The worst baseball card picture ever?
 

There have been lots of questionable photos used in baseball cards over the years. From goofy to blurry to misidentified.
This one of Boss Schmidt from E92 Dockmans has to be the worst ever.

Itx not that it doesn't show his face, or clearly shows what's happening...IT'S A PAINTING!. The artist could literally have chosen to depict him in any other way. He chose a butt shot.
There is another, more standard, variation of him in the set, but this one defies explanation to me.
Anyone have worse examples?

Not as bad as a butt shot, but I always felt that Steve Garvey‘s 1973 Topps card was pretty crappy for a star of his caliber.

The worst baseball card picture ever?
 

I can think of a few, but the 1996 Pinnacle Bob Hamelin is tough to beat. How this image passed quality control is beyond me.


https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...eb4ed8ffa9.jpg


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By 1973 Topps (based on 1972) Garvey wasn't a star yet.

MY favorite is:

https://i.psacard.com/cardfacts/1952...4541.jpg?h=600

1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. That yellow bat looks ridiculous.

Is a posed butt shot as bad as a drawn butt shot? This is the Kalamazoo Bats card for Jocko Milligan and Harry Stowe (Stovey). [I do not own this card.}

That one made me think of the 1958 Topps Brooks Robinson.

Attachment 616427

M116 Jack Lapp
 

If anyone can post this card, it’s kind of nightmarish

Have your pick from the '73 Topps set.

I'll take Boss Schmidt's ass over this one.

"Topps photographer" was a synonym for not caring about your quality of work for many years.

Here you go:

Is it Reggie? I have no idea...

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...%20PSA%207.jpg

1984 Fleer of Glenn Hubbard and a snake. Did he borrow it from Jake "the Snake" Roberts?

1998 Fleer Sports Illustrated Then & Now - Art of the Game #4

https://blogger.googleusercontent.co...aky+Brooks.jpg

I've always thought of the 73 Topps Clemente. Can't see his entire face and he's taking a pitch. Nice work Topps
82 Fleer Morris is also a classic. "Could you make sure we get 90% of the sky?"

The modern version:
https://beckett-www.s3.amazonaws.com...-Autograph.jpg

Richards
 

This has to be in the running…

The cropping on the 35 Goudey left Babe with a similar look:

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/...0ea16e47_c.jpg

1973 Topps is baffling

When they asked Babe to check his thyroid gland…….
 

Here ya go

This is pretty awful.

Topps Rep: "How in high heck are we going to disguise the fact that Ron was traded from the Mets to their crosstown rivals, the Yanks?"

Topps Photog: "I got it!! I'll lay on the ground and shoot a picture of the underside of his chin. Marvelous!!"

Attachment 616462

I actually like that shot of Clemente.

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I also like that shot of Clemente.

But I, too, was wondering just the other day if that is really Reggie....hard to say!

The Topps Project Mickey Mantle by some guy named Alex Pardee.

It is truly disgusting.

I won't post it here, but if you want to see it, just look on ebay for Topps Project Mantle Pardee, but be warned.....it could give you nightmares.

Steve

Nearly every Topps Project card I've encountered is disgusting, but I admittedly don't seek them out. Maybe there are some better ones I've missed.

I have no problem with the 73 Clemente, either. That's his unmistakable profile and stance, and I like the inclusion of the catcher.

Another 73 Topps and a shot of the center field grass at Yankee Stadium that just happens to have tiny Bernie Williams on it.

One of my favorites

There are quite a few 1973 Topps cards in this thread. Personally, I like the set very much.

For those who may have an interest, there is a fairly well done YouTube video which has numerous comments on the photographs within that set.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kGRRPIVbiUI

The content creator also released a companion piece about '73 Topps:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_GG_bIHpsUo

The thing about the original card, is that could be literally anyone. I could tell you that's Ty Cobb, or Honus Wagner or Christy Mathewson. Wouldn't matter. You couldn't tell except for the glove.

Editor: "I need a drawing of Boss Schmidt"
Artist: "What does he look like"?
Editor: "No clue. Just draw something and we'll say it's him."

For Brooks Robinson, obv the 1958T is bad, but I've always thought these 2 cards from 1971T are also bad. The base card looks like a horrid swing-and-miss, and the WS card he looks like a guy stranded crawling through the desert.

https://i.ibb.co/zFJKD9H/Screen-Shot...1-03-22-PM.png

https://i.ibb.co/hBxm6Z4/Screen-Shot...1-03-34-PM.png

I actually really like this one, but because it's so odd. This entire Omaha Royals team set looks like it was shot from the stands with a disposable camera.

From a photo POV, things in the Cal McLish vein stand out most to me, leading right to Joe and Hoyt.

Once I done found out about this 1959 Fleer, I'd be snockered if I didn't get me one.

Yup, that's right, them there's Teddy Ballgame foolin' around down by the ol' tailings pond.

Brian

Good call on the Soto. Probably the ugliest popular modern card. Reminds me of a Ferengi from Deep Space 9 smelling a fart.

48 Bowman Spahn isn't very flattering. You can land stealth bombers on his schnoz

In the good old days he would have been called Jughead.

Any old-timers remember when that was called pistol grip ears?

That's one of the greatest action shots of all time!

Fergie Jenkins out at the plate.

