Just Another Piece of Paper

The 1984 All-Star Program Inserts have haunted me for years.  Every time I browse the Tony Gwynn checklist over on Beckett, it's the seventh card listed.  The thing that has bothered me the most about this card was the fact that I had never seen one in person and (outside of what's written on Beckett) I knew nothing about it.  Finally I broke down and found a cheap copy of the program on eBay and added it to my collection.

1984 All-Star Game Program Inserts #52

The good news is I'm able to cross off this mysterious Tony Gwynn card.  The bad news is that it's not really a card.  It's part of an insert page (hence the name) in the program that includes other MLB players on the all-star ballot.  I decided to put the entire set of uncut sheets in my Gwynn binder, instead of taking my chances with my sub-par scissor skills.

Now this set isn't for everyone.  There's nothing special about the design.  The uncut sheets pose a storage issue.  And should you decide to cut them up, you risk damaging the cards... or should I say "pieces of paper".

However fans of oddballs might be able to appreciate that it's not your everyday set.  And if you collect rookie cards, the checklist includes a pair of famous Mets:

#77 and #69

Donnie Baseball was also featured on a separate sheet that included write-in candidates:

#183

Now remember... it's an all-star game program, so the set is loaded with some of the biggest names from the 1984 season:

#143, #113, and #86

And I'll wrap things up with my personal favorite (outside of the Gwynn):

#68

I absolutely love seeing Pete representing Montreal and hope to one day own every card of him featured in his Expos uniform.

Happy Wednesday and sayonara!