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Cards You Hate-- Of Players You Love

Sometimes cards are just plain old ugly, Lol.
The '58 Brooks Robinson is kinda gross while the '57 Mantle looks off-center even when it's dead-centered...I might be the only guy on the planet that hates the '57 Aaron. It would've been unreal if it were flipped correctly.
Post some pics of your favorite player's worst cards

"You've gotta be a man to play this game...but you'd better have a lot of little boy in you, too"--Roy Campanella

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Comments

  • swish54swish54 Posts: 700 ✭✭✭✭

    Come on Topps, this is the only shot you had of Ernie....he looks like a donkey!

  • BuckHunter68BuckHunter68 Posts: 406 ✭✭✭

    @swish54 said:

    Come on Topps, this is the only shot you had of Ernie....he looks like a donkey!

    Lol, "...and in the mornin'...I'm makin' WAFFLES!"

    (I've seen my share of Shrek 🙄 )

    "You've gotta be a man to play this game...but you'd better have a lot of little boy in you, too"--Roy Campanella

  • lwehlerslwehlers Posts: 907 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @thehallmark said:
    1992 Bowman Mariano Rivera: A complete travesty of a baseball card photo.

    i wish topps would have used his 93 bowman photo for his 92.

  • SoxPatsFanSoxPatsFan Posts: 215 ✭✭✭✭
    edited May 9, 2021 2:41PM

    1986 Topps Roger Clemens. The Rocket looks like he just finished running a marathon in summer heat, and he's not even looking at the camera. Sure, Clemens wasn't a superstar yet, but this is just a horrible photo that Topps chose.

  • SDSportsFanSDSportsFan Posts: 5,136 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Every card of Roberto Clemente, that refers to him as "Bob" :s

    Regarding the OP, I'm another one who doesn't like the '57 Topps Aaron; I so wish they had corrected it!

    Steve

  • CentauriCentauri Posts: 126 ✭✭✭

    Altuve rookie - Jose is hidden, and there’s a head just floating , weirds me out.

    Steph Curry 2009 Chrome rookie - just a head and a plain white shirt - looks like he is heading a cult initiation.

  • slimiesslimies Posts: 1,132 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 9, 2021 3:45PM

    No idea what was behind these photo shoots.


  • GroceryRackPackGroceryRackPack Posts: 3,208 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Cottier looks like he just came out of an opium den -- Harvey Haddix looks all bound up, like he ate too much cheese -- I have no idea what Rex Hudler is doing.

  • stevebaystevebay Posts: 289 ✭✭✭
    edited May 9, 2021 7:19PM

    Great topic...1981 was the year I vividly remember that got me into cards. Years later, I determined Rickey would be my favorite player. I loathe his 1981 card.

  • JoeBanzaiJoeBanzai Posts: 11,793 ✭✭✭✭✭

    2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
  • DarinDarin Posts: 7,080 ✭✭✭✭✭

  • nam812nam812 Posts: 10,580 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Keeping it in the original spirit of the thread being players we loved, and not just odd looking cards.....

  • FrozencaribouFrozencaribou Posts: 1,091 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Wayne Gretzky circa 1987, at the top of his game, in his heyday, but not even the Great One was camera aware during these warmups.

  • dalstar66dalstar66 Posts: 51 ✭✭

    Great subject

    I love just about all of the Johnny Unitas cards except for these two

    Collecting Vintage Football - Rc's

    1959 Topps Football need help finishing
  • BuckHunter68BuckHunter68 Posts: 406 ✭✭✭

    @SDSportsFan said:
    Every card of Roberto Clemente, that refers to him as "Bob" :s

    Regarding the OP, I'm another one who doesn't like the '57 Topps Aaron; I so wish they had corrected it!

    Steve

    I actually only own '56, '70, '72 of Roberto. I like the look of the '57, '58, '62, '67 but can't get past "Bob"...I can't do it.

    "You've gotta be a man to play this game...but you'd better have a lot of little boy in you, too"--Roy Campanella

  • BuckHunter68BuckHunter68 Posts: 406 ✭✭✭

    Unitas can look flat-out weird. He's another favorite of mine. Remarkable how much I find in common with folks 😀

    "You've gotta be a man to play this game...but you'd better have a lot of little boy in you, too"--Roy Campanella

  • georgebailey2georgebailey2 Posts: 1,076 ✭✭✭
    edited May 10, 2021 5:03AM

    @dalstar66 said:
    Great subject

    I love just about all of the Johnny Unitas cards except for these two

    I remember getting the 71 Unitas as the front card of a boxed cello pack as a seven year old from a McCrory's in Baltimore when visiting my grandparents.

    The angle of the pads and the weird expression reminds me of Marty Feldman's line in "Young Frankenstein" - "What hump?"

    For the 2nd, the great line from "The Great American Baseball Card Flipping, Trading and Bubble Gum Book" - "is his hair too tight?"

    As a huge Mike Schmidt fan, he had some horrible cards. The 82 era ones, where he all sweaty with his helmet pushed up are particularly bad and appear multiple times: base, all-star, leaders, sticker sets, etc.

    The belt-less cards: 81 Fleer Triple Threat and 88 Topps base.

    83 Donruss: Spring training game where he must have decided belatedly to pinch hit and threw on whoever's jersey he could find.

  • Nathaniel1960Nathaniel1960 Posts: 2,324 ✭✭✭✭✭

    +1

    Kiss me once, shame on you.
    Kiss me twice.....let's party.
  • Geoff76Geoff76 Posts: 163 ✭✭✭


    In the spirit of the '73 Garvey, albeit less obstructed.

  • BaltimoreYankeeBaltimoreYankee Posts: 2,994 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited May 10, 2021 6:42AM

    Pretty much any Willie Mays card with the patented scowl. Also hatless head shots (The 61T Killebrew shown earlier is a good example). I do like the 71T Ernie Banks card shown, though. I think that is a nice card. And the 73T Steve Carlton above is a great card in that set. Just goes to show: beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

    Daniel
  • JoeBanzaiJoeBanzai Posts: 11,793 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @BaltimoreYankee said:
    The 61T Killebrew shown earlier is a good example.

    >
    Doesn't look 24 years old to me.

    2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
  • Chicago1976Chicago1976 Posts: 539 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Another Garvey-like "obscured by player". And Dick Green committing an error.

  • Nathaniel1960Nathaniel1960 Posts: 2,324 ✭✭✭✭✭

    You guys really piling on the ‘73s today.

    Kiss me once, shame on you.
    Kiss me twice.....let's party.
  • brad31brad31 Posts: 2,783 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Wow - I agree with many - but I have always loved the ‘81 Henderson and ‘73 Carlton. I have always liked the ‘78 Brett as well. Guess I think guys should have a card with a portrait at some point - harkens back to T206 and the Carlton I have always imagined him getting a handshake from his catcher after throwing a complete game shutout.

    Agree wholeheartedly on the ‘71 Banks - really his only bad shot.

    The reverse image ‘57 Aaron is awful but also a great shot of him. Overall I like it even though it should have been corrected - would have been amazing to have both versions to collect. Might have made it more valuable than the Mantle in that set.

  • 1951WheatiesPremium1951WheatiesPremium Posts: 6,363 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Love the player, hate the card, so I found a way to be happy with it.

    Curious about the rare, mysterious and beautiful 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos?

    https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest

  • TGwynnCollectorTGwynnCollector Posts: 61 ✭✭✭

    @dontippet said:
    I'm surprised this one hasn't come up yet. This has always been his iconic rookie card and I never really realized how bad of a pic it was until I showed it to my wife and she couldn't believe it.

    Nailed it. I was at a show getting Gwynn's autograph and the kid in front of me gave him the 83T and Gwynn said something like "I'm not a fan. I don't know why Topps wanted to put my butt on a card"

  • TGwynnCollectorTGwynnCollector Posts: 61 ✭✭✭

    @1951WheatiesPremium said:
    Love the player, hate the card, so I found a way to be happy with it.

