i recently introduced my mini collection focusing on my favorite cards from each year that i've been a collector. the basic gist is that i wanted to create a space for the cards that i most appreciated having in my collection in the year that they were released. these were cards that i acquired in the year that they were issued, and that i considered to be my favorites at the time. i have disallowed (most) cards that are already in other mini collections in order to avoid having a mini collection consisting of more steve garvey, double plays, and dodger stadium cards.
in 1980, there was only topps, or so i thought. then one day, in the case of my local card and comic shop, i saw a snap case with a sepia toned card on top. it was a babe ruth card, but behind it in the case were 29 more cards. i bought the set and one of my favorite cards of the year was found inside.
favorite non-dodger card: cramer baseball legends lou gehrig
i was in fifth grade when i bought this set, and had recently read a book about gehrig's life. i was aware of steve garvey's consecutive game streak and so took an interest in the iron horse as well. this was the first gehrig card that i owned and i was very happy to have it. gary carter's 1980 topps card was a close second, and we'll see that card in a different mini collection.
favorite dodger card: topps manny mota 1979 highlights
oh, how i waited to see a dodger get a record breaker or highlights card! by the time this card was released, i had the 1976 davey lopes record breaker and was aware of the 1975 mike marshall highlights card, but this was the first one that featured a moment that i was conscious of. i had listened to the game on the radio, and was getting somewhat nervous. mota had been 0 for 7 in pinch-hitting appearances since he had tied the record, and i recall at least one at bat among those seven wherein vin scully's voice filled me with anticipation of a base hit only to find out that mota had made an out instead.
this time, mota singled off of lynn mcglothlen and then was removed for a pinch runner. i believe that the photo i used for a 1983 topps mota card that should have been comes from that day although i cannot be certain (i am certain that the photo on the topps card above sure does not). mota's 8th inning hit didn't figure in any scoring, although it did advance the batting order such that davey lopes was able to come up in the bottom of the 9th with two outs to hit a walk-off grand slam off of the cubs' bruce sutter. i wasn't sure at the time which highlight i enjoyed better, but i was very happy to find this card in a pack the following spring.
up next, 1994. stay tuned!
Great set. I feel a connection to that set and Pacific Trading Cards, which is where I purchased my set. Back before Mike Cramer was churning out cards, at least regular MLB cards in masses, he was a player in the minor league card sets and things like this, collector type sets. I had no idea at the time that he was making annual minor league sets when I discovered his small retail store and began visiting every so often (it was quite a haul from where i lived and required a planned trip to my older sisters house by my parents for me to be able to go to the card shop on the way).
ReplyDeleteThat is what I consider my first hobby shop and although my memories are thin after all these years, I recall absolutely loving the chance to go and begged every time we went to see my sister.
family vacations that included stops at card and comic book shops are some of my greatest memories of those times. i wonder if we ever stopped at his shop on one of our many travels from southern california to western canada.
DeleteFavorite non-Athletics/Padres 1980 card: 1980 Topps Dave Stieb
ReplyDeleteFavorite Athletics 1980 card: 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson
Favorite Padres 1980 card: 1980 Topps Gaylord Perry
the steib and rickey cards were definitely ones i liked in 1980, but i was a bit more taken by owning a card of lou gehrig.
DeleteI only found out about this set after I returned to card collecting (post-2010), but do really love it. And I'm pretty certain that if I had known about it as a kid, I probably would've collected it.
ReplyDeleteit was a great set for a young fan learning about the game like me. when i realized there was a second series in 1981, i couldn't wait to see if it would continue each year.
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