2023 COMC BINGE - PART 9: MINIS FINIS

HERE'S THE LAST SET COMPLETER FOR A LITTLE WHILE. IT'S A WEIRD SET AND IS NOT IN A BINDER SO NO JOY OF A COMPLETED PAGE PICTURES THIS TIME, SORRY. I BOUGHT A BUNCH OF PACKS OF THIS STUFF WHEN I WAS A KID SO IT'S NICE TO FINISH IT OFF

1986 TOPPS MINI LEADERS RON GUIDRY

IN 1986 TOPPS REVISITED THEIR EXPERIMENT WITH 1975 MINI SIZED CARDS WITH THIS MINI LEADERS SET BASED ON THE TEAM LEADERS CARDS FROM THE FLAGSHIP SET. I ALWAYS FELT LIKE THIS WAS TOPPS TRYING TO CUT COSTS BY SELLING THE SAME AMOUNT OF CARDS WHILE USING LESS PAPER. THESE CARDS WERE SOLD IN A TINY CELLO PACK WITH SIX CARDS FOR TWENTY-FIVE CENTS WHICH SOMEWHAT VALIDATES MY FEELINGS. THESE WERE ON BETTER CARD STOCK AND WERE VERY GLOSSY AND WERE AN INTERESTING NOVELTY WHEN THEY WERE RELEASED LATER IN THE YEAR ONCE WE WERE SICK OF ALL THE BASE SETS AND I ENDED UP RIPPING A BUNCH OF THESE PACKS. NOT ENOUGH TO FINISH THE SET THOUGH, AND ANOTHER BIG PILE OF THE THINGS I GOT IN A BULK LOT STILL DIDN'T COMPLETE IT. THIS GUIDRY CARD WAS THE LAST ONE MISSING AND THIRTY-SEVEN CENTS LATER I FINALLY FINISHED THIS SET UP

GUIDREY WAS SO DAMN GOOD FOR LIKE EIGHT SEASONS BUT HE HAD THE MISFORTUNE OF HITTING THE HALL OF FAME BALLOT WHEN PITCHERS HAD TO HAVE 300 WINS AND 3000 STRIKEOUTS TO GET ANY CONSIDERATION. TO BE FAIR, THERE WERE A FEW DUDES WHO HAD THOSE CREDENTIALS BACK THEN, BUT RON SHOULDA GOT MORE THAN EIGHT DAMN PERCENT OF THE VOTES. NOW THAT 170 WINS IS AN INSURMOUNTABLE OBSTACLE FOR 99.99% OF PITCHERS OUT THERE MAYBE GUIDREY WILL GET SOME LOVE ON THE VETERAN'S BALLOT. HE JUST NEEDS TO GET PAST THE COUPLE DOZEN OTHER PLAYERS WHO GOT SCREWED BY HALL VOTERS BUT HEY, MAYBE IT'LL HAPPEN BEFORE THE END OF HUMAN CIVILIZATION