Year: 1991
Manufacturer: Ballstreet Journal
Card Number: 58
Card Type: Magazine Insert
Issue: #6, November 1991
The internet is pretty amazing. Yes about half of it is filled with crap and advertising, but when you have a question the answer is usually out there to be found. It's also a nice juxtaposition for the card featured today. Because 25 plus years ago before the internet and at the height of the trading card junk wax/speculation era there were a lot of magazines that catered to the hobby. There were magazine specifically for the speculators, which cards and products were hot, what rookies should you invest into send your kids to college? And of course there were the price guides. In 1991, I was still in high school and living overseas so I didn't have access to all the great publications that were being put out to help collector's. But that's why the internet is so great, with a few key strokes not only did I find what issue of the Ballstreet Journal that this card came out of I found a few photos.
With so many magazines competing with one another they tried to offer gimmicks to entice you into buying their issues and free cards was the main enticement. From what I found each issue of Ballstreet Journal came with 10 of these insert cards that you could pull out and cut out the card. Lucky for me I have an intact panel from the issue. The other great thing about researching this card is I found something else to go after for my collection. I also collect Frank Thomas cards and he just so happens to be featured on the issue that Robin's card is in.
Another fun fact, the back of the cards feature a trivia question about the feature player and the answer on Robin's card is wrong, Robin was still 18, not 19, when he broke into the majors. The write up is also wrong with the same age mistake and the wrong year that Robin broke into the majors. While Robin didn't get his first baseball card till 1975, he played his first major league game April 5th, 1974.
I don't know what is lamer...getting a basic fact wrong, or asking a trivia question that you just gave the "answer" to in the write up!
ReplyDeleteBut it's not as bad as the similar card I recently acquired of Tom Glavine from something called Showcase Baseball Card Guide. The front of the card calls him "Mr. Glavin". Ack...but, hey, the card is serial numbered. To 10,000! So rare!
It's the Ballstreet Journal! Get it? Get it? You know, it's like Wall Street and we're all gonna be rich off baseball cards so this is like an investment journal, you know? Right?
ReplyDeleteRumor has it that the guy who came up with that trivia question is now the head of Topps's fact checking program for its current cards.