2007 Topps Flashback Fridays

The DeLong Gum Company was a Boston-based firm that issued a 24-card baseball set in 1933. Unfortunately it was the only set the company ever issued. Competing with the first Goudey release the same year, the cards designated as R333, were competing against the larger 240 card Goudey set. The Delong's, considered the more attractive cards, are now rarer and possibly more sought after than Goudey's efforts.

The backs of the cards include detailed playing tips written by Austen Lake, who was a Boston sportswriter. The backs are also numbered and include a message from DeLong Gum.

Flashback Fridays was a promotion involving Topps's Home Team Advantage stores. The first five cards were distributed in special packs (The same five cards are in every pack), with the remaining 20 cards given away, a different card every week. In order to get the card of the week, collectors had to buy a pack of Topps cards.

The 25-card set featured the design of the 1933 DeLong Gum set.
FF1 Ryan Howard
FF2 Derek Jeter
FF3 Ken Griffey, Jr.
FF4 Miguel Tejada
FF5 David Wright
FF6 Alfonso Soriano
FF7 Matt Holliday
FF8 Jason Bay
FF9 Ryan Zimmerman
FF10 Alex Rodriguez
FF11 Jermaine Dye
FF12 Miguel Cabrera
FF13 Johan Santana
FF14 Brandon Webb
FF15 Ivan Rodriguez
FF16 Ichiro Suzuki
FF17 Michael Young
FF18 David Ortiz
FF19 Roger Clemens
FF20 Frank Thomas
FF21 Trevor Hoffman
FF22 Gary Matthews
FF23 Rafael Furcal
FF24 Chipper Jones
FF25 Albert Pujols

2013 Panini Cooperstown insert Colgan's Chips

In 1909 the Colgan's Gum Company in Louisville, Kentucky began producing round discs to fit within the Colgan's tins that held ten pieces of gum and "a ball player in every container".

There are three distinct Colgan's Chip sets with an ACC designation of E254 and E270. The first set E254 or ‘Stars of the Diamond’ were produced from 1909 to 1911. The chips were continuously updated during the two year period as at least several print runs were done to correct style and orientation, as well as show team changes.

As a result there are multiple levels of rarity within the set with some discs being very common and others being extremely rare. The E270 or ‘Red Borders’ and ‘Tin Tops’were produced in 1912 and 13.

The original Colgan’ s Chip set contains several hundred subjects including Honus Wagner, Shoeless Joe Jackson, and Ty Cobb.

In 2013 Panini inserted, within the Cooperstown Collection, round discs that replicated the original Colgan’s Chip discs. The 2013 issue has 165 discs featuring players from the nineteenth century, such as Christy Mathewson, Tris Speaker and Nap Lajoie, to the 1990s, with the likes of Dennis Eckersley and Paul Molitor. 

To show the difference between the two, Panini's modern edition are 3/4' larger than the 1 1/2 inch 1909 originals. However, both the front and back of Panini’s modern variation is almost exactly similar in design to the original.

With 1 unnumbered Colgan's Chip disc inserted into each pack of the 2013 Cooperstown Collection, to complete the set will be a long but not insurmountable task.

I have 50 and need 115 left to complete the set.

The complete list of the 2013 Colgan’s Chip discs:

