1997 Chicago White Sox SGA Set

Stadium giveaway sets were quietly alive and well in 1997, as is evidenced by this 30-card White Sox issue. Subjects feature active players, coaches, trainers and Sox legend Nellie Fox, who was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame that year. 

Cards measure the standard 3-1/2 by 2-1/2 inches and are printed on medium-weight white cardboard stock. All cards except for Fox feature color photos on the fronts, and other than white outside borders, have just the player names printed in silver ink across the left side. Backs are printed in black and show MLB statistics, along with a "SOX" logo at the lower left and a Nellie Fox tribute logo at the lower right. Uniform numbers are also listed on the backs, and the cards are not otherwise numbered.

The '97 White Sox fielded a respectable team under skipper Terry Bevington, managing to basically break even with 80 wins versus 81 losses. Pitching seemed to be a problem, with Chicago's top three workhorse pitchers (Navarro, Baldwin and Drabek) each having an ERA above 5.00. Baldwin and Drabek tied for the team lead in wins, with just 12 each. Reliever Roberto Hernandez notched a respectable 27 saves and five wins, with an ERA of 2.44.

Hall of Fame first baseman Frank Thomas is the star of the set, and smacked 35 homers and 125 RBIs that season. Newly-acquired slugger Albert Belle hit 30 home runs with 116 RBIs (and 105 strikeouts), and fan-favorite Harold Baines hit a respectable .305 in 93 games before shipping off to Baltimore. Other notable names include shortstop and future manager Ozzie Guillen, third baseman Robin Ventura and veteran catcher Tony Pena, who was finishing an 18-year career in the Majors. The closest thing to a "prospect" card in the set features 33 year-old pitcher Carlos Castillo, who went on to log just 210.2 innings in four MLB seasons.

This type of SGA set often includes subjects not found in regularly issued card sets. In this case, manager Terry Bevington gets his own card and both trainers share one. All seven coaches also share a card, and their names are only revealed through the answering of several trivia questions found on the back.

Once again, we can chalk up this set within the category of obscure SGAs, with no presence whatsoever on the collecting radar. I'm not sure how many sets were printed, but they don't show up on eBay in large numbers. I'd estimate the value of a set to be in the $5 to $8 range due to the lack of demand and no prospects who went on to have notable careers. Anyone looking to add a set to their collection should be able to find one at a decent price with a little patience.

(2) Nellie Fox

(3) Harold Baines

(5) Ray Durham

(7) Norberto Martin

(8) Albert Belle

(10) Darren Lewis

(12) Jorge Fabregas

(13) Ozzie Guillen

(14) Dave Martinez

(15) Doug Drabek

(18) Terry Bevington

(20) Ron Karkovice

(23) Robin Ventura

(24) Mike Cameron

(26) Chuck McElroy 

(27) Chris Snopek

(28) Lyle Mouton

(29) Tony Pena

(35) Frank Thomas

(37) James Baldwin

(38) Jaime Navarro

(39) Roberto Hernandez

(40) Wilson Alvarez

(41) Bill Simas

(43) Carlos Castillo

(44) Danny Darwin

(47) Matt Karchner

(49) Tony Castillo

(NNO) Trainers (Herm Schneider, Mark Anderson)

(NNO) Coaches (Mark Salas, Bill Buckner, Art Kusnyer, Ron Jackson, Doug Rader, Joe Nossek, Mike Pazik)

1985 Chicago Renaissance Society White Sox Set

 

Consider yourself fortunate if you own these. If you've ever seen a set of 1980s baseball cards that were not marketed to 1980s baseball card collectors, this 1985 Chicago Renaissance Society White Sox set would probably be the best example.

In honor of both the 75th anniversary of Comiskey Park and the 70th anniversary of The Renaissance Society, a set of 18 cards was created featuring fifteen White Sox players, manager Tony LaRussa, Comiskey Park and a header card with the "75 Years" logo. Cards measure approx. 5 inches by 4 inches and are printed on semi-glossy cardboard. The cards have blank backs, are unnumbered, and come packaged in a small white cardboard portfolio.

In the words of the Society, "This unique 1985 exhibition brought together seventeen Chicago artists to offer their interpretations of seventeen White Sox players. The format, the baseball card, provides a creative link with our youth that is as refreshing as it is colorful." And boy, are some of these cards colorful indeed. And unique. Each artist was given full rein to paint their picture in the style of their choosing, which makes the set much different than all the others in our collection. First Baseman Greg Walker is painted in a realistic style, with the exception of the strange thing he's swinging at the plate. Ron Kittle looks to be the subject of expressionism, as he's pictured with a large oval head that's branded with the "Special K" cereal logo. Our favorite card is perhaps of Luis Salazar, who is depicted in action with a butterfly net, toilet plunger and straw broom. Eight naked female admirers are holding up the letters of Salazar's name, and based on the generous bulge found in the crotch of his pants, I can certainly guess why.

A limited amount of posters picturing the cards were created, and 100 special sets were signed by both the artists and players. I'm not sure how many "regular" sets were issued, but you simply don't find these anywhere (when I picked up my set off of Ebay five years ago, I had never seen them before). Update: We found an advertisement in the March 1986 issue of Beckett, which stated that 850 unsigned sets were printed... See photo at the bottom. As a general rule, we never picture every card in a set because we want purchasers to have the satisfaction of seeing many of their cards for the first time. In this case we will make an exception, as there is virtually no information regarding these cards to be found on the web. If you'd like to see all of the set, just click this small photo.

It's difficult to establish a value for the set when examples rarely surface on the market. The original asking price for a set back in '85 was $25, and a signed set was $450. Fifty dollars might be a good starting point today, and piecing out the singles may net considerably more -- most Carlton Fisk, Tom Seaver, Ozzie Guillen and Tony LaRussa collectors don't even realize that these cards were printed. 

The October 28, 1985 edition of Sports Illustated published a story regarding the original artwork for the cards, which was sold by auction at Comiskey on August 24. It can be found here on the SI website: 1985 Sports Illustrated Article.

Click here to find White Sox Renaissance Cards on eBay

The checklist below gives the names of both the players and artists.

(1) 75 Years Logo Header Card

(2) Harold Baines/Ed Paschke

(3) Floyd Bannister/Mark Jackson

(4)Britt Burns/Phyllis Bramson

(5) Julio Cruz/Karl Wirsum

(6) Richard Dotson/Paul LaMantia

(7) Carlton Fisk/Richard Hull

(8) Scott Fletcher/Hollis Sigler

(9) Ozzie Guillen/Robert Barnes

(10) Jerry Hairston/William Conger

(11) Ron Kittle/Jim Nutt

(12) Tony LaRussa/George Cohen

(13) Rudy Law/Don Baum

(14) Tom Paciorek/Robert Donley

(15) Luis Salazar/Gladys Nilsson

(16) Tom Seaver/Ellen Lanyon

(17) Greg Walker/Margaret Wharton

(18) Comiskey Park/Buzz Spector