One card only - a grandstand great

Card Number 1024: Fleer Platinum Grandstand Greats, 2001: #7GG

These insert cards had rounded corners as befitting an 'old timey' retro set. Fleer Platinum was marking Fleer's 20th year producing baseball cards - the base cards recalled the 1981 template. On this insert the picture of Tony has been laid over a vintage photo of a baseball stadium. I never visited Jack Murphy Stadium, but I know that isn't a picture of it. The same picture appears on all the cards in this insert set.

The cardback write up is remarkably restrained considering it's a Fleer card. 

Fleer Platinum was successful enough to continue in subsequent seasons. I can see its appeal. The cards are neatly understated, printed on retro card stock, with good photos and not too big a set list. Fleer managed to get the retro feel right, and make it timeless.

Total: 1024 cards

Into a new millennium of cards...

How do you follow the 1000th card on the blog? Well, blogging my first millennium of cards reminds me of celebrating the Millennium 22 years ago.  Here are some cards from two early-noughties sets that just about everybody has forgotten about.

Card Number 1001: DonRuss Champions, 2003; #221

Tony tips his hat on the front of a card celebrating a batting title eight years previously. 

This was an odd set with a lot of parallels and large insert sets. However, DonRuss were struggling for photos because they reused the photo on the back. The one line stats box is from Tony's last active season, for some reason. He was retired by 2003 and it could have just had his career totals.  

Card Number 1002: Fleer Mystique, 2000; #105

Fleer included the set name in the logo on the front and right across the background of this shiny card.

Fleer opted for the full stats box on the back. Tony has a faint white aura around him in the photo. 

Someone is probably working on a history of the Fleer company because what little I know is, frankly, incredible. There was a slew of these strange sets released when the company was in private ownership during the last ten years of its existence. Three sets of Mystique were released, in 1999, 2000 and 2003. That gap in release years is intriguing, as is the return for just one year.

Total: 1002 cards

Leading the league in the middle of the 90s

I like cards that show 'league leaders'. They are usually relatively easy to find, and they provide a bonus card of certain players if those players happened to trouble the leader boards. Tony often did, so that often meant he had an extra card in sets issued in the 1990s.

Card Number 993: Fleer (league leaders insert), 1995; #6

The base cards in the set issued by Fleer in 1995 are all kinds of mid-90s crazy- when I blogged about Tony's card in the set I called it "the most 1995 card ever". Fleer toned their hyperactive designers down a lot for these inserts.

The write up on the back is how Tony had to "settle" for winning the batting title in 1994 with .394. The writer notes that Tony's average was rising at the point the season was curtailed. 

A couple of years later and Tony was picking up another National League title...

Card Number 994: Upper Deck Collector's Choice, 1997; #56

Of the eight batting titles that Tony won, his title in 1996 was the only one when he wasn't the outright winner across both major leagues. In 1996 he missed out to a young buck who was in his third season in the majors, Alex Rodriguez. Whatever happened to him, eh?

The way Upper Deck positioned the two photos makes it look like A-Rod is about to swing at Tony who is distracted by something else. 

There are a few names on the back that instantly jump out. And several that I'd never heard of before. Bernard Gilkey? Kevin Seitzer? 

Tony's team-mate, Ken Caminiti was sixth on the list. Ken was integral to the Padres National League West pennant win in 1996 and was also an All Star that year. 

But it's not just batting average that produces leader boards. In baseball, every statistic has leaders and sometimes the card companies decided to highlight some of those.

Card Number 995: Fleer Ultra [On Base Leaders insert], 1996; #3

This seems to be a weird stat for an insert set to focus on because it's very similar to batting average. The designer maybe felt the same way and it doesn't look like much care has been taken on the photo placement on the front. 

The back is much better. 

I had a Twitter conversation with Tim from Pennsylvania recently about the decision by Major League Baseball to ban the defensive shift, and we agreed that it just showed the reduced quality of hitting in the modern game. Would Tony have been curtailed by the shift? Unlikely, and this Fleer card from 26 years ago agrees.

I never think of Tony being the kind of player to draw a lot of walks, but his on base percentage of .404 suggests he got a few in the preceding season. A few blog posts back, I noted a stat on a Topps Gold Label card about walks, so pitchers sometimes opted to intentionally put him on base rather than risk a hit. And I don't blame them!

Total: 995 cards
 

FFF Tuesday Twins - cards and cars

Today's "twins" post is courtesy of Richard, as both these cards were in the parcel of things he sent me last year. One of the items is the largest thing I've had to scan so far on my blog!

