I love embossed cards! If you're not sure what I mean by "embossed"... I'll try my best to explain. It's when a card manufacturer raises parts of the card surface in order to give a three dimensional feel.
This technology has been around for awhile and although I don't know which company did it first, I know that the oldest embossed cards in my collection come from the 1965 Topps Embossed insert set:
#56 Harmon Killebrew
These cards were inserted into packs of 1965 Topps baseball cards. And best of all, they're very affordable. I picked up the Killebrew for a whopping 75¢. In fact, you can find HOFers like Orlando Cepeda, Bob Gibson, and Billy Williams on COMC right now for less than a buck.
In 1985, Topps produced another embossed baseball card set called Topps 3-D.
#10 Rickey Henderson
A lot of collectors don't like these, because due to the embossed surface, they don't stack up nicely and are a pain in the butt to store. Plus, the embossed photos make the players look distorted. But these oversized (4 1/4" x 5 7/8"), plastic oddballs are interesting and very, very cheap. Last week, I picked up a complete set of 30 cards for 1¢ (+ $4.99 shipping).
And what kind of post would this be if I didn't mention Action Packed? This is the company who made a name for themselves creating embossed cards.
#130 Rollie Fingers
Although they primarily focused on producing football and racing cards, they also created basketball, wrestling, hockey, and baseball sets. The Fingers card comes from their 1993 All Star Gallery set, which focus on old timers & hall of famers.
Next up is this Derek Jeter:
#3 Derek Jeter
This 1998 Ultra "Kid Gloves" insert card is truly an amazing card. The embossed surface makes the leather strings and other parts of the glove stand out. Unfortunately, the scan doesn't do the card any justice. These cards were seeded into Series 1 boxes at a rate of one per eight packs, so they're far from rare. But like most overproduced 90's products, that's what keeps them affordable. I added the above Jeter insert to my collection for 40¢ (+ 25¢ shipping).
So there you have it. Four affordable options to add a little "texture" to your collection. Personally, I wish more card companies would produce cards featuring "embossed" technology.
Upper Deck had something special in the late 90's and early 2000's. That's when they introduced their Ovation products to collectors.
1999 Ovation #55 Tony Gwynn & 2000 Ovation #38 Tony Gwynn
See the red stitching on the cards? It may be a little difficult to see in the scan, but it's embossed. Which means that if you were holding this card in your hands, you could feel it.
Okay, it's your turn.
What's your opinion of embossed trading cards?
I'll admit, they're not for everyone. And realistically, I have yet to see a company master the athlete's photo/embossment combination. But in my opinion, it doesn't hurt to keep on trying.
Happy Wednesday everyone. Enjoy the rest of your week and sayonara!