1 Ty Cobb
2 Honus Wagner
3 Walter Johnson
4 Christy Mathewson
5 Tris Speaker
6 Nap Lajoie
7 George Wright
8 Cy Young
9 George Sisler
10 Lou Gehrig
11 Charles Radbourn
12 Cap Anson
13 Rogers Hornsby
14 Kenesaw Landis
15 Dan Brouthers
16 Roger Bresnahan
17 King Kelly
18 Jesse Burkett
19 Frank Chance
20 Joe Tinker
21 Johnny Evers
22 Eddie Plank
23 Ed Walsh
24 Mickey Cochrane
25 Frankie Frisch
26 Carl Hubbell
27 Lefty Grove
28 Pie Traynor
29 Charlie Gehringer
30 Mel Ott
31 Paul Waner
32 Al Simmons
33 Dizzy Dean
34 Bill Dickey
35 Rabbit Maranville
36 Bill Terry
37 Home Run Baker
38 Dazzy Vance
39 Joe Cronin
40 Sam Crawford
41 Zack Wheat
42 Bob Feller
43 Edd Roush
44 Jackie Robinson
45 Sam Rice
46 Miller Huggins
47 Luke Appling
48 Burleigh Grimes
49 Heinie Manush
50 Casey Stengel
51 Lloyd Waner
52 Joe Medwick
53 Goose Goslin
54 Roy Campanella
55 Stan Coveleski
56 Stan Musial
57 Waite Hoyt
58 Lou Boudreau
59 Rube Marquard
60 Satchel Paige
61 Harry Hooper
62 Lefty Gomez
63 Yogi Berra
64 Buck Leonard
65 Early Wynn
66 Josh Gibson
67 Monte Irvin
68 Warren Spahn
69 Jim Bottomley
70 Whitey Ford
71 Ralph Kiner
72 Robin Roberts
73 Fred Lindstrom
74 Bob Lemon
75 Ernie Banks
76 Al Lopez
77 Addie Joss
78 Eddie Mathews
79 Hack Wilson
80 Duke Snider
81 Al Kaline
82 Bob Gibson
83 Frank Robinson
84 Brooks Robinson
85 George Kell
86 Juan Marichal
87 Rick Ferrell
88 Pee Wee Reese
89 Harmon Killebrew
90 Luis Aparicio
91 Lou Brock
92 Arky Vaughan
93 Hoyt Wilhelm
94 Bobby Doerr
95 Willie McCovey
96 Catfish Hunter
97 Willie Stargell
98 Billy Williams
99 Johnny Bench
100 Red Schoendienst
101 Carl Yastrzemski
102 Jim Palmer
103 Joe Morgan
104 Rod Carew
105 Fergie Jenkins
106 Gaylord Perry
107 Tom Seaver
108 Rollie Fingers
109 Reggie Jackson
110 Hal Newhouser
111 Phil Rizzuto
112 Steve Carlton
113 Richie Ashburn
114 Mike Schmidt
115 Jim Bunning
116 Earl Weaver
117 Nellie Fox
118 Phil Niekro
119 Tommy Lasorda
120 Yogi Berra
121 Don Sutton
122 George Brett
123 Nolan Ryan
124 Robin Yount
125 Orlando Cepeda
126 Sparky Anderson
127 Carlton Fisk
128 Tony Perez
129 Bill Mazeroski
130 Kirby Puckett
131 Ozzie Smith
132 Dave Winfield
133 Gary Carter
134 Eddie Murray
135 Dennis Eckersley
136 Paul Molitor
137 Ryne Sandberg
138 Wade Boggs
139 Bruce Sutter
140 Tony Gwynn
141 Cal Ripken Jr.
142 Goose Gossage
143 Dick Williams
144 Rickey Henderson
145 Jim Rice
146 Andre Dawson
147 Roberto Alomar
148 Bert Blyleven
149 Barry Larkin
150 Ron Santo
151 Bowie Kuhn
152 Walter O'Malley
153 Doug Harvey
154 Connie Mack
155 John McGraw
156 Charles Comiskey
157 Buck Ewing
158 Effa Manley
159 Whitey Herzog
160 Nolan Ryan
161 Catfish Hunter
162 Gary Carter
163 Reggie Jackson
164 Joe Morgan
165 Tom Seaver

1969 Topps Deckle Edge 'Insert'

1969 Deckle Edge insert

In 1969 Topps inserted these 'Deckle Edge' cards into the Series Three regular packs. Each card features a black and white image of the player with a facsimile autograph at the bottom. The edge of cards have a jagged, often called scalloped, edge. There are 33 cards in the set, although cards #11 and #22 can be found with two different players..

A unique oddball set for those who don't necessarily want their cards in perfect condition

Topps returned to the Deckle Edge design in 1974. A larger but rarer 72 card test set was released in a small limited area of the East Coast in the USA. These cards were much bigger than the '69 Deckle Edge and were officially referred to as 'Baseball Photos'. The picture on the front was 'full bleed', Topps had dispensed with the white border. The cards featured the same blue facsimile signature, however the back featured handwritten script of the player's name, team, position plus the date and location of the photograph. A small newspaper article about the player's career appeared beneath the writing.

1974 Topps Baseball Photos

 Topps again returned to the Deckle Edge design in 2012 with a 15 card insert set which featured A Deckle Cut Around The Edges.  Inserted into Topps Archives packs at a rate of 1in 10 packs. This insert is a definite throwback to the 1969 Deckle Edge.

2012 Topps Deckle Edge insert



1969 Checklist
1 - Brooks Robinson
2 - Boog Powell
3 -Ken Harrelson
4 - Carl Yastrzemski
5 - Jim Fregosi
6 - Luis Aparicio
7 - Luis Tiant
8 - Denny McLain
9 - Willie Horton
10 - Bill Freehan
11a - Hoyt Wilhelm
11b - Jim Wynn
12 - Rod Carew
13 - Mel Stottlemyre
14 - Rick Monday
15 - Tommy Davis
16 - Frank Howard
17 - Felipe Alou
18 - Don Kessinger
19 - Ron Santo
20 - Tommy Helms
21 - Pete Rose
22a - Rusty Staub
22b - Joe Foy
23 - Tom Haller
24 - Maury Wills
25 - Jerry Koosman
26 - Richie Allen
27 - Roberto Clemente
28 - Curt Flood
29 - Bob Gibson
30 - Al Ferrara
31 - Willie McCovey
32 - Juan Marichal
33 - Willie Mays

