6.07.2009

Card of the Moment X

There have many attempts over the years to "stylize" baseball cards and make them more serious (guest photographers like Iooss and Lovello), more silly (guest photographers like Christy Brinkley), more weighty (metal cards), more artsy (sketch cards) and more Hall of Fame-y (Dick Perez cards). 

It still caught me by surprise, though, when I found in a $30, 5000 card box full of Gwynns, Thomas's, Griffeys and McGwires a simple card of Ken Caminiti that had been embellished by one of my wife's favorite artists, and I admit one of mine, Peter Max.


So far, the only information I can find on this card is that it is from the 1997 Topps Gallery set and is a ten card insert set. There are two versions, one that is unsigned and were more common (1 in 24), and a signed set that was inserted at the rate of 1 in 1200. (BTW, is that packs or boxes?) The signed set has Peter Max's signature under the UV coating. 

I can not find much more information or pictures aside from a Cal Ripken card on Beckett. So, does this mean that the card I found is a signed version? 

In any event, even my wife was impressed with this card. It includes some of the basics of Peter Max style, like the planets and running, leaping characters, all brightly colored. I love this card, and I think I may make an effort to collect the entire set, so if you have one and are willing to trade it, please let me know.

2 comments:

capewood said...

I've never seen one of those. Great find!

Mark Aubrey said...

Dan, I turned my comment into a blog entry. Thanks for enlightening me on this subset.