Card Collector Universe

Well before there were baseball card “hobby boxes”, there were just baseball card boxes.  If you were lucky to have enough money to buy a whole box, or you knew a card shop or candy shop owner who would give you the empty boxes (my local guy did), then you had an added treat.  The bottom’s of the baseball card boxes had full size cards on them.  You could leave the box is, or you could cut the cards out yourself.  Check out this 1989 Topps baseball card box bottom from my collection:

I thought this idea was really cool.  Why doesn’t Topps, Upper Deck, or any other card company do this anymore? 

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Justin Morneau, Twins, Card #45 - 152 homers in 6 and a half MLB seasons.  Not bad.  (2006 MVP, 2008 runner-up MVP) 

Aaron Harang, Reds, Card #215

Garret Anderson, Angels, Card #256

Jeff Clement, Mariners, Rookie Card #329

Jayson Nix, Rockies, Mini Card #82 - Currently in the White Sox minor league system, this guy should be back in the bigs soon. 

State of Maryland, Mark Teixeira, Braves, Card #US20 - Just how was this guy moved from team to team?  Look at his stats this year.  Stud.

Dean Karnazes, Ultramarathon Champ, Card #268

Jim Edmonds, Padres, Card #279

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With Topps having come out with 3-D baseball cards, it’s time for the manufacturers to think of new ideas for baseball card inserts and sets.  Well, to help them along, I’ve come up with a few ideas that they just might like.

Baseball cards with authentic newspaper clippings from the date when an historical baseball feat was accomplished.  For example, instead of having a game used jersey within a card, you might have a clip from an actual New York Times paper article written when the Brooklyn Dodgers won the World Series over the Yankees in 1955.  

Game used field-item cards.  So, maybe they can take a piece of a rosin bag or the pitching rubber used in a World Series or All-Star game and insert that into a card.  Any reason a bit of field dirt couldn’t be put into an insert window within a baseball card?  Maybe even a sunflower seed shell or a piece of tobacco that was spit out by an All-Star baseball player.   Okay, maybe not.

How about DNA cards for current major league players?  We see the DNA or “hair cut” cards for people like Abraham Lincoln, Napoleon, etc. in baseball card releases like Allen and Ginter.  Any reason we couldn’t have these for current superstars like Derek Jeter, Albert Pujols, or Ichiro Suzuki?

Okay, here’s one that would be tough, but would be REALLY cool in my opinion.  Instead of having a game-used piece of leather from a baseball glove inserted in a card, how about having the whole card back and border made of the leather used from a glove?  Yeah, I know, why not just give away the whole glove, but we’re card collectors.  We want to see that glove used as a baseball card.

You’ve seen those insert cards that are coated in 14K or 24K gold, right?  Why not include other metals too?  Silver, titanium, platinum, aluminum?  Aluminum?  Okay, scratch that one.  I don’t need a tin foil baseball card. 

A Golden Thong insert set for Jason Giambi, Johnny Damon and any other player who admits to actually wearing one.   Yeah, I don’t know why I thought of that one.  Let’s leave this one out.   

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