yesterday was national tattoo day, and so david wells' 1994 topps stadium club golden rainbow parallel card gets some air time
that tattoo, of wells' son brandon, was new for the 1994 season and i guess the topps photographer thought that it was novel enough to warrant being a focal point of their shot. today, i don't think a portrait tattoo would garner much attention.
matt kemp's 2014 topps stadium club rainbow foil shows off just a portion of his tattooing
and jonathan india's tattoo sleeve is similarly visible on his 2024 topps big league card
in each of the three cards shown, the tattoos are on the non-throwing arm. wells' career predates the "miller rule" (named after the late reliever justin miller) which required pitchers to cover their tattoos with long sleeves, at least on their throwing arm. the dodgers' bobby miller has tattoos on his left forearm but not his right - perhaps because of this rule.
as for me, i have no tattoos although i have considered it at a couple of points in my life. it's probably too late for me to convince myself that it makes sense, but i think i understand the appeal.
I've thought about getting one for years, but like you, I think the time has passed for that.
ReplyDeleteInteresting post. Sam Mele's tattooed right arm can be seen on his 1952 Bowman card.
ReplyDeleteI have a few.
ReplyDeleteI've never thought of starting a tattoo mini-collection, but seeing these cards all together is making me consider it. That Wells is a particularly excellent example.
ReplyDelete(Not a tattoo guy myself, but everyone I know seems to have at least a couple!)
I'm anti-tattoo... especially on women.
ReplyDeleteI'm not a tattoo guy either. I get those who have tattoos of something meaningful, but I don't get those who just cover their bodies with seemingly random ones.
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