    I'm not a fan of many of Mantle's later cards. I think most of them show how poorly he took care of himself and how he suddenly looked old for his age...thanks to the boozing and partying of course. Starting around the mid-60's it really seemed to catch up to him

  • dalstar66dalstar66 Posts: 51 ✭✭

    Brooks Robinson has some great cards but this is surely not one of them

    Collecting Vintage Football - Rc's

    1959 Topps Football need help finishing
  • dalstar66dalstar66 Posts: 51 ✭✭

    Throughout Dan Fouts career Topps always used great images for his cards. Not sure why they went with this image for his final card. It's my least favorite Fouts card

    Collecting Vintage Football - Rc's

    1959 Topps Football need help finishing
  • AFLfanAFLfan Posts: 1,272 ✭✭✭✭✭

    On the Cowboys, boring pose, goofy 1970s hair... Definitely my least favorite card of Alworth.

    Todd Tobias - Grateful Collector - I focus on autographed American Football League sets, Fleer & Topps, 1960-1969, and lacrosse cards.
  • galaxy27galaxy27 Posts: 7,850 ✭✭✭✭✭

    this card continues to slay me

    you'll never be able to outrun a bad diet

  • emaremar Posts: 697 ✭✭✭✭

    Michael Jack is my childhood idol.
    Many a great card poses.
    I cringe at his '82T

  • georgebailey2georgebailey2 Posts: 1,076 ✭✭✭

    @emar said:
    Michael Jack is my childhood idol.
    Many a great card poses.
    I cringe at his '82T

    Thank you. I was too lazy to post photos above. It also looks like they were using that light reflector to compensate for the sun. It just made him look like he was about to faint and accentuated his acne scars.

    I recall Larry Bowa may have said something to the effect of: "it looks like his face caught on fire and they put it out with his spikes."

  • picklepetepicklepete Posts: 414 ✭✭✭✭


    65 Spahn..

  • JoeBanzaiJoeBanzai Posts: 11,793 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @galaxy27 said:
    this card continues to slay me

    @galaxy27 said:
    this card continues to slay me

    "Loses the Ball"? the guy is getting hacked big time!

    2013,14 and 15 Certificate Award Winner Harmon Killebrew Master Set and Master Topps Set
  • gorilla glue 4gorilla glue 4 Posts: 143 ✭✭✭✭


    pop 150/50 higher

    How much did it sale for is one of the funniest and most ignorant things I've ever heard.

  • dalstar66dalstar66 Posts: 51 ✭✭

    I may be the only one, but I was always quite fond of the look of the Ray Guy rookie card. Great Card

    Collecting Vintage Football - Rc's

    1959 Topps Football need help finishing
  • rmh111985rmh111985 Posts: 394 ✭✭✭✭

    Main collecting focus is Patrick Roy playing days 85/86-02/03, expect 1/1, National/All-Star stamped cards.PC Completion: 2,548/2,952; 86.31% My Patrick Roy PC Website:https://proy33collector.weebly.com

  • Sgt_DSgt_D Posts: 85 ✭✭

    Yep, I'll say it....this one. It's not a baseball card. It's a picture of a punk kid. (note: I also hate the 52 Topps Mantle)
    .

    Baseball cards at least need some action in them. Not high school yearbook photos.

  • DaveSpiwakDaveSpiwak Posts: 40 ✭✭

    @emar said:
    Michael Jack is my childhood idol.
    Many a great card poses.
    I cringe at his '82T

    +1. I have this card with a print defect so it’s blurred and Schmidt looks like nothing short of a monster.

  • Horrible pic of what looks like a bad strikeout

  • BuckHunter68BuckHunter68 Posts: 406 ✭✭✭

    These are classics. Keep 'em coming. The front-runner is the Gene Shue or '65 Grandpa Spahn, Lol

    "You've gotta be a man to play this game...but you'd better have a lot of little boy in you, too"--Roy Campanella

  • clarke442clarke442 Posts: 609 ✭✭✭✭✭

    Tough choice . . . the 63 or the 64

    Then again . . . the 78 and the 79

  • How about the 52 & 54 Bowman Willie Mays cards where they clip his signature to give us cards of "Willie May". How did they get this wrong? He was one of the most popular players during the time period! Geez!

  • GroceryRackPackGroceryRackPack Posts: 3,208 ✭✭✭✭✭

    @clarke442 said:

    Then again . . . the 78 and the 79

    I always liked the 78 one.

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