Reach for the Stars

I'm running out of useable headlines about stars...

Card Number 730: Topps Stars, 1998; #75

All the base cards in this set were serially numbered to 9,799. I have previously blogged the silver parallel, which was serially numbered to just 4,399.

I really like this card design because it has actual stars in the background. 

Tony looks solemn, and dare I say it, even a little bit grumpy, in the photo on the cardback.

This is card number 1,168 of 9,799. I can't really think of anything significant linked to 1,168. If you want the answer to the quiz question, that got answered in the comments on the post about the silver parallel!

Card Number 731: Topps Stars, 2000; #170

Tony had two cards in this release - a regular one and this set from a series towards the end of the set. He's in the spotlight, and casting a large golden shadow.

The cardback sets off the BATTING DONUT KLAXON! Fuji has already included this card in his 'dozen doughnuts' post of Tony Gwynn cards. I am gradually collecting all the ones on that list.

The write up on the cardback is a succint summary of Tony's career up to the end of 1999. He barely played in the 2000 season and didn't really improve on any of these numbers in his final couple of seasons.

Total: 731 cards

Feel the Love(ro)

VJ Lovero was a talented sports photographer from Los Angeles. He shot 39 photos that appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated in his career. He was also the team photographer for the Angels, and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in NHL. 

Besides working for Sports Illustrated, his agency of sports photographers became the sole provider of images for Upper Deck. Lovero was actually the photographer who took the seminal photo of Ken Griffey Jr, which was the very first card in the very first Upper Deck set. So it's not surprising that he had his own insert series in Upper Deck's flagship product one year. The photos are quirky, capturing unexpected angles of baseball stars on and off the field.

At the age of 40, Lovero was given a diagnosis of terminal cancer and a prognosis of six months to live. He continued working, including covering the Angel's victory in the World Series in 2002. In January 2004 he died, aged 44.

Card Number 729: Upper Deck VJ Lovero Collection, 1996; #VJ19

I almost think they had 19 cards in this insert set just so they could give Tony the #19 card. 19 bonus points for the numbering !

As he is an educator, I expect this card might be one of Fuji's favourites!

Tony often went to schools and other places of education as guest speaker. According to the cardback this was a high school in San Diego. The writing on the chalkboard behind him is about verb tenses, so I think this would be an English classroom.

On the back, Lovero explains why he has chosen this photo. He seemed to have a very high regard for Tony. They were about the same age and it's possible they may have played baseball against each other as kids. I presume Lovero played - he has an award named after him in the Tustin Western Little League, which is given annually to the player that "exemplifies the high standards of play at TWLL through sportsmanship, citizenship, and hard work".

Although, having said all that, the photo of Tony throwing on the back has caught him in a very awkward-looking moment!

Total: 729 cards

Electric Diamonds = Tuesday Twins

These are some cards that are very similar to cards that have been on the blog before. They are parallels from Upper Deck in the early 90s. The cards are interesting, although the 'parallel' bits aren't particularly.

Card Number 727: Upper Deck Electric Diamond, 1994; #279

The regular version of this card was the 87th card I blogged about, back when I did 'Monday Mixers' of unrelated cards. 

This card wasn't an insert. It was in the Upper Deck base set, with every team receiving a card numbered between #267 and #294. Tony Gwynn's minor league room-mate and lifelong friend, John Kruk, features on the card for the Philadelphia Phillies (#276).

The parallel bit is the silver foil 'Electric Diamond' written up the side of the card. There was one of these parallels in every pack. I already have the Electric Diamond parallel for Tony's regular card in the set. 

The back is more interesting than the front. I am certain this is the only Tony Gwynn card to mention skunks on the back. 

It's one of my great regrets that I didn't get to visit Jack Murphy Stadium. My wife Cathy and I were planning on a baseball pilgrimage to California in 2020. Jack Murphy Stadium was on the list of holy sites to visit. But then we had the global pandemic and we weren't able to go, and while the world was locked down, Jack Murphy Stadium got knocked down. 

Card Number 728: Upper Deck Electric Diamond, 1995; #135

The regular version was the 263rd card on this blog. 