Not baseball, but I've always thought that this Topps card of John Block could have been better . . .

I think 1973 Topps has a lot of shots that would look great as an original press photo, but aren't really very aesthetically conducive to an individual player's baseball card.

I'd have to argue, that's one of the "best" ones ever. :D

Many have already commented on the Clemente...but strangely, I also kind of like the Jack Morris card. Something about the composition, just makes it feel slightly different and more interesting than most cards.

Especially when taken in conjunction with the 1982 Fleer set, which I think is a overall nice design, but is just littered with grainy photos for some reason.

The 1982 Fleer design, with the 1983 Fleer photos, would have been an almost perfect set IMO.

That’s kind of unfair - it’s not a bad photo per se, it’s just Don Mossi looking like Don Mossi.

.

[QUOTE=Spike;2423699]From a photo POV, things in the Cal McLish vein stand out most to me, leading right to Joe and Hoyt.[

'Hey Joe, say it ain't so, you been snorting blow.'

And it seems like Block always signed this card in the black area with a ball point pin.

Here is a 1920 Zeenut 'where did the ball go?' contender.

Brian

For me, it is this one.

That man is ugly to all fields.

I stole that from someone....It fits.

I think this one started out a little differently.

Nice! I haven't seen the photo this card was based upon. It explains why there is such a radioactive green field surrounding Williams.

It is also a relief to know Ted is not succumbing to either quicksand or quicksilver deposits.


Brian

Guess this is pertinent...

454. Mocknee Accent
The curious inclusion of the photographer’s leg in the picture on Dick Allen’s 1971 Topps card.

See also: Massachusetts Blobster Roll - the 1959 Fleer Ted Williams #34 “1947 - Ted Sets Runs-Scored Record” card.

See also: Say-Hey Krud - the oft-ridiculed fact that Topps surreptitiously snuck a sliding Willie Mays into Hank Aaron’s 1956 card.

The entire 1995 fleer set is a hideous abomination

1977 Reuschel Brothers
 

I don't have one handy, but the 1977 Reuschel Brothers card looks like two high school chemistry teachers won a day on the field before the game, presumably for Teacher of the Year awards.

If Memory Serves - Kent Tekulve would not even sign this card of him...

The 1971 Topps Dick Allen card always makes me laugh. So many problems.

Would post an image but I do not have a scanner....

I always make sure I have this scan handy for just these occasions.

Brian

Now I have this scan ready for future action as well...thanks!

Brian

Not Baseball, but an all-time stinker:

https://i0.wp.com/puckjunk.com/wp-co...ish_f_zoom.jpg


As for the 1973-1975 Topps photos, Topps had strict film-type requirements and they were not friendly to action shots nor were the lenses of the day.

Also, Topps requested photographer not use a flash, in fact, they preferred shadows under the cap and on the face?!?! I think they felt this gave the posed subjects a tougher look.

This one is such a bad photo, I need to get a copy.

Two more modern stinkers

How odd, I was just admiring this one yesterday! I think it's great! So bad its good, or just weirdly good?!

The '78T Minton, though; that thing is fugly!

Hockey is not my thing, but I assume he is in the penalty box, and perhaps he is looking up at the arena clock counting down the time until his penalty is over? If so, a brilliant idea, unfortunately in the end a failure because only a portion of his head is visible, and that unsightly blank glass reflection that fills the right side.

Brian

Football players should have flattops and sociopath stares.

Brian

My all time fave

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Nothing against anyone who likes them; however, I’m not a fan of most strip cards.

2 that were totally fine pictures to use - until the Topps art department got their hands on them and removed essential parts of the picture for it to not look stupid.

Have you ever checked out the 1991 Ultimate hockey card set? If not the worst set ever produced, I'm not sure what was?
https://shoeboxlegends.blogspot.com/...-set-ever.html
https://www.comc.com/Cards/Hockey/1991_Ultimate

I don't really know Hockey, I have some 60's and 70's vintage and a few Score/Pro Set/Topps sets that I came into pretty much at a whim or randomly and had fun with. After looking these over and seeing they are worth the price of shipping, I just bought a set - like a third of the photos are contenders for this thread lol.

I know its modern but I always thought this was a dopey looking card

Attachment 616755

Well, the reactions to this post ought to be good. But whenever I see this card named as a favorite card on this board, I always cringe. I just can't stand this card or image for some reason. I think maybe I'm just so sick of so many people drooling over it that when I see it I get annoyed now. But to each their own as several cards already called out as terrible cards in this thread I actually like.



.

Japanese cards are legendary for some bad photography. These are from my collection.

1. 1988 Calbee Bill Gullickson. Calbee didn't have photos of all the players for their set for some reason and, being on a tight deadline, they solved this problem by literally pointing a camera at a TV during a game broadcast and taking pictures of the players that way. Its fun to spot which cards in the set fall into this category as they are easily identifiable by the blurry images like Gullickson's.

2. 1977 Calbee #17. This card features the Giants celebrating after winning the pennant. They cropped the photo so that most of the heads of the two players in the middle are cut completely off. Those two players? Sadaharu Oh (all time home run leader) and Isao Harimoto (all time hit leader). What did they crop their heads off to accomodate? More of the backs of the photographers on the bottom. