Elusive '80s cards ... really? Really

 

I have written many times that I view cards from the 1980s as the most accessible. The hobby was booming, "artificial scarcity" was barely a thought, cards were plentiful.

 

That, combined with being a very active collector of Dodgers cards, has given me an inflated idea of the '80s portion of my Dodgers collection: I HAVE THEM ALL! I never truly think that 100 percent, but part of me believes I must be 5-10 cards away from owning every single one of the Dodgers cards from the 1980s. 

That couldn't be farther from the truth.

 

I know this because not only is Trading Card Database handy for knowing what you have in your collection, but it is just as handy for discovering what you don't have in your collection. About a year ago I started investigating which '80s sets contained Dodgers cards that I was missing. It didn't take long to compile a sizable list.

 

In fact, I got only as far as 1982 before losing interest. The images downloaded to a folder sat on my computer desktop for months and months. During that time, I obtained two cards from two '80s sets on the list, the Dusty Bakers you see above, from 1981 Squirt and 1982 O-Pee-Chee. Those two team sets are now complete! So I was doing work while this post idea sat stagnating.

 

But discovering that was enough to get going again. I've added the sets with missing Dodgers cards for 1983 and I'll feature those rascally sets from 1980-83 right now. I plan to do the same for the rest of the '80s and then maybe the '70s. I don't expect too many people to be interested in this as it's very night owl-centric, but that's what this blog is for -- my obsessive interests.

 

(All following images from TCDB)

 

1980

 

1980 Laughlin Famous Feats, Second Series

 

Robert Laughlin was still going in the 1980s with a couple of self-produced sets, including another series of Famous Feats. There are two Dodgers in this set, Jackie Robinson and Hugh Casey. I own neither. However, they are not expensive and I just ordered both of them! See, this post is paying off already!

 

 

 

1980 Cramer Baseball Legends (Series 1)

 

The Cramer Legends sets run through the first half of the 1980s and they all look the same. Jackie Robinson is the only one of the five Dodgers from the first series that I need, and there is also a variation card.

 

 

1980 TCMA All-Time Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers (Blue Backs)

 

This set contains 12 Dodgers cards, I have six. There is also a "black back" version -- with the fronts looking identical -- for which I have none. Since the black backs look like the blue backs I won't bother seeking those out.

 

 

1980 TCMA 1959 Los Angeles Dodgers (Black & White)

 

TCMA is a good place to find Dodgers cards that I need. This is a 40-card set and I have a grand total of two cards. There is also a blue-printed parallel set that gives me that mimeograph nostalgia feeling, but I bet they're even harder to find.

 

 

1981

1981 TCMA The 1960s II

Moving on to 1981 now. TCMA came out with the second edition of its "1960s" set in 1981 after debuting the set in 1978. I have all the 1981 Dodgers cards except for Walter Alston. The 1978 team set is done.

 

 

1981 FBI Discs

 

No, the Federal Bureau of Investigations did not issue a baseball card set in the early '80s. "FBI" stands for "Fisher Beverages Inc.," which was a fruit juice company in Canada. I had never heard of this set until starting to research and they are not exactly attractive. Steve Garvey is the only Dodger, which means it's probably out of reach for me, knowing the zeal of Garvey collectors.

 

 

1981 Dodgers Police Set

 

I just mentioned this Police Set in my last post. There are a couple of Police Sets for which I need just a couple of cards. 1981 is one of them. I need Mickey Hatcher and Ken Landreaux.

 

 

1981 All-Star Game inserts

 

I barely consider these things collectible. They're not cards. They were issued together on a flimsy page insert in the All-Star Game program. My guess is if I saw these in 1981 I wouldn't even think to cut them into individual "cards". There are a bunch of Dodgers in the set, I just have the Ron Cey because I need to have all of his products.

 

 

1981 Conlon Collection TSN

 

These 4-by-5 cards are probably a storing pain-in-the-butt. Fred Merkle is the only Dodger in the 100-card set.

 

 

 

1981 San Diego Sports Collectors Association

 

Don't know much about these. There are 20 cards, including three Dodgers (Snider, Robinson, Erskine). They were obviously used as a coupon, but I don't know how collectors got them in their hands.

 

 

1982

 

1982 Fleer Stamps

 

I remember when these came out. I disliked them instantly. They were issued in strips of unrelated players with each stamp perforated so it could be removed. They are flimsy and I'm sure I bought them once and never bought them again. There are 12 Dodgers stamps. I have one. I don't even own the Cey stamp, and I need to at least do something about that.

 

 

 

1982 Davco Hall of Fame Baseball All-Stars

 

Can't say I know much about these weird-shaped cards (4.5-by-7.25 inches). There are three Dodgers out of the 25 cards.

