Boo!
Major League Baseball has for many years awarded Topps a monopoly to print baseball cards with a team’s logo and name.
So where does that leave the other guys?
In my opinion, in a bad place.
If other companies want to issue baseball cards, they may not show the logo on the cap or the team’s name and city on the jersey. For me, this makes for a very unsatisfying product.
The card doesn’t look right. It’s like looking at a photo of Miss Universe dressed in the clothing you see below. I want to see what’s not showing.
There’s a reason why Major League Baseball wants to limit the number of baseball card sets. Back in the day a variety of companies were awarded licenses to print cards with logos and team/city names. The result was “the junk era,” a period of time when baseball cards were printed in such excessive quantities that the word overkill doesn’t begin to adequately tell the tale. Card were made by Topps, Fleer, Donruss, Score, Sportsflix, Upper Deck, Conlon, Pinnacle et al. Baseball Card Stores were everywhere, dumping countless cards on the baseball card buying public. Now, twenty-five years later, most of those cards are considered “junk.”
Right now, as best I can see, Donruss is the only baseball card issuer other than Topps. It’s not like these folks don’t know how to make a nice product, that’s for sure. After a bumpy start in 1981, with a nicely designed set that was undermined by some poor photography on many of its cards, Donruss improved its cards significantly and really hit its stride in 1983. Here are a few examples of that year’s issue:
Then in 1984 Donruss brought out what many collectors consider to be one of the most beautiful sets ever. It featured a totally redesigned format, with sharp photography of the players whether in action or portrait mode, blurred backgrounds and an uplifting crop of swirling, curved lines near the cards’ base. In the same year, Donruss introduced “chase” cards, available only in packs. These Living Legends cards featured Gaylord Perry and Rollie Fingers (Card A) and Carl Yastrzemski and Johnny Bench (Card B).
In 1985 Donruss presented its iconic Rated Rookie logo, which served to highlight those young players who had a real chance of being an impact player, or even a star. Rated Rookie cards proved to be very popular with collectors, and while not every one of the players selected succeeded, the young man below certainly worked out, and made it to the Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York.
In short, what you had was a vibrant company that was innovative and brought out a very nice product that was well accepted with many collectors.
Donruss is now owned by Panini, so I’m not certain who is calling the shots over there. The designs and graphics are up to par, but for me the overall card is lacking. Several adjectives come to mind, including absent, flawed and deficient. Here are a few examples from their recent issues:
Now it’s your turn. What’s your opinion? Do you like these Donruss cards? Does the lack of a logo or team and/or city name make a difference to you? Please share your opinion in the comments section. Thanks!
My issue isn’t so much that the cards lack logos, it’s that they are being ‘shopped to remove them. I’m not a fan of this photo-altering world we now all live in. ‘Shopping photos can remove a random person from a photo, open closed eyelids, and overall make a photo look better, but its devastating from a historical perspective. In 1000 years will our ancestors unearth a donruss card and think the uniforms didnt have logos? Perhaps. Alternatively, look at the ’84 Jody Davis card you posted. Its unaltered, and theres not a logo in sight. This is what they should so. It stinks that donruss cant show logos. Competition is good. But I wish they would at least be historically accurate, like the Jody Davis card.
I’m curious, is it called the junk era because they aren’t worth anything, or because they weren’t good? That was when I started and I loved the differences and advances that were made by the brands all pushing each other. Personally I dont care what they’re worth or how rare they are, so if that’s why they’re “junk”, I call bull. I like a good card. I think Topps needs a real competitor today that can show logos. They’ve become complacent.
Also, is this because I sent you some Donruss cards? 😀
Thanks for your comment, Chip. I didn’t know about the photo shopping. I can tell you that some of their cards, as recently as 2017, didn’t even get the colors of the uniforms right!
Regarding the “junk era,” I believe the name applies to the quantity of companies, releases, number of cards printed and to a lesser extent, the quality of the cards. I think the 1990 Bowman set is garbage, a total ripoff, a Topps set with the Bowman name slapped on, and not a very good one at that. Leading the hideous list is the 1995 Fleer set, in my opinion the ugliest set to see the light of day.
Oh! Thanks for those Donruss cards, Chip. I will use them for trade bait!
Grub.
I avoid the non logo at all costs. It
just cheapens the cards
I’ve even told my son to skip collecting
Them
I appreciate your response, Phil. I have about fifty of the non-logo cards now that our teammate Chip sent them. These people clearly know how to make nice cards and it’s frustrating that MLB’s practice of giving one company a monopoly undermines them. I am considering contacting MLB and the Player’s Association and if I do I’ll report my findings here. Stay tuned.
better the giants find some prospects that can hit!!!!
Thank you for your response, Herb. I agree. Of course, I’d rather see the prospect with his logo on the cap and team or city name on his jersey. The Giants drafted Joey Bart with their first pick last year, Herb, and he’s going to be a very good player. He’s at High A right now, all 6′ 2″ and 235 pounds of him. He’s a catcher with power.
Regarding the upcoming annual draft, the Giants have to choose their picks with great care as well as trade some of their veterans for other prospects before the July 31st trade deadline in order to get back to their winning ways.
Grub
Interesting post, I used to know this, thanks for the reminder.
You’re welcome, Soosh! I hope we can get together soon. I have a lot of baseball cards for you, plus crayons for the kids! And one thing is for certain, you won’t be getting any of those Donruss cards from me!
Grub.