Card Number 947: Fleer Premium, 2001; #77

This shiny card was difficult to scan. The black surround is part of the card, not poor background cropping. This is a rare double-bordered card, with a picture, a white border and then the black border. It hasn't taken off as a design technique.

The cardback is pretty basic as well. a five year stats box. Okay, it's just a base card, but it really doesn't live up to the word 'Premium'.

Fleer produced another version of this card to ship with... a die-cast car.

Card Number 948: Fleer Premium White Rose Collectibles; #29

The card is sealed inside the bubble along with the boxed car. I scanned the whole thing. 

White Rose Collectibles produced a number of sports-themed cars that were repaints of Matchbox die-cast cars, with franchise logos applied to them. Their relationship with Matchbox apparently ended in 1998, a couple of years after Matchbox was acquired by the Mattel toy corporation. (The history of die-cast car companies is often as convoluted as the history of baseball card companies!)

In 2001, Fleer bought White Rose Collectibles so that would explain why they started selling these little cars with baseball cards packaged alongside them. The car here is a replica of a Chrysler PT Cruiser. But I don't know who produced the car. It was the first time this particular car had featured in a White Rose range, so it may have been a White Rose original casting.

Here is a close up of the card, as scanned through the plastic. It's exactly the same.

Here is the back of the bubble. All those players were chosen to accompany cars with the relevant team logos. They aren't all instantly recognisable names.

The number on the back of the card corresponds with the numbering sequence of the cars in the collection listed on the back. Fleer also added the White Rose Collectibles logo at the bottom of the cardback.

I have left this card in the bubble for now. Maybe one day I will get hold of a loose version of this card, or crack the bubble on another 'mint' copy. I imagine most of the print run of these cards are still sitting safely inside the packaging of the collectibles!

A massive thank you to Richard for sending me both these cards!

Total: 948 cards

FFF - late career random Fleer

2001 was Tony's final season as a player. It was also a year when Fleer were releasing sets that are now long-forgotten. One of the glorious aspects of collecting a player who was active during so many card hobby bubbles is finding cards from sets that nobody ever talks about!

Card Number 935: Fleer Platinum, 2001; #140

These retro cards deserve more recognition in my opinion. The set recreates the Fleer 1981 design and yet somehow this card looks like they could have been pulled from a pack today - even though we are 20 years on from the 20 year anniversary these cards were celebrating!

The back is glorously retro too, with the proper Fleer 80s look.

And graphs along the bottom! A bonus point per graph, so that's 4 bonus points for this card!

Card Number 936: Fleer Authority, 2001; #79

This set name makes me think of Cartman insisting "You will respect my authority!"

I think this is the only card I have with a picture of Tony wearing a camo uniform. It was around about this time that the Padres started wearing their uniforms in tribute to men and women serving in the military.

The foil stamp says 'Baseball Authority', but the set was just called Fleer Authority. Like most cusp-of-the-century Fleer ranges, this set mainly served as a vehicle for memorabilia cards. There was a hit rate of 1 relic per 36 packs, and the list of what was cut up and stuck into cards includes the usual shirts and bats, but also includes gloves, pants, shoes, hats, wristbands and even actual bases from the diamond.

The way Tony's face is framed on the back is a little odd, and somehow accentuates his heavy stature in his final year in the game. It doesn't help that he has relaxed in his seat so isn't sitting upright. Fleer weren't afraid to guesstimate Tony's weight at 225 pounds as well - that is one of the highest weights printed for him on a baseball card. 

The stats box would win the 'extreme minimalist stats box award, if such an award existed. It's a bit quirky. I kind of like it. 

Card Number 937: Fleer Showcase, 2001; #1

A shiny card to finish off the post - and it's the first card in the set! On the front Tony is pictured in the middle of a full bodied throw from the outfield. 

The back of the Fleer Authority card above was an exercise in stats box minimalism, but this cardback manages to look full of stats and yet strangely it only goes back to 1988. 

Tony's expression in the photo makes me think of the word 'peeved'. Like he's just spotted a photographer taking a photo of him and isn't best pleased. 

This isn't all the Fleer cards from 2001 that are waiting to be blogged, but I am saving some for a special post in the second week of Fabulous Fleer Fortnight!

Total: 937 cards

FFF - 80s Wednesday

A couple of Fleer Star Stickers from the 80s for your enjoyment today... kicking off with a spot the difference challenge.

Card Number 933: Fleer Star Stickers, 1986; #50

"Wait, Jon, did Fleer use that picture of Tony on the Star Sticker from 1987 as well?

"Well, reader, it looks likes they did. That's very observant of you! However, if you look closely you will see there are some teeny tiny differences."