 

 

1982 FBI Discs

 

The FBI Discs were back for 1982 and expanded to 32 discs. Steve Garvey returns to the checklist as well as Fernando Valenzuela. The familiar "MSA" (Michael Schecter and Associates) tag that was responsible for all those 1970s discs pops up on the front.

 

 

1982 On Deck Cookie Discs

 

I own a Garvey disc that looks just like the front but it's not from this set.

 

 

 

1982 TCMA 1952 Bowman Supplement

 

This set was an imagining of '52 Bowman containing 15 more cards, extending the numbering of the original '52 Bowman set to 253-267 with players not featured in the original set. There are three Dodgers here, Chris VanCuyk, Cookie Lavagetto and George Shuba. I need them all.

 

 

1982 G.S. Gallery All-Time Greats

 

Three Dodgers in this 24-card set. The cards are smallish, 2 1/2-by-3. 

1982 Baseball Card News 

Good old "Baseball Card News," a hobby publication, put out a 20-card legends set in 1982. I have the Roy Campanella but there are three other Dodgers to get.

 

 

 

1982 All-Star Game inserts

Same deal as the 1981 ASG inserts, only I do own the Ron Cey from this. There are nine other Dodgers and I can't imagine getting the urge to add them. The inserts show the French position words because the game took place in Montreal that year.

 

 

1983

 

1983 7-11 Super Star Sports Coins

 

This is my image and a card I do own, unlike the others shown here. The pictures/scans on TCDB aren't good. This set featured just Dodgers and Angels, six of each. I need the Dusty Baker and Fernando Valenzuela discs. 

1983 Topps 1952 Topps reprints

 

A well-known reprint set, I believe the first to reprint the '52s in the present-day 2 1/2-by-3 1/2 size. They also seems like they're as tough to get as the original 1952s. I have three of the Dodgers from this set, need a whole bunch more. 

 

  

1983 TCMA Play Ball from (top to bottom) 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945

 

I wrote about these cards a few months ago. They are another "What If" series from TCMA, there were no Play Ball sets from 1942-45. This interests me and I'd like to get all the Dodgers.

 

 

1983 Fleer Stickers

 

Stickers always take a back seat to cards for me, so it's not surprising I still need a few of these. Out of the 14 Dodgers in the set, I have 10.

 

 

1983 Marketcom Conlon

 

Just one Dodger to get for these odd-sized cards (4 1/2-by-6 1/8). Johnny Frederick is one of 60 cards.

 

 

1983 Baseball Card News

 

Baseball Card News released a set for a second straight year as inserts in its magazine. Just six cards this time. Two are Dodgers. I have the Robinson, need the Koufax.

 

 

1983 Topps Stickers

 

I went crazy for the 1982 Topps stickers. I collected almost all of them and stuck them, too. I liked the red and blue borders. When the '83 ones came out, I wasn't as impressed and, honestly, a 17-year-old doesn't have much use for a sticker book. Still need Landreaux, Reuss and Russell.

 

There's an O-Pee-Chee sticker set, too, and I need seven of those Dodgers stickers still.

 

 

1983 All-Star Game Program inserts

 

They were still inserting these sheets into the ASG program, but I don't have any of the individual Dodgers.

 

 

1983 Fleer Stamps

 

I don't have much interest in these, if I wanted stamps, I'd be a stamp-collector. I have two of the 12 Dodgers, obviously Ron Cey is one of them.

 

 

1983 Perma-Graphics All-Star Credit Cards

 

I loved the first Perma-Graphics set from 1981. The appeal died off for me after that. In 1983, there was a regular Perma-Graphics Super Star set as well as an All-Star set. Steve Sax is the only Dodger in the set and I still need it.

 

 

1983 ASA The Duke Snider Story

 

These ASA sets were a sneak preview for the Star sets of the mid-to-late '80s, a set dedicated to a single player. There are 12 cards in Duke Snider's set. I need 10 of them. (P.S.: There's a Dodger card in the Frank Robinson ASA series and I really want that).

 

 

1983 O'Connell and Son Baseball Greats

 

A 20-card set featuring the artwork of T.S. O'Connell with a 1959 Topps design look. They are oversized cards (4 1/2-by-6 1/2). Two Dodgers -- Campanella and Snider. I don't find them appealing.

 

And that's it!

 

Those are all the sets -- according to TCDB, anyway -- from 1980-83 for which I still need a Dodger card.

 

I'll get to 1984-86 some other time (I'm sure you're counting the days). This really underlines how a collector's work is never done, not even for the 1980s.