The Electric Diamond logo replaces the bronze Upper deck logo on the regular card. This is the silver foil version, which was included at the rate of one per pack again. A gold foil version was released too, but it was much rarer - collectors would only find a gold one in every 35 packs. 

This base card photo is from the same game as the image used on cards released by Leaf and Fleer in 1995 - see them all here. I wonder if the card companies ever compared notes and realised they had basically all bought the same photo. Not a bad day's work for the snapper. 

The back is just a classic Upper Deck cardback. They liked to give their photos space and truncated the stats box.

These parallels have given me the task of reorganising my Upper Deck binder, which I have to admit has been badly arranged from the get go. I want to make space to put the parallel cards next to the regular versions of the cards. That's a fun job I think I will leave for a wet weather day!

Total: 728 cards

Modern Monday - Carolina Blue and a hallowed number of parallels

Breaking up the goodies that were in the parcel from France, Gawain messaged me the other day with a photo of a card he had picked up in a joblot and asked me if I had one of them yet. The answer was no, so he sent it to me. (Thank you, Gawain!)

Card Number 726: Panini Carolina Blue Prizm, 2021; #225

This card is insanely shiny and scans like an insanely shiny card does.

The base version of this card is a normal shiny silver colour. But Prizm cards are all about the parallels. I thought this was a Blue Prizm, but those are just one shade of blue. Then I found the Carolina Blue Prizms and there was the match!

Not only are there multiple different versions of blue Prizm cards, there are multiple different versions of lots of other colours too. There are a grand total of 42 parallels listed for this card, which is simply ridiculous, even though 42 is a pretty special number in baseball. And, of course, it's also the meaning to life, the universe and everything!

On the back there is a little write-up comparing Tony to other luminaries of the game and describes his "contact numbers" as "intriguing".

Panini's future in the card industry looks a bit shaky because they produce these cards on a license with the Player's Association, which has now signed an exclusive deal with another company starting in a couple of seasons. In the meantime, I'm sure Panini will be producing a plethora of parallels with every set.

Total: 726 cards

One Card Only - PG rating

I might need to explain the post title for any readers based outside the UK. Basically, 'PG' means 'Parental Guidance' and it's used for films that might have a few scary scenes in, so parents should be aware of that before letting their kids watch the movie. 

There's no parental guidance needed for this post though, as the PG in question is Proctor & Gamble, a huge multinational corporation that mainly produces chemical products from cleaning products to shampoo. In 1992 they also produced some promotional baseball cards in partnership with Score.

Card Number 725: Score Proctor & Gamble All-Stars, 1992; #16

There were 18 cards in this set, featuring all the players in the starting line-ups for the 1992 All Star Game. Sets were received in return for proofs of purchase from Proctor & Gamble products (which included Pringles back in 1992 so if snacking was more of a priority than cleaning, then the mailaway was still achievable!). Score printed 2,000,000 sets (according to Baseballcardpedia) and I'm guessing most were claimed.

The back has a stats box and some information about Tony's contributions to the All-Star Game. There's also an endorsement from the then Cardinals manager, Joe Torre.

This card should probably be classed as an 'oddball' but it was produced by a fully licensed card manufacturer in the era when lots of companies could legitimately produce cards. It has the Proctor & Gamble logos on either side, so acts as a historical marker to a time when baseball cards were so popular just about every company wanted to use them to help shift their products.

The 1990s were an exciting time for Proctor & Gamble as the company became one of the first victims of a chain-email hoax. The email revived an old rumour that the corporation's profits went to the Church of Satan. This was compounded by claims that the company's main logo included Satanist imagery, which was part of the deal struck with Satan to ensure the company's success. Whoah, maybe there is a PG element to this post after all!

It turned out this hoax was started by a competitor trying to encourage a boycott of Proctor & Gamble products by earnest (and slightly gullible) Christians. This persistent rumour led to a multi-million dollar pay-out for Proctor & Gamble in 2007 against a competing company whose representatives had repeated the claims.

I remember reading an amusing book by someone who grew up in a fundamentalist Christian home where he wrote about his parents believing the rumour about Proctor & Gamble and throwing away all the products made by the company. It makes me wonder how many sets of baseball cards might have ended up in the trash by people worried about being contaminated by evil. 

Fortunately this particular card has survived the purges caused by the hoax and now has a safe and loving home in my collection.