They fixed the over-exposure on the second picture and Tony's smile is a fraction different. There is a minute difference in the electronic scoreboard on the edge of the balcony to the right of Tony as we look at him here. But those are obviously the same fans in the seats. These photos must have come off the same roll of film.

The back has some stats and some factoids. As usual, I will highlight how interesting the factoids on these early cards are. They were soon eclipsed by other achievements as the awards piled up. This has interesting stats from Tony's batting title winning season in 1984 and showed how he was setting club records already.

Card Number 934: Fleer Star Stickers, 1988; #123

The year before Fleer used grey borders on their flagship set, they tried it out in the Star Stickers set. The little stars around the border are cool, though.

The back just had a stats box and no factoids. Fleer did add in a "stat breakdown" at the bottom of the card, dividing up the stats according to day and night games, and games at home in Jack Murphy Stadium compared to games out on the road. 

From the looks of that breakdown, home games at night suited Tony!

Total: 934 cards

Tuesday Twins - Familiar Fleer

For today's 'twins' post in Fabulous Fleer Fortnight, here are are some Fleer cards which may look familiar...

Card Number 930: Fleer Ultra Gold Medallion Edition, 1999; #596

The original version of this card (below) was very dark. This card is very shiny very gold!

On the back, Fleer have handily added a note that it's the gold medallion edition. There was one gold medallion parallel version in every pack.

Card Number 931: Fruit of the Loom / Fleer, 1993; #28

The only differences between this card and the normal base card was the small 'Fruit of the Loom' logo on the front, and a different number on the back.

These cards were available in packs of underwear produced by clothing company Fruit of the Loom. They were included in little packs of 6 cards in with briefs and boxer shorts. It's a quirky little parallel that is truly representative of the card collecting bubble in the late 80s and early 90s when just about any product imaginable could have baseball cards in it.

In the previous year, Fleer had produced cards for 7-Eleven (blogged with some heady nostalgia for my boyhood memories of 7-Eleven here) and in that promo set they changed the images on the front and back of the card. This time they didn't change the image on either side. Apart from the set number, this is exactly the same as the regular release. 

Card Number 932: Fleer Ultra Gold Medallion Edition checklist, 1996; #4

As I mentioned a couple of days ago, Junior Junkie has a good write up of Fleer's gold medallion parallels in 1996 and explains how Fleer did a gold medal version of everything. Including checklists.

The main difference is a teeny foil stamp on the front. It doesn't scan very well.

These cards were available at a rate of 1 per pack. There was also one insert per pack and every ten packs contained a gold medallion version of an insert. As per Junior Junkie's post, that means some rarer inserts have an exponentially higher scarcity value in the gold medallion version. However, this checklist would have been comparatively common.

Just in case a collector didn't see the large word 'CHECKLIST' on the front, Fleer wrote it repeatedly over the back as well.

Fleer often divided their sets up by numbering players from the same team consecutively. I've complained before that this was a missed opportunity not to align the player on the front with the team on the back. As ever with these checklists from the 90s, there are names that jump out as recognisable and a load of players who have disappeared into sporting obscurity now. (When I blogged the regular version of this checklist, I mentioned Wonderful Monds. I still wish he had made it in the bigs. What a name!)

Total: 932 cards

FFF - Sharing the Spotlight with Rickey and Griffey and Steve and Brett

Day three of the Fabulous Fleer Fortnight and today's theme is Tony sharing cards with other players.

Card Number 926: Fleer, 1994; #711

Tony poses with Brett Butler from the Dodgers on the front. 

This isn't the first card I've blogged where Tony is sharing the spotlight with Brett (read about the other one here).

Brett and Tony are the "Batmen" according to the cardback. 

Surely with a surname like Butler, the cardback writer should have made a reference to Alfred to keep in with the Batman theme?

Card number 927: Fleer All Star Game insert, 1995; #7

Breaking with convention and showing the back of the card first. Because that's the side with Tony on.

Technically the front of a card is the obverse. Ken Griffey Jr is on the obverse. He looks a bit worried in this photo as he tracks the flight of a baseball with his eyes. Where is that going to drop?

The Fleer set in 1995 was the most 90s card set of the 90s. These cards are positively boring in comparison. 

Card Number 928: Fleer Ultra Double Trouble insert, 1997; #19

I am pretty sure this is Fuji's ultimate base card of the 90s. 

Tony and Rickey played together in 1996 and for the first half of 1997 before Rickey got traded to Anaheim. They also were both on the Padres roster in 2001, Tony's final season before he retired.

The cardback has some trademark Fleer weird comments. It's hard to decide which player has the strangest description. (Have your say in the comments!)

Junior Circuit? Someone on the Fleer staff doesn't like the American League.

