1989 Smokey Bear Team Smokey GT Racing Set

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Why do we collectors search endlessly and tirelessly for elusive cards... Cards that are like finding a needle in a haystack? 

Because a needle sometimes pricks the finger that's clicking our mouse. And boy, it hurts so good. 

I have never claimed to be an oddball card expert. Like any other collector, the knowledge I've gained over the past 35-plus years has been self taught, and there are huge holes in my knowledge when it comes to certain oddball card releases. One such "hole" pertains to this gem of a racing set that was released back in 1989. 

Sponsored by the Forest Service-USDA, National Association of State Foresters and the International Motor Sports Association (IMSA), this 28-card set features race car drivers, wives and lots of Smokey Bear. I'm not exactly sure how these cards were released, but I do know that there ain't many of these floating around. In my attempt to research the set, I've come up empty on all of my internet queries; I can't find a single photo or any mention whatsoever of this set anywhere. 

The cards are typical of a Smokey set released in the late 1980s. Measuring the standard card size of 3-1/2 by 2-1/2 inches, color photos adorn the front with a small Smokey head and IMSA logo found at the bottom corners. The subjects pictured on the cards are named along the front bottom, in a tiny font size that will have you looking for your reading glasses. Card backs are also typical Smokey, with a large fire safety cartoon occupying the majority of the space. Backs also list the team names, car models and hometowns of the card subjects. The cards are not numbered.

The set is loaded with names a racing fan will recognize, and at least three names for movie fans - Lorenzo Lamas, Bobby (Robert) Carradine and Paul Newman. I've posted large front and back scans of the Newman card, as they may be of interest. An excellent documentary detailing Paul's racing career was released in 2015 by Adam Carolla.

Smokey cards have always been among my favorites, and this little gem of a set is a welcome addition to my archives. I have no idea how many of these sets were printed a good 28 years ago... But what I do know is these phantom cards need to get grabbed fast if you're lucky enough to find them. 

Random Fact: Australian driver Geoff Brabham's father, two brothers, son and nephew have all been professional racers.

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Checklist (in no particular order)

(1) Paul Newman

(2) Lorenzo Lamas

(3) Bobby Carradine

(4) Jim Downing

(5) Dave White and Art Pilla

(6) John Morton and Geoff Brabham

(7) Steve Durst

(8) Buz McCall

(9) A.J. Foyt

(10) Martin Brundle and John Nielson

(11) Dorsey Schroeder and Bruce MacInnes

(12) Waino Kangas and Cliff Kangas

(13) David Loring

(14) Jan Lammers and Davy Jones

(15)Hans Stuck and Klaus Ludwig

(16) Scott Schubot and Linda Ludemann

(17) Steve Fitzpatrick and Bernie Pisczek

(18) Bob Wollek

(19) Chip Robinson

(20) Justus Reid and Bill Jacobson

(21) Neil Hannemann

(22) Roger Mandeville, Kelly Marsh, Don Marsh

(23) Chris Cord

(24) Amos Johnson and Dennis Shaw

(25) Linda and Randy Pobst

(26) Alistair Oag and David Rosenblum

(27) Juan Fangio, Dennis Aase and Willy T. Ribbs

(28) Smokey Bear

1989 Upper Deck Baseball Randy Johnson Proof Card

Collectors who are interested in oddball cards may also have a natural interest in collecting proof cards. To be clear: over the years, several insert and parallel sets have used the "proof" name in their title, but this is nothing more than a title... True proof cards are printed for the purpose of in-house analysis; colors are checked, designs and photos are approved, and paper stock is tested.

Proof cards, and other production items like original artwork and player contracts, first became widely available to the market in 1989 when Topps teamed with the Guernsey auction house. In an unprecedented move, Topps opened their virtually secret archives and released several hundred items to a hungry hoard of sports and non-sports card collectors (the proceeds were donated to various charities). 

In the modern internet age, proofs from all the major cardmakers of the 1980s and 90s have found their way into the market, with some examples being scarcer than others. One random example comes from Upper Deck, who released their inaugural baseball set to much fanfare back in 1989. This particular proof card features rookie fireballer Randy Johnson on the front, and fellow Hall of Famer Paul Molitor on the back. 

