It was the baseball card that created a national stir—not that any of the newspapers that wrote about it could actually write what was written on the bottom of Billy Ripken’s bat 29 years ago. The Fleer card that began emerging from those pinstriped gray wax packs in early 1989 included two words written in felt-tip marker. One word was “Face” and the one above it … [Read more...] about Infamous Billy Ripken Card Gets G-Rated Bobblehead
Billy Ripken
Ramblings: Recalling Recalls
By now, you have probably heard about the 2015 Topps Tribute baseball product recall. In reality, this is probably a smart business move as you do not want constant issues with any of your releases. Now, if a few base cards are off-center or random cards have damage, it’s not likely the Topps Customer Service Department will be overwhelmed with complaints. While not every card … [Read more...] about Ramblings: Recalling Recalls
Ramblings: Recalling ‘Rick Face’ and Rodriguez
There are very few cards which truly garner national media interest, but 25 years ago last spring, during the peak of the card collecting hobby, we had one of those occasions. The younger brother of a superstar who would within two decades be enshrined in the Hall of Fame, was posed with a very naughty word on the knob of the bat he was holding. The card was destined for … [Read more...] about Ramblings: Recalling ‘Rick Face’ and Rodriguez
Ramblings: When Rose Ruled the Hobby
Twenty-five years ago, the first half of the baseball card collecting year was dominated by talk of the Upper Deck Company’s splashy debut with the Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card and the 1989 Fleer Billy Ripken with the now famous obscenity written on the bat knob. It was the Ripken card—and the subsequent correction attempts-- that generated the most media attention. … [Read more...] about Ramblings: When Rose Ruled the Hobby
Obscene Gestures on Baseball Cards Present Before Billy
Perhaps the most famous obscenity to ever appear on a baseball card was part of the original release of the 1989 Fleer set in which a four-letter word was noted on Billy Ripken's bat. This card, deemed the "Rick-Face" version by Dr. James Beckett in 1989, featured a very young Billy in just . It was not, however, the first time such words or gestures appeared on a baseball … [Read more...] about Obscene Gestures on Baseball Cards Present Before Billy
Ramblings: Recalling the Crazy Days of 1989
Last week, I wrote about the 1989 Fleer Billy Ripken obscenity card and some of the challenges store owners had at the time. One aspect which I did not even think about was who honored what deals were previously made on the unopened product which all of sudden exploded in price when word got out about the ‘scandalous trading card’. On my Facebook page, Ken Goldin (then the … [Read more...] about Ramblings: Recalling the Crazy Days of 1989