BIGGUNS #1 - STATS ON THE BACK

I HAVE LITERALLY THREE SHOEBOXES* FULL OF ODDBALL GIANT SIZED CARDS I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO WITH AND AM TOO LAZY TO TRACK DOWN PROPER SIZED PAGES SO I CAN BINDER THEM ALL. THERE'S A LOT OF REALLY SWEET STUFF IN THERE TOO, I FEEL BAD FOR NEGLECTING THEM THE WAY I HAVE. I RECENTLY WENT THROUGH ONE OF THE BOXES TO CHECK OUT MY COOL STUFF AND GOT THE IDEA TO TAKE SOME PICTURES OF THE COOLEST ONES TO SHOW OFF ON HERE AND GIVE YOU A LITTLE BREAK FROM ALL THE GOOFY STUFF I'VE BOUGHT ON COMC. THIS TOOK LONG ENOUGH THAT I HAD NO LONGER HAD TIME TO SORT TAND PUT THEM AWAY. WIN-WIN! NOW I HAVE AN ENTIRE FOLDER FULL OF COOL OLD STUFF SO OF COURSE I'M GOING TO SHOW OFF SOMETHING I JUST BOUGHT FIRST

1962 EXHIBIT LEW BURDETTE STATS ON THE BACK

EXHIBIT SUPPLY COMPANY CARDS ARE ONE OF THE BETTER KNOWN VINTAGE ODDBALLS OUT THERE. THEY WERE PRINTED FROM THE 20S TO THE 60S, ARE POSTCARD SIZED, AND ARE COMMON ENOUGH TO BE EASY TO FIND AND WEIRD ENOUGH TO BE CHEAP COMPARED TO CONTEMPORARY BASEBALL CARDS. THEY WERE DISTRIBUTED THROUGH VENDING MACHINES AND COULD BE FOUND WITH ALL KINDS OF SUBJECTS INCLUDING MOVIE STARS, BOXERS AND CELEBRITIES. THERE'S A TON OF ODD VARIATIONS (MEMORIALIZED IN THIS RIDICULOUS EARLY 00S'S LEAF INSERT). BEFORE THE AGE OF THE INTERNET IT WAS SUPER HARD TO FIGURE OUT WHAT YEAR OR SERIES ANY INDIVIDUAL CARD WAS AND SINCE THERE WERE NO COPYRIGHT YEARS, CARD NUMBERS OR EVEN TEXT ON THE BACK. THEY WERE BARELY BASEBALL CARDS AND MORE LIKE POST CARDS, ESPECIALLY WHEN SOME CARDS LITERALLY SAID POST CARD ON THE BACK. ONE SERIES WAS DIFFERENT THOUGH AND HAD STATS ON THE BACK. I HAD WANTED ONE OF THESE CARDS SINCE I FIRST LEARNED ABOUT THEM WHEN I WAS A KID, BUT THOSE WERE SCARCE AND COULD COST SEVERAL DOLLARS. I COULD BUY A WHOLE PILE OF VINTAGE COMMONS FROM THE 60S FOR THAT KIND OF MONEY SO I ALWAYS PASSED. THEN I FOUND THIS ONE AT DUCK'S DUGOUT FOR LIKE FOUR BUCKS. FOUR BUCKS IN 2023 IS WAY DIFFERENT THAN FOUR BUCKS IN 1988. PLUS IT'S A BRAVE! LET'S LOOK AT DEM STATS

WHEN THEY SAY STATS ON THE BACK, THEY MEANT IT. THIS IS A WHOLE EXCEL SPREADSHEET WORTH OF STATS INCLUDING MINOR LEAGUE TEAMS. KANSAS CITY AND SAN FRANCISCO MINOR LEAGUE TEAMS, GOTTA LOVE THE 50S. THIS CARD HAS STATS UP TO 1961, BUT THERE'S A 1963 VERSION WITH 1962 STATS. THERE'S ALSO ANOTHER VARIATION WHERE THE STATS ARE IN BLACK INK INSTEAD OF RED. IT'S ACTUALLY KIND OF NEAT HOW MANY DIFFERENT VARIATIONS THERE ARE OF THESE CARDS SINCE THEY WERE CHEAP POSTCARD SOUVENIERS INSTEAD OF AN ACTUAL TRADING CARD SET. BAD FOR SET BUILDING COMPLETIONISTS BUT GREAT FOR WEIRDOS WHO LOVE HAVING A TYPE CARD OF EVERYTHING. I BET YOU CAN GUESS WHICH CAMP I'M FALLING INTO LATELY, HUH. UNLIKE THE REST OF THOSE POOR CARDS SHOVED BACK INTO THE SHOEBOX, THIS ONE DID ACTUALLY MAKE ITS WAY INTO MY ODDBALL BRAVES BINDER. MAN, I COULD DO POSTS JUST ON THAT BINDER FOR MONTHS, BUT MAYBE I SHOULD FINISH UP ALL THE ONES IN MY DRAFT FOLDER FIRST

* ONE OF THE BOXES IS ACTUALLY FROM AN ODDBALL ELECTRONIC DEVICE BUT SHOEBOXES IS EASIER TO SAY. ODDBALLS IN AN ODDBALL BOX IS VERY APPROPRIATE