1984 Sports Design Products Doug West Set

Artist Doug West painted 24 beautiful illustrations for this nifty set of retired baseball greats. Released in 1984 by Sports Design Products, the set came in a clear plastic box that featured the SDP logo on the front. According to the company, 5,000 sets were released and another 250 uncut sheets were issued. A second series of another 24 cards would be released the following year, featuring a similar design on both the fronts and backs.

Cards measure the standard 2 1/2" by 3 1/2" size, and are printed on white cardstock. The player's illustrations fill the majority of card fronts, with names and positions in a blue or red box across the bottom. The SDP logo appears at the lower right. Card backs feature short player biographies and career statistic totals, printed in either blue or red.

Only the best of the best are found in this set, with Yankees catcher Thurman Munson being the lone player not enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The artwork is excellent, but seems to be unceremoniously hindered by the ever-present borders found on cards of the day (Mother's Cookies were just releasing their first borderless baseball cards right about this time). I kinda like the 1960s minimalist industrial feel of the cards, but they look like something the Department of Defense could have released during the Vietnam War. These same illustrations, released today on borderless, canvas cards would truly be breathtaking.

Doug West was only 23 years old when this set was released, and is still going strong in the world of sports art. You can learn all about Doug and his art right on his website. 

I like these cards and I like Doug West. Having an original release price around $8, a fresh set in the original box is worth around $10 to $15. I can't remember the last time I found one of the 250 uncut sheets for sale, but I imagine it would sell in the $20 to $30 range to the right buyer. Collectors have always given a cool reception to sets featuring retired players, and this set is no exception. With the release being over thirty years old now, these cards should be of interest to baseball fans who are seeking to collect limited editions that were produced before the "junk wax" era of the late 1980s and early 1990s. 

Random Fact: Joe DiMaggio is the only card in the set with a horizontal layout.

Click here to hunt for Doug West sets on eBay

1. Jackie Robinson, Dodgers

2. Luis Aparicio, Orioles

3. Roberto Clemente, Pirates

4. Mickey Mantle, Yankees

5. Joe DiMaggio, Yankees

6. Willie Stargell, Pirates

7. Brooks Robinson, Orioles

8. Ty Cobb, Tigers

9. Don Drysdale, Dodgers

10. Bob Feller, Indians

11. Stan Musial, Cardinals

12. Al Kaline, Tigers

13. Willie Mays, Giants

14. Willie McCovey, Giants

15. Thurman Munson, Yankees

16. Charlie Gehringer, Tigers

17. Eddie Mathews, Braves

18. Carl Yastrzemski, Red Sox

19. Warren Spahn, Braves

20. Ted Williams, Red Sox

21. Ernie Banks, Cubs

22. Roy Campanella, Dodgers

23. Harmon Killebrew, Twins

24. Duke Snider, Dodgers

1985 Sports Design Products Doug West Set (Series II)

Click here to see the blog post detailing the 1984 Doug West Set (Series I).

For the second and final time, another set of 24 retired baseball stars was printed by a company called Sports Design Products. Released in 1985, this set shared virtually the same design as it's predecessor, which was released the year before. As far as I can tell, the only real difference in design between the two sets is that this second series was printed with red and blue backs, as opposed to red or blue backs. 

Sets were released in clear plastic boxes that were similar to the year before, complete with the SDP logo on the front. Cards in the newer set are numbered 25 through 48. Artist Doug West once again painted 24 original illustrations for this set. Being just 24 years old at the time this set was released, West remains an active sports artist today.

According to Sports Design Products, 5,000 Series II sets were released, with an additional 250 uncut sheets also being printed. As an active follower of the various uncut oddball sheets that surface on the market, I can't remember the last time I saw an uncut sheet from either of these two series available. Though the production runs for both sets are 5,000 each, it seems like the Series II set is slightly harder to find today. This doesn't translate to more dollars, however, and both sets maintain a current value in the $10 to $15 range. If an uncut sheet were to surface, I'd estimate it's value in the $20 to $30 range.

Random Fact: Five subjects in the set are pictured playing for two different teams (as noted below).

