looks annoyed. Cal looks sleepy. Ryne looks tense and confused.

The photo of Tony seems to come from the photo-shoot that yielded pictures used on his Topps glossy all-star card in 1986 and the Baseball Champions Superstar sticker in the same year. The guy in the yellow shirt behind him seems to have a large number 18 on his back. That's not a contemporary Padres shirt as far as I can tell, so I have no idea who that guy is.

The back is dull, even for a sticker back. 

Card Number 915: Panini Cooperstown Colgan's Chips, 2013; #unnumbered

This is the first round 'card' in my collection. It's unnumbered, but there are 165 listed on Trading Card Database.

The photo of Tony isn't the most flattering. He looks to me like he is trying to suppress a laugh.

This is from Panini's 'Cooperstown' range that they issued through an agreement with the Baseball Hall of Fame. It's the range that had a card that just featured Tony's spikes. 

In 2013 Panini were feeling their way into the unlicensed card market, wary of triggering a lawsuit from the aggressively protective Topps, and also trying to hit on a formula for cards that people would want. This set was issued the year before Panini resurrected the DonRuss brand when they were also still trying to get the Prizm brand right. So this round card was part of a process where Panini threw a lot of things at the wall and hoped something would stick.

Despite being a retro-tastic tribute to gum cards issued a century before, these inserts were a one shot that they didn't try repeating in the following year's Cooperstown set.

The Cooperstown set of 2013 is noteworthy in that it had autographed inserts, including cards autographed by Tony. Those would have been some of the last cards that he signed before his untimely death. One day I might be lucky enough to add one to the collection.

A big thank you to Glenn for checking whether I had these weird cards. Much appreciated, Glenn!

Total: 915 cards

One Card Only: Sharing the Spotlight with Cal

Today I'm mashing up two post themes - my regular Sunday "one card only" theme, and my occasional "sharing the spotlight" theme where I show cards that Tony shares with another player.

The baseball great sharing this card with Tony needs no introduction. He is a legend in his own right and was inducted to the Hall of Fame with Tony in the same year this card was released. Like Tony he played throughout the 80s and 90s for the same team, in his case the Baltimore Orioles, and he entered the Hall in his first year of eligibility. 

He is, of course, Cal Ripken Jr.

This is one of those rare cards that I will just leave to speak for itself. If I had one comment it would be that Upper Deck knew how to make really nice cards. The baseball card hobby lost out when Upper Deck lost their licensing.

Card Number 391: Upper Deck Masterpieces, 2007; #42

Total: 391/394

Vive le Revolution

A couple of revolutionary cards from Pacific today.

Card Number 192: Pacific Revolution, 1999; #120
Revolution was a premium card range from Pacific. Knowing how Pacific liked to splash foil and fancy stuff on their base cards, you'd expect epic shininess in their premium range.

And you would be right.

Tony looks like he is exploding superhero-style off the card. If someone ever draws a biographical graphic novel of Tony, this is a panel for it.

The card back is less remarkable.

In his later career it was hard to create a card with a full stats box that looked halfway interesting, but Pacific tried at least. The photo is a posed shot - no complaints about that! Also, it's helpful that Pacific put the name of the range on the front and the back and include the year in the range logo. It makes it easy for collectors to know what they are holding.

Card Number 193: Pacific Revolution, 2000 (On Deck insert); #17
This is from a 20-card insert series called 'On Deck' in the Revolution set for 2000. It has a die-cut curve along the bottom, which makes it look like Tony is a collectible action figure.

The "grass" in the background is quite strange.

Given how this card is a total photoshop effort, why didn't they 'shop out the letters behind Tony in the photo on the back? (That's one for the 'Questions to ask baseball card designers' box.)

There's a little write up summarising Tony's long career in terms of awards and All Star selections. It also compares him with Cal Ripken Jr, another record-setting veteran. Tony and Cal were the two inductees to the Hall of Fame in 2007, so it's funny to see them grouped together here seven years before they were both given plaques in the Hall.

Total: 193/394