Some might think it is just a hobby for kids. Not at all! Even at the age of 28, I think that buying and opening up packs of cards is fun! Sure, it is far more difficult to collect everything now. When I was younger and first started collecting (around 1982), there were just three brands (Topps, Donruss, Fleer), then came Score before Upper Deck came aboard in 1989. Even at that time, it was still possible to collect everything.
Traded sets came out in mid-to-late summer and were just players that were with new teams or rookies called up to the majors that year and didn’t have a card in the regular set. Now, there are about 258 different sets from each of the companies. If a player makes his major league debut in 2004, he probably had a rookie card or ten in 2000! Also, even now with the 2004 cards coming out, there are still new 2003 sets coming out. That is one thing that does bother me.
So it has changed, but that doesn’t make it less fun or less exciting to bust open a pack. I always loved getting those first sets of the new year at or before Christmas. It was fun to see the baseball cards in the middle of a cold winter! So I think cards can be a great gift for a baseball fan.
Recently, I went to Big Nick’s card shop in the West Acres Mall in Fargo. I bought one pack of each of the new 2004 sets. Below I will picture a card from each set and give a few thoughts about them.
2004 Topps
It probably won’t be long before we see “Eddie! Eddie!” in a Mariners uniform on cards.
I have to admit, there is something just right about Topps. They’ve been around the longest. They actually had the monopoly on the baseball card market from the early ‘50s until 1981 when Fleer and Donruss hit the scene. If you are buying cards for a kid, I would start them with Topps. First, they are probably the cheapest to purchase. Second, it is a very traditional card. The white border with the team name on top. The photograph bordered well, and a clear picture of the player in the middle. Simple, yet effective. As you can see, the lower left-hand corner of the card is an outline of the picture. The SABRmetricians are working their way into the baseball cards too. On the 2004 Topps, the stat WHIP is shown on the back of pitcher’s cards, while OPS is now on the backs of the hitter’s cards. There are a number of First Year player cards, there are plenty of inserts and autograph cards. But I enjoy the simple things like the League Leader cards and Future Star cards with two prospects from each team.
2004 Fleer Ultra
It was nice to see Casey Blake get an opportunity to play, wasn’t it?
Fleer Ultra, of course, is one of the premium card sets from the Fleer company. These cards will be slightly more expensive than the Topps cards. But this is a nice card. Many companies are going without borders on the card’s edges. Personally, it was cool when I first saw them without borders, but that has worn off some. That said, these are really nice cards. Very good photography (even if the above picture doesn’t show it). The name on the front of the card is clear and large, yet not intrusive into the picture. The company logo stays out of the way. As much as I like the front of the cards, I really don’t like the backs. But it does provide the basic information and player stats, which is really all that is needed, right?
2004 Donruss
Carlos Delgado was my choice for American League MVP, and it sure is nice to see Jacque Jones in a Twins uniform. I don’t think we’ll be seeing that next season. The card front again doesn’t have a border. I like the landscape photos from time to time. I like the bar on the bottom with the team, player’s name and team’s logo. The position is in the top right-hand corner. I don’t know why, I’d prefer that by the name. But the pictures are nice. And the Donruss cards can be found for about the same price as the Topps cards. The card backs are alright too. They have a few sentences about their career, and then the player’s basic stats.
2004 Upper Deck
Anyone else think that Scott Podsednik should have won the NL Rookie of the Year? OK, I chose Arizona pitcher Brandon Webb, but Podsednik had a great year.
I believe that Upper Deck has the best photography of any of the card companies. They are incredibly clear and close. Again, no borders. I like the bar on the bottom. If you look close enough, it is a fan shot taken during the races in Miller Park, and his position is scribed in there, almost hidden. I like the way they have the name and team logs on there as well. Yes, the foil Upper Deck logo isn’t well located, but it has to be on there somewhere. The picture is just left along though. Upper Deck will cost more like the Ultra.
2003 Topps Traded and Rookies
I included this card to show Twins fans what Boof Bonser looks like and that his name is, in fact, Boof. Bonser was acquired from the Giants organization in the AJ Pierzynski trade.
Topps Traded used to be a fun set to get. Like I said above, it had traded players and free agents that signed with new teams, or maybe even Olympians. Now, they still have those cards, but the cards come in their own packs, which I have no problem with. However, many of the players in these sets are years from the major leagues. But the companies want to be the first to player’s rookie cards. Fortunately, packs of these are approximately the same price as the 2004 Topps cards. They are the exact same design as the 2003 regular Topps set.
2003 Upper Deck Prospect Premieres
Another late year product, Prospect Premieres comes just four cards to a pack, and they’re rather expensive. The set contains 90 cards that are considered Extended Rookie cards. The cards are very close to the same design as the regular Upper Deck set. The cards are primarily players that were drafted in the 2003 draft. Here are the eight players I got in two packs: Andre Ethier, Daric Barton, Javi Herrera, Luis Atilano, Omar Quintanilla, Thomas Pauly, Jay Sborz and Wes Littleton. How many of them have you heard of? Me? I had heard of none of them. So here is a quick breakdown of them:
· Andre Ethier - The 21 year old outfielder was the A’s 2nd round pick.
· Daric Barton - the 18 year old catcher was the first round pick of the St. Louis Cardinals.
· Javi Herrera - The 21 year old catcher from the University of Tennessee was the second round pick of the Cleveland Indians.
· Luis Atilano - The 18 year old pitcher was the first round pick of the Atlanta Braves out of his high school in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
· Omar Quintanilla - The 22 year old shortstop was the first round pick of the Oakland A’s out of the University of Texas.
· Thomas Pauly - The 22 year old pitcher was the 2nd round pick of the Cincinnati Reds. He’s probably pretty smart as he spent three years at Princeton.
· Jay Sborz - The 18 year old pitcher was the 2nd round pick of the Detroit Tigers.
· Wes Littleton - The 21 year old was the 4th round pick of the Texas Rangers out of Cal State-Fullerton.
So, as you can see, if you buy these packs, they are certainly for the future as you may not recognize too many names. However, I love minor league cards and prospects, so I’d like them!
Well, that is it for my baseball card preview, but here are a couple of sites worth checking out:
Beckett - I have all of the Beckett Baseball Card Monthly issues back to 1988. Great articles and the best, most used price guides.
Sports Cards Central - A great place to buy cards and card supplies. They give free shipping for orders over $100. They also send out orders very quickly.
Topps - for more information, direct from the company.
The Pit - a place online where you can buy and sell graded cards. Much like the stock market, but with sports cards.
Ebay - a great place to buy and sell cards online. I usually try to find lots of my favorite players, or Twins rookie cards.
