A Biggun from TribeCards

New gadgets offered by Blogger have forced me to be aware of the images and text I use to lead off a post. there are lots of blog lists and RSS readers out there what show off the first couple of sentances and the topmost image of each of my posts, so I have to be careful what I put there. I can't start off a post by cussing a blue streak of filth flarn filth because no one wants to open up someone else's G-rated blog and see my post going off like Lenny Bruce with Tourette's. I've also modified my practice of starting off posts with weaker images and going for the WOW at the end. Ya gotta let the shiny cards shine. That All being said, I probably don't want that picture of 20 year old moldy gum to be the representative image for my blog for the next 12 hours or so. So instead, here's a big beautiful oddball courtesy of TribeCards' Big Pile O' Stuff.

1980 Topps Superstar Photos #27 Bob Horner

Here's Bob looking contemplative in the batting cage. These five by seven inch cards were put out in 1980 to see if anyone would buy simple, large sized cards with just a photo and replica signature. The cards are really nice looking and are fairly easy to find today for it being a test issue. The cards are good looking and have a solid checklist.

This is actually a fairly significant set in hobby history. This was one of Topps' many test issues of oddball stuff but instead of getting a limited regional distribution like most test issues, speculators gobbled it all up and tried to flip it for big bucks in the hobby market. The hobby was just about to go completely insane in the '80s and dealers were looking for oddball and regional stuff they could sell along with the new Topps set and the vintage inventory. So they bought up most of this set along with a 1979 oddball comic issue in the hopes they had found the next hot thing. It turned out to be not so hot when these dealers flooded the market and killed the prices. The greedy dealers took a bath, but it was an indication of how hobbyists were eager for new products, and buy did we get 'em in the '80s.