2012 Archives Checklist

69DE-1 Roy Halladay
69DE-2 Evan Longoria
69DE-3 Jose Bautista
69DE-4 Mike Napoli
69DE-5 David Freese
69DE-6 Ichiro Suzuki
69DE-7 Joe Mauer
69DE-8 Bob Gibson
69DE-9 Juan Marichal
69DE-10 Orlando Cepeda
69DE-11 Carl Yastrzemski
69DE-12 Roberto Clemente
69DE-13 Willie Mays
69DE-14 Harmon Killebrew
69DE-15 Joe Morgan

2014 Archives 1969 Deckle Edge minis 
AM Andrew McCutchen - Pittsburgh Pirates
AVS Andy Van Slyke - Pittsburgh Pirates
BH Bryce Harper - Washington Nationals
BP Buster Posey - San Francisco Giants
CB Carlos Baerga - Cleveland Indians
CK Clayton Kershaw - Los Angeles Dodgers
CR Cal Ripken Jr. - Baltimore Orioles
DD Darren Daulton - Philadelphia Phillies
DE David Eckstein - Angels
DJ Derek Jeter - New York Yankees
DP Dave Parker - Pittsburgh Pirates
DW David Wright - New York Mets
GN Graig Nettles - New York Yankees
HJ Howard Johnson - New York Mets
HJR Hyun-Jin Ryu - Los Angeles Dodgers
IR Ivan Rodriguez - Texas Rangers
JAB Jose Abreu - Chicago White Sox
JC Jose Canseco - Oakland Athletics
JF Jose Fernandez - Miami Marlins
JK Joe Kelly - St. Louis Cardinals
JO John Olerud - New York Mets
JV Justin Verlander - Detroit Tigers
JVO Joey Votto - Cincinnati Reds
MC Miguel Cabrera - Detroit Tigers
ML Mark Lemke - Atlanta Braves
MM Mike Matheny - St. Louis Cardinals
MMA Manny Machado - Baltimore Orioles
MS Mel Stottlemyre - New York Yankees
MSC Max Scherzer - Detroit Tigers 
MT Mike Trout - Angels
MTK Masahiro Tanaka - New York Yankees
MW Michael Wacha - St. Louis Cardinals
OH Orlando Hernandez - New York Yankees
RG Ron Gant - Atlanta Braves
RW Rondell White - Montreal Expos 
TT Troy Tulowitzki - Colorado Rockies
WM Wil Myers - Tampa Bay Rays
YD Yu Darvish - Texas Rangers
YM Yadier Molina - St. Louis Cardinals
YP Yasiel Puig - Los Angeles Dodgers

2013 Topps Opening Day Lenticular insert Opening Day Stars

The lenticular insert has become a staple of recent Topps products; 2011 Lineage, 2012 Archives and 2012 and 2013 Opening Day. There is just something about these types of cards that interests me. The Lenticular process, which is used to create movement or depth in a picture, is nothing new. Topps tested lenticular /3D baseball cards in 1968 and 3D became a regular feature of Kellogg's cereals through-out the 1970's and early 80's and every collector has Sportsflix tucked away in there collection somewhere.
These modern inserts are showing depth rather than movement, nevertheless, this is a collection for the odd-balls amongst us or anyone who appreciates diversity in their baseball collection.
The insert set contains 25 cards and I intend to collect them all.
#1 Prince Fielder - Detroit Tigers
#2 Justin Verlander - Detroit Tigers
#3 Miguel Cabrera - Detroit Tigers
#4 Buster Posey - San Francisco Giants
#5 Derek Jeter - New York Yankees
#6 Robinson Cano - New York Yankees
#7 Evan Longoria - Tampa Bay Rays
#8 David Ortiz - Boston Red Sox
#9 Joe Mauer - Minnesota Twins
#10 Albert Pujols - Angels
#11 Mike Trout - Angels
#12 Josh Hamilton - Angels
#13 Yu Darvish - Texas Rangers
#14 Felix Hernandez - Seattle Mariners
#15 David Wright - New York Mets
#16 R.A. Dickey - Toronto Blue Jays
#17 Adrian Gonzalez - Los Angeles Dodgers
#18 Cole Hamels - Philadelphia Phillies
#19 Bryce Harper - Washington Nationals
#20 Stephen Strasburg - Washington Nationals
#21 Joey Votto - Cincinnati Reds
#22 Ryan Braun - Milwaukee Brewers
#23 Andrew McCutchen - Pittsburgh Pirates
#24 Matt Kemp - Los Angeles Dodgers
#25 Yadier Molina - St. Louis Cardinals

Completed 22nd April 2015