HOWEVER, 19 bonus points for this card for being card #19! Was that intentional? I hope so!

Card Number 929: Fleer Ultra Double Trouble insert, 1998; #12DT

Another 'Double Trouble' insert series. This time the cards are shiny!

One comment on the design of this card - if you had no idea who was who, would you know which player was Steve and which player was Tony based on the positioning of their names?

Steve Finley played in centre field for the Padres for four seasons from 1995, including 159 appearances in 1998, which is when this card was released and was the season the Padres last made it to the World Series. In the close season after the World Series he was traded to the Diamondbacks. 

The back is equally confusing design-wise. It looks like there are write-ups of Tony and Steve but in fact it's one write-up split over two columns. At least the names line up with the correct player.

Come back tomorrow as the Fabulous Fleer Fortnight continues!

Total: 929 cards

First Five in the Fabulous Fleer Fortnight

I have a lot of Fleer cards to blog and so I decided to do a theme week... then I thought about it and I thought a Fleer Fortnight was more apt. And it would help me 'clear the Fleer'. So this is the first post of my Fabulous Fleer Fortnight!

This first post will feature five cards from the special Tony Gwynn commemorative set - an insert series in Fleer Ultra in 1992. I have gradually acquired eleven of the twelve cards in this set. Here are cards numbered 1, 4, 5, 8 and the two mailaway cards. (I blogged those in August 2020, nearly 700 cards ago!)

Card Number 920: Fleer Ultra Tony Gwynn Commemorative Series, 1992; #2

That's a nice picture of Tony in the proper vintage Padres colours from when he first broke into the team. It looks familar though... Back in July last year I noticed that Topps were using a photo that originally appeared on one of these cards in the commemorative set, on the Archives insert in Series 1 of their flagship set. This photo really looks like the photo used by Topps on their 2021 Stadium Club card.

It was only when I compared the two I realised it wasn't eactly the same photo. Tony is wearing exactly the same gear, but that is a different bat. The dug-out in the background is also different, but I wouldn't put it past Topps to alter that anyway.

There is a decent chunk of biography on the back of the card.

I doubt that Tony really went to college thinking he would "play a little baseball" as well. The way his fellow alumnus Bobby Meacham tells it in He Left His Heart in San Diego, Tony was reluctant to approach his basketball coach to ask about playing baseball. 

Card Number 921: Fleer Ultra Tony Gwynn Commemorative Series, 1992; #3

Outfield photo!

Another chapter of "Big T's" biography on the back. (Big T? Really?)

This chunk of Tony's life concludes by mentioning the broken wrist he sustained in the Puerto Rican league in the winter of 1982-3. It was his right wrist. He had already broken his left wrist during the regular season! 

I do think it's testament to how much Tony loved playing baseball that after a very successful season in the minor leagues he would head off to Peurto Rico to play even more baseball. 

Card Number 922: Fleer Ultra Tony Gwynn Commemorative Series, 1992; #6

This card shows Tony posing with a silver slugger award and a golden glove!

Tony's golden gloves don't get mentioend very often - perhaps that's because he didn't in any in the latter half of his career. His batting titles were evenly split between the first ten years and last ten years that he played. The golden gloves were all early career awards.

Some of his fielding achievements are mentioned in the biography on the back.

As an aside, this is why I roll my eyes when people suggest Fernando Tatis Jr is a better player than Tony Gwynn. Brilliant though he is, Tatis is never going to win five gold gloves in his career. I will predict that now.

Card Number 923: Fleer Ultra Tony Gwynn Commemorative Series, 1992; #9

A baserunning photo. Fleer were trying to show all aspects of Tony's game in this set.

Tony was a multi-sport man. He was a basketball player good enough to be offered an NBA contract. He was a keen fisherman and golfer. I don't know if he ever boxed, but he's putting up his fists on the back of this card. 

Tony's commitment to playing baseball possibly cost him a batting title in 1991. If he had limited his appearances and maintained that .360 average, he would have won it by a margin. (Julio Franco won the batting crown with an average of .341 that season.)

Card Number 924: Fleer Ultra Tony Gwynn Commemorative Series, 1992; #10

These photos on the last card were bang up to date at the time,as the Padres had just switched out their brown accoutrements for blue. 

Tony looks contemplative in the photo on the back. 

This is the second card in a row where Kirby Puckett is mentioned on the back. There is also a mention of his wife and children. His son is referred to as 'Anthony II' instead of junior. 

You may have noticed that the card I am missing from this set is card number 7! Do you have one lying around at home in a random old card box, not really doing anything? Could you help me complete this insert series? I would great appreciate it!

Total: 924 cards