There’s something about the 1981 Topps set that always appealed to me. Maybe it’s the sharp contrast to the rushed together sets put out by the other two card companies. But, it always had a classy look in my eyes.
This team card is no exception. It has a clean look to it. The only thing that breaks it up in the need for the Ralph Houk insert in the corner. The team photo still has the gerbil in the middle, and that wouldn’t do.
It’s always interesting when a company has a nice card design for the base cards, and then has to alter it for subsets such as this. The base cards would have a much bigger hat slightly more prominently displayed in the corner. This version looks stuck there because they had to have a hat somewhere. So, that’s too bad.
I always missed the team cards when companies stopped issuing them. It’s a nice card to have as a team collector. Everyone on the team in one shot. I also like the inclusion of the team checklist on the back. It makes creating wantlists a lot easier.
But, why did everyone have to sit with their hands on their knees?
As much as I loved these 1981 team cards, as a kid, I was always bummed with this one ... no Jim Rice in the photo.
ReplyDeleteSo odd they they went and got a picture of Houk (from Cleveland's Municipal Stadium, probably when he was managing the Tigers), then painted a RED Red Sox hat on him, a few years after they stopped wearing them.
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