Card Backs: Player Bios: What's Your Favorite?

[clydepepper]

From Cracker Jack to Upper Deck, the backs of many cards contain not only the player's stats but most times a short bio or blob of info about that player. Most times, it is fairly common knowledge, but sometimes, jewels are discovered.

What has been your favorite reading or discovery of this type?

[itjclarke]

Off the top of my head, the T202 series just loves George Moriarty- AKA "the most interesting man in the world", and goes on about how clever he is, that he's a musician, etc. I doubt I'd have ever been curious to learn more about him had it not been for that bio. T202 bios are by far my favorite Pre War bios.

[SteveMitchell]

Paul Mac Farlane's work on various Conlon Collection sets, 1983 through 1988, rank as the finest, in my opinion. Prior to executing little word pictures for Marketcom and The Sporting News Publishing Co., Mac Farlane served as archivist for The Sporting News and his side work including editing a number of TSN publications including Daguerrotypes and Hall of Fame Fact Book.

Especially excellent are his biographies for Marketcom's 1983 set of 1933 American, National and Negro League all-stars, as selected by The Sporting News. The card size (4-1/2" by 6") was sufficiently large for Mac Farlane to develop an interesting (dare we say, in-depth) story line. His bio of Guy Bush (card #44) is a perfect example.

Among the oldtime sets, I would agree with a previous poster that T202's frequently contain interesting, insightful looks at the game long ago. Our modern card producer could take a page out of Hassan's and Mac Farlane's book.

[DeanH3]

Always liked this write up about old Cy.

[Exhibitman]

I don't have one but I always found the write-up on the back of the T205 Addie Joss to be particularly moving.

The 1971 OPC are probably my favorite card backs of the postwar era:

[bn2cardz]

I started a thread about card backs a while back that didn't get much traction. This is one of my favorites:



I like it because, due to change in accepted vocabulary, there is no possible way you would find the word retarded used to describe a player's development.

[Rich Klein]

URL="http://www.comc.com/Cards/Baseball/1964/Topps/550/Ken_Hubbs/1820596/REVIEWED/COMC/G-VG-EX"][/URL]
1964 Topps #550 - Ken Hubbs [Good to VG‑EX]
Courtesy of COMC.com

[asoriano]

Here is an interesting bio:



Anyone have a scan of the T212 Obak "he runs like a sissy" variation? Can't remember the player but always got a kick out of it.

[bn2cardz]

Originally Posted by asoriano

Anyone have a scan of the T212 Obak "he runs like a sissy" variation? Can't remember the player but always got a kick out of it.

You are thinking of this joke card:

Originally Posted by Jacklitsch

It isn't real. The front isn't even an Obak. It is a d311 front.

[gregr2]

Yeah, but it's still funny!

[frankbmd]

52 Topps - Eddie Waitkus

[rajah424]

[WillowGrove]

Ever since devouring the book The Great American Baseball Flipping and Bubble Gum Book as a kid, I have loved this bio of Jay Hook...

[WillowGrove]

Odd right?

[steve_a]

"Nub"

[almostdone]

Borrowed the image but still funny.

[FrankWakefield]

This card's back is among my more favorite...

[veloce]

Zeke Bonura's 1936 WWG back is a classic and I appreciate the bluntness of C46 imperial tobacco backs. The Jacklitsch scan is borrowed from an old PWCC auction as he is one of the few I still need from this set.

[Bliggity]

I've always loved the back of Carl Furillo's 1953 Bowman card for a couple reasons. Those bios would always call you out for having a bad stretch, but I always found this card to be delightfully optimistic - "He'll do better in 1953, for sure!" Plus, Bowman was spot on - Furillo had a career year in 1953, leading the league with a .344 average.

[DixieBaseball]

Hard to beat a T202, T205, T207, Goudey, or even Cracker Jacks as far as good read on the back of a card but I have always thought the 1926 Sports Co. of America - S.F. Mini Cards were underrated not only for their interesting info on reverse, but the unique pictures on the front. Here's a few :