The top 5 graphic elements on cards

 

 

(A first update on the 5,000-post/5,000-card repack giveaway: I mailed out the second and third boxes today. The first box should have arrived or is close to arriving has arrived. And I've selected all the cards for the fourth box. This is going to take me a couple months, at least, so I'll continue to post periodic updates).

 

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This is the last of the posts that I announced I had planned to do back at the end of the summer. You've already seen me rank the best Future Stars cards. You've seen the lowest-rated Rated Rookies and the Best On-Card Element series.

I had promised a Best On-Card Element finale with 1994, but I haven't been able to get it together on that one. Maybe I need to feed the hamster in the wheel another treat.

What I have for you tonight is something very similar to the Best On-Card Element series but more all encompassing ... and less time-consuming.

I have narrowed down the all-time top five graphic elements in the history of cards.

Now, don't get excited if you don't see something that you think should be here or I didn't reference the first card set to do something. I'm juggling lots of life things and this is the best I got. 

I tried to pinpoint the first elements that came to my mind, figuring graphics that obvious would be easy entrants in the top 5.

Here we go:

 

5. AROUND THE BASES

1989-91 UPPER DECK

I thought about restricting entrants to a graphic that can be confined to one card. But then I thought of finding a photo that represented each trip around the bases and, heck, this needs to be mentioned in the top 5!

In 1989, Upper Deck used a first-base line graphic theme. In 1990, it went with a first-to-second theme. And in 1991, it used the second-to-home graphic.

I admit, I've never been a fan of the first three years of Upper Deck (although '90 has grown on me), but that was some nice advance-planning by UD.

4. THE POSITION GUY

1973 and 1976 TOPPS (with some other spin-offs and pioneers)

The position guy is a central figure at the start of my collecting journey, showing up just before I started collecting and in my second year of collecting. I loved the realistic '76 position pictures when collecting the set that year.

The position guy sort of showed up again in 2004, but the graphic wasn't devoted to the position but to the player. It mimicked whatever the player was doing in the corresponding photo. So if the catcher was shown batting, the little logo was batting, too, but that's not a position.

 

The earliest position guy that I can think of at the moment is 1963 Fleer and the guy did change according to which position the player played, although I think the batter bolting from the box was used with first basemen, outfielders and sometimes infielders. Other times the infielders were shown with a drawing of a guy infielding.

3. TEAM LOGOS

1952-55 TOPPS, 1983-90 FLEER and a host of other later sets.

Placing a team logo on the front of a baseball card should be standard operating procedure. To this day, something seems missing when a design doesn't show it. Topps hasn't featured a flagship design without a logo since 2008 -- although I think some of that is a result of Topps gaining an exclusive license shortly after and perhaps team logos is part of the agreement.

But in 1952, Topps went right with the team logo in its very first major set. If you ask me, it's the best thing about '52 Topps.

 

2. HARDWARE

First rookie trophy: 1960 TOPPS; First rookie cup: 1973 TOPPS. After that, too many sets to list.

The thing that Topps' rookie trophy/rookie cup has over the Rated Rookie logo, or that evil rookie card logo that I'd rank at the bottom of a list of 100 graphics, is that it portrays hardware, a representation of a trophy that supposedly the players received (Do former All-Topps rookie players actually have a large rookie cup on display in their homes and if so, how do I get one?)

That's some bad-ass graphic usage there. Powerful.

I recall enjoying cards that showed the rookie cup, but they weren't coveted like cards with the rookie logo are now. Much simpler time. I do miss it.

1. WAVE THAT FLAG HIGH

1965 TOPPS (and several spin-offs)

1965 Topps wasn't the first set to use a pennant flag as a graphic element. But it is the set that used it most memorably. The graphic is colorful, active and makes the '65 set one of the greatest that Topps has ever created.

Pennants are a no-brainer for a baseball card. You see them waving in the breeze at the ballpark, they're up on the wall in man caves and kids' bedrooms everywhere. Vendors sell pennants in the aisles.

For me, it's the top graphic element on a baseball card of all-time.

That doesn't mean it's my favorite one. In fact none of the above are my favorite.

My all-time favorite card graphic element is the All-Star star. I prefer 1975 Topps if I have to choose, but I like the 1976 All-Star stars almost as much.

So, there you go, the best of the best graphic elements. I left out a bunch of stuff, the 1972 marquee team names, the 1981 Topps hats, the wood paneling of '62 and '87 Topps (but '58 Hires did it first), the bat-and-ball of '82 Donruss and a whole bunch more.

Let me know your favorite baseball card graphic element. Or, heck, favorite hockey or football card element (that giant football in '76 Topps is absolutely awesome).