I no longer collect proofs per se, and actually sold most of my proof collection a few years back when I decided to focus on collecting oddball cards... But every now and then a proof will catch my eye, and if the price is right, I might just add it to my cardboard compendium. This Johnson/Molitor proof is one such instance, which I snagged off of eBay for a very reasonable sum.

I have closely examined both the front and reverse, and both sides appear to be similar to their issued versions. One difference I did notice, though, is how dark the Molitor graphics appear on the back. While a shadow already darkens most of Molitor's face and chest in his photo, the deep and heavy application of color on the proof renders his face almost featureless. The proof is also missing the hologram that should be found on the back of an issued card. 

The Johnson/Molitor pairing is a fortunate combination for the card owner, but isn't totally random. Randy Johnson's card is number 25 in the 1989 UD set, while Paul Molitor takes card number 525. Upper Deck's uncut sheets featured cards printed in numerical order, with each sheet containing 100 cards. Therefore, if Johnson did not have his own reverse, he'd likely share it with Bob Horner (#125), Bert Blyleven (#225), Don August (#325), Kevin Bass (#425) or Paul Molitor (#525).

Proof cards are a great way to supplement a player or team collection, and anyone looking to add a truly rare item to their archives needs to be diligent with their eBay search... It will surely pay off over time.

Click here to hunt for 1989 Upper Deck proofs on eBay

1989 Phoenix Cardinals Police Set

The Oddball Card Collector never stops scouring the web in search of police cards. On any given evening, I'll have one eye on Master Chef and the other eye on eBay... Or maybe one eye on a Love Boat re-run and the other eye on eBay... And if I've ever learned anything from Chef Gordon Ramsay and head purser Gopher Smith, it is this: the 1989 Phoenix Cardinals Police Set is pretty tough to find.

The era of the modern-day police set was turning twelve years old in 1989 (if you consider the 1977/78 Trailblazers set the first), and many card collectors were already beginning to lose interest in this type of card. Add to that the addition of two new nationally-distributed football card sets being released in 1989 -- Pro Set and Score -- along with a bevy of good but not great players on the Phoenix roster, and this nifty Cardinals set was all but guaranteed to be a cold release.

A release that continues to be cold to this very day.

A complete set features twelve player cards, which are not numbered except for uniform numbers. Slightly larger than the standard card size, each features a beautiful on-field color photo and short player bio. The historic year of 1989 was when Pro Set and Score blew the football "action shot" doors off the hinges, whereas police sets like this were once the best way to find such photos (especially for linemen). The '89 Cardinals set holds it's own here in all the classic police card aspects, including the expected action photography. The typical childhood safety tip is found on the back of each card.

The card featuring Derek Kennard was short printed, having been recalled from the set after his arrest for drunk driving. (You'll never guess the safety tip printed on the back of his card... "Don't ride in a car if you think the driver has had too much to drink. Call someone you trust for a ride.) In the world of scarce, short printed police cards, my guess is that Kennard ranks  somewhere in the middle. It's probably worth just as much, and probably more, than all the other cards in the set combined. Tight end Jay Novacek is represented during his rookie card year, and would go on the win three Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys. Roy Green, a true Cardinals legend, is also found in the set. (Green played everything from defensive back to wide receiver, to kick returner, to punt returner, to rusher.)

According to published sources, a total of 100,000 sets were printed. My question is simply, "Where are they?" I consistently see other sets, printed in much smaller quantities, showing up on the web much more often than this. At the time of this writing, eBay has less than ten singles available, and not even one complete set. As elusive as these cards may be, a complete set including Kennard is valued in the ten to fifteen dollar range. A set minus the Kennard short print would probably set you back about five bucks.

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(5) Gary Hogeboom, QB

(24) Ron Wolfey, FB

(30) Stump Mitchell, RB

(31) Earl Ferrell, FB

(36) Via Sikahema, RB/KR

(43) Lonnie Young, FS

(46) Tim McDonald, SS

(65) David Galloway, DE

(67) Luis Sharpe, OT

(70) Derek Kennard, C (SP)

(79) Bob Clasby, DT

(80) Rob Awalt, TE

(81) Roy Green, WR

(84) J.T. Smith, WR

(85) Jay Novacek, TE

1989 Cleveland Indians Team Issue

 

The Indians issued a 28-card team set during the 1989 season. A bit larger than the standard card size, these measure approx. 2 3/4 by 4 1/2 inches. Fronts feature color photos, with the player's uniform number, name and position across the bottom. A large "Tribe" logo is found at the top left of each card. Backs have the Cleveland Indians name printed in red, with the player's minor/major league statistics and facsimile autograph printed in blue. The cards are not numbered. We are guessing that the cards were given away at a home game sometime during the 1989 season.

The most interesting thing (in my opinion) about the set is the large number of players playing their first year with the Indians. After a mediocre 1988 season where the club won 78 games and lost 84, a major overhaul was undertaken to make the '89 team more competitive. The new roster was unsuccessful, however, as the Indians took a step backwards and finished the 1989 season with just 73 wins versus 89 losses. 

The "big five" card companies would not picture these new players with Cleveland until the release of their update sets later in the year (if at all). We counted a whopping ten players in this team-issued set that were playing their first season with the Tribe.

This obscure issue isn't for everyone. There are no superstars to be found, with outfielder Joe Carter being the biggest star in the bunch, and the larger card size isn't a plus for some collectors. On the positive side, most of the photos are quite nice and the look of the set is simple and appealing. Sets of this nature tend to include at least a couple of obscure players, and this is no exception. Serious collectors will be happy to add a card of unknown infielder Pat Keedy, who played just nine games with the Indians in 1989. Young pitcher Joe Skalski tossed just 6.2 innings in 1989, enduring two losses in the process, and never pitched in the Majors again.

A bit of searching will uncover a set, which usually sells in the $4 to $6 range.

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(6) Andy Allanson, C

(9) Pete O'Brien, 1B (from the Rangers)

(11) Doug Jones, RHP 

(13) Joel Skinner, C (from the Yankees)

(14) Jerry Browne, 2B (from the Rangers)

(16) Felix Fermin, SS (from the Pirates)

(20) Oddibe McDowell, OF (from the Rangers)

(21) Greg Swindell, LHP 

(22) Brad Havens, LHP

(23) Luis Aguayo, IF (from the Yankees)

(25) Dave Clark, OF

(26) Brook Jacoby, 3B

(27) Joe Skalski, RHP

(28) Cory Snyder, OF

(29) Luis Medina, OF

(30) Joe Carter, OF

(32) Doc Edwards, MGR

(33) Pat Keedy, IF (from the Astros)

(38) Keith Atherton, RHP (from the Twins)

(40) Bud Black, LHP 

(42) Rich Yett, RHP 

(43) Scott Bailes, LHP

(45) Brad Komminsk, OF (from the Brewers)

(47) Jesse Orosco, LHP (from the Dodgers)

(49) Tom Candiotti, RHP

(52) John Farrell, RHP

(54) Rod Nichols, RHP 

1989 Tribe Coaches

1989/90 Denver Nuggets Police

Twelve player cards comprise the 1989/90 Nuggets police set. Large game-action photos of the players in their white jerseys account for the majority of the card fronts. A vertical white bar on the right side of the front featured the player's name and uniform number, and three color sponsor logos are lined horizontally across the bottom (Denver Nuggets, Pepsi and 7-Eleven). Card backs contain a safety tip and contact info for the Denver Children's Hospital, all printed in blue. Cards are not numbered except for uniform numbers and the year of issue is not mentioned. Stars Alex English and Walter Davis are the key cards in the set.

The 1989/90 Nuggets police issue seems to be easier to find than the older Denver sets. A fair current value is in the $2 to $4 range.

(1) Eddie Hughes

(2) Alex English

(6) Walter Davis

(12) Lafayette Lever

(14) Michael Adams

(21) Todd Lichti

(23) T.R. Dunn

(24) Bill Hanzkik

(34) Dan Schayes

(35) Jerome Lane

(41) Blair Rasmussen

(45) Tim Kempton