Total: 725 cards

Back to Base - with Bowman!

It's been a while since I've done a 'Back to Base' post. While there were some rare inserts in the parcel from France, there were also several base cards that are just a bit hard to come by over here in Europe. In this case, although they are base cards, they aren't basic.

Card Number 722: Bowman, 1996; #71

At first I thought Tony was sat on a cooler, but it's actually a low wall by the dug-out. You can just about see Rickey Henderson in the back ground. Rickey wore #24 for the Padres in 1996.

Bowman sets excelled at the statistical breakdown on the back of their cards. They ignored the conventional giant stats box and went in for real depth on the preceding season. Here is the breakdown for Tony's batting performance against all the other teams he went up against in 1995. 

He really saved his stuff for games against the Astros, posting .522 from 46 at bats. By my calculations that's 24 hits in 11 games. He managed to top .400 aginst 3 other teams, but his bogey team that season were the Cardinals. 

Card Number 723: Bowman, 1998; #22

I think Tony is following the trajectory of a ball with his eyes in the photo.

The back has another statistical breakdown.

The Giants were the team he mashed in 1997. He earned a run percentage of .512 against them over 9 games and 37 at bats. He didn't really struggle against any team, although the Cubs held him to .265 as he posted a season average of .372 and picked up his eighth and final batting title. It was the second highest season average of his career.

Card Number 724: Bowman, 1999; #264

The Chrome version of this card was card #519 on my blog, way back in December last year.

Bowman changed the format of their cardbacks, with a contemporary photo contrasted with an older photo. The contemporary photo was used on an insert series in the Topps 2000 flagship set. The retro photo looks like it's from the same photoshoot as the photos used for the All Star card in the 1985 Topps set, which is one of my favourite cards ever, and the Glossy All Star card that was included in 'rack packs' of cards in the 1985 Topps set.

Instead of a statistical breakdown, there is a 'Bowman Briefing' with some factoids. The wording is quirky - I don't think I've heard the phrase "led the loop" before. 

Bowman produced nice base cards in the 90s and these are some welcome additions to my collection. 

Total: 724 cards

Mother Lode

Freshly unpacked from the parcel from France, here is a trio of oddball cards from the 1990s, which were given out at ballgames or inserted into Mother's Cookies bakery products.

Mother's Cookies was a company founded in Oakland in 1914 where it had it's main bakery until it went bankrupt in 2008. The brand was subsequently bought by Kellogg's and is now owned by Ferrero. They released their first baseball cards in the 1950s for a few years, then resumed printing cards during the 'overproduction era', which is the polite term for the 80s and 90s.

Being a California-based company and mainly supplying stores on the west coast of the USA, Mother's Cookies focused on teams that side of the country with commercial tie-ins to produce franchise-specific, and even player-specific, sets and co-ordinating in-stadium giveaways. They produced team sets of Padres players in 1984 and 1985 and from 1992 to 1998. 

Obviously, I knew these cards existed. I've seen them on other blogs and I had them on my 'maybe one day' list. So when they appeared on the checklist of cards that Greg had for sale, I was delighted.

Card Number 719: Mother's Cookies, 1993; #3

The cards have rounded edges with full bleed photos. This is a lovely portrait of Tony looking relaxed. 

The back is quite plain, with space for an autograph. As these were often ballpark giveaways, there was a chance, maybe, of getting a player to sign the back of his card. 

Card Number 720: Mother's Cookies, 1994; #2

Another full-bleed photo portrait. This time it's slightly more posed and less natural.

Whoever was working on these for Mother's Cookies didn't go to a lot of effort with the cardback. It is virtually identical to the previous year's apart from the card number and the copyright notice. 

Card Number 721: Mother's Cookies, 1995; #2

We round out this trio with another really nice posed photo. Tony's number is visible on his batting glove and I think that is one of his signature bats he is posing with. There are other people lurking in the background of this card, which makes it a bit different to the other two.

The back doesn't deviate from the established template.

Oddball cards are sometimes a lot more odd than these. The quality of photos used on these cards elevates them above most other commercial tie-ins. Although the backs are a bit plain and repetitive, that doesn't really matter. Only the most committed fans are going to bother looking at the backs!

Total: 721 cards