More TOPPS minis - We Used To Call Them Cigarette Cards

They call them "mini" cards today. What was once the standard size of a sport card, sold as a premium with cigarettes, are now inserts, chase cards or subsets.

 

The 2013 TOPPS MLS set has included a subset of 15 mini cards. I've picked up 3 of these which I have deemed the best of the lot.

 

LANDON DONOVAN is the USA's all-time leading goal scorer with 57. He is 2nd in appearances with 154 caps, but 1st in games started. He is also 1st in assists and total points for the US National Team. He is a slam dunk future Hall of Famer and probably the best known American soccer player.

Landon Donovan

 

THIERRY HENRY is a the all-time leading goal scorer for France with 51. The Red Bulls star, retired from international duty, finished with 123 caps.

Winning the MLS league title (Supporters Shield) with New York this season, he now has championships in France (Monaco), England (Arsenal), Spain (Barcelona) and the US (New York).

 

In addition, he is the all-time goal scorer for Arsenal (174 league goals), has won the Uefa Champions League and the FIFA World Cup. He has won the Cup in both England (FA Cup) and Spain (Copa del Rey). Already a member of the English Hall of Fame, there is little else he can achieve. If you get a chance to see this legend play, take it.

Thierry Henry

 

In keeping with the theme, ROBBIE KEANE is the all-time leading scorer for the Republic of Ireland with 61. He is also the most capped with 130 appearance. He is still active and will probably add to these numbers. He has scored a whopping 126 Premier League goals.

He has won the League Cup in England (Tottenham) and two MLS Cups with the Los Angeles Galaxy.

Robbie Keane

 

This is a very manageable subset that can be easily collected for under $50. Although there is no tobacco product connected to these, they fit in well with cigarette card collecting.

 

DO YOU OWN ANY MINI OR CIGARETTE CARDS ? WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ?

TOPPS Goodness - The Old Is New

We all have our favorite card sets - many of them from our younger days. I collected many of the sports cards back when there was one set per year, per sport.

 

The first soccer cards I ever obtained were the 1978 Topps England Footballers. I found them at a flea market and spent $2 for each pack when the going rate for contemporary cards were about 30 cents. I loved the design as it mirrored the NFL football cards I had collected a season before.

 

So when Topps debuted their Major League Soccer card this year, I was delighted to see the classic soccer cards I remembered.

Dwayne De Rosario

 

I picked up a couple of these to see what they looked like up close. I got Dwayne De Rosario - Canada's all-time leading goal scorer. He is a sure Hall of Famer being only the 5th MLS player to score 100 or more league goals.

Alessandro Nesta

 

I also selected former AC Milan star and Italian World Cup winner, Alessandro Nesta, from Montreal. He has already announced his retirement, which may mean his only MLS cards appear in this set.

David McCreery

 

Back in 1978, some players were going the other way - from Europe to North America. Northern Ireland's David McCreery was playing summers for the Tulsa Roughnecks and later appeared in the 1982 World Cup. He is featured for Manchester United in the 1978 set.

Asa Hartford

 

Asa Hardford was a Scottish International who came to America later in his career. He won a Championship with Ft. Lauderdale.

 

 Like the 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee hockey cards from a few years ago, these are nice chase cards. These 2013 Topps MLS cards are a subset of only 60 cards. I think it may be worth trying to complete the set.

 

 

Finally ! TOPPS Returns to American Soccer

Not since 1979 has the Topps Chewing Gum Company made soccer product for the American market. Even then, it was just team logos from the old North American soccer League (NASL).

 

As I have been one of the strongest critiques of Upper Deck and their MLS soccer issues, I am glad to see someone else have a stab at it. (That will teach UD to ignore my ideas) - Bye-bye.

 

The samples released for the base set are not a huge leap from Upper Deck's hum-drum (see boring) random action photos. But I'll give them some leeway for taking on the task.

 

Yes, Topps will employ all the gimmicks it uses with its baseball products - base cards, jerseys, autographs, numbered and throwbackcards. However, it is a step in the right direction for the long standing collectors. Nostalgia was a large missing element in UD issues.

 

So it was with joy that I saw throwback styles of past Topps soccer cards. These limited inserts that worked so well with their hockey sets - are the design from the 1978 English Soccer set.

 

 

Classic 1978 Topps England card 

 

2013 Topps throwback MLS card

 

Topps has already surpassed UD in recognizing club rivalry as a mainstay to the sport. And no derby is as heated as the Northwest battle between Portland and Seattle.

A rather timid scene in the Battle of Cascadia

 

The jersey cards will be making their dreaded return. No matter how you design them, someone has to make a more interesting artifact to put into these cards. How about the goal nets or corner flags from the MLS Cup Final ? How about player shoes or goal keeper gloves ?

 

 

Another swatch of ... cheap cloth

 

To me, the cards which some Americans call minis, are actually the original size - cigarette cards - that began well over 100 years ago. So the subset of these cards will be on my collecting list.

 

There is a nice bunch of rookie cards in this years set. At least Topps is paying attention to young talent besides just draft picks.

 

I have a few more ideas that Topps can use to make their sets stand out. I will be exhibiting them with some custom samples.

 

Stay tuned !