Click here to hunt for Doug West sets on eBay

 

25. Lou Gehrig, Yankees

26. Hoyt Wilhelm, Angels/White Sox

 27. Enos Slaughter, Yankees

28. Lou Brock, Cardinals

29. Mickey Cochrane, Tigers

30. Gil Hodges, Dodgers/Mets

 31. Yogi Berra, Yankees

32. Carl Hubbell, Giants

33. Hank Greenberg, Tigers

34. Pee Wee Reese, Dodgers

35. Casey Stengel, Bees/Yankees

36. Ralph Kiner, Pirates/Indians

 37. Satchel Paige, Indians

38. Richie Ashburn, Phillies

 39. Connie Mack, Athletics

 40. Dick Groat, Pirates

41. Tony Oliva, Twins

42. Honus Wagner, Pirates

43. Denny Mclain, Tigers

44. Johnny Mize, Giants/Cardinals

45. Bob Lemon, Indians

46. Ferguson Jenkins, Cubs

47. Babe Ruth, Yankees

48. Ted Kluszewski, Reds

1986 Sports Design Products All-Time Great Tigers Set

Sports Design Products was a small company that produced a handful of oddball baseball card sets in the mid-1980s, including two sets of legendary Major League players that were illustrated by artist Doug West (click here to see the 1984 and 1985 sets). A third SDP set illustrated by West is the All-Time Great Tigers, which was released in 1986.

Featuring 22 cards, the set was issued in a dark plastic box with the set name and SDP company logo embossed across the front. The card design is simple and uncluttered, with fronts featuring the player name across the bottom and a large painting of said player occupying the remainder. Backs show career stats for each player and give a few highlights during their time as a Tiger. 

The players in the set appear in order somewhat chronologically, with Ty Cobb kicking off the set (he joined the club in 1905) and John Hiller ending it (he last pitched for the Tigers in 1980). Many of the players are in the Hall of Fame, including Cobb, Harry Heilman, Charlie Gehringer and Hank Greenberg. The rest are certainly fan favorites; Harvey Kuenn, Norm Cash and Willie Horton are three names that continue to be collected by faithful Detroit-loving hobbyists.

Doug West, who was 25 years old at the time of the set's release, was beginning to garner national acclaim for his talents as a sports artist. He continues to be very active in the sports art world today, and places an emphasis on players from the different Detroit sports franchises. Anyone interested in browsing West's current and past projects, or who may have an interest in commissioning a personal painting, can find the information on his personal website.

I'm a sucker for small boxed sets from the 1980s, and this set is no exception. With that being said, I will repeat a sentiment I felt while reviewing the two baseball sets mentioned in the first paragraph... I don't believe that the design found on the card fronts do the paintings justice. Card blogger Jason Presley and I joked that the design of those sets resembled one you might see if it were issued by the military during the cold war era (either the United States or the Soviets, you pick). Surprisingly, this Tigers set may qualify even more so; all this set lacks is a hotline number on the card backs which should be called if a neighbor or co-worker is suspected of being a spy.

This set has always flown under the collecting radar, and I can find very few card magazine ads that were selling this set in the late 1980s. I'm sure the production number was released but I'll probably have to thumb through some old publications to find it. SDP typically released sets with a run of 5,000  or less, and I'm guessing that this is no exception. I'd place the current value of a NRMT boxed set at ten dollars.

Random Fact: Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane played for the Tigers just four seasons (1934-1937), and was also the team manager during much of that time.

Click here to hunt for Doug West sets on eBay

1. Ty Cobb, OF/MGR

2. Hughie Jennings, MGR/SS

3. Harry Heilman, OF

4. Charlie Gehringer, 2B

5. Mickey Cochrane, C/MGR

6. Hank Greenberg, 1B

7. Billy Rogell, SS

8. Schoolboy Rowe, P

9. Hal Newhouser, P

10. George Kell, 3B

11. Harvey Kuenn, SS

12. Al Kaline, OF

13. Jim Bunning, P

14. Norm Cash, 1B

15. Mickey Stanley, OF

16. Jim Northrup, OF

17. Bill Freehan, C

18. Gates Brown, OF/PH

19. Willie Horton, OF

20. Mickey Lolich, P

21. Denny McLain, P

22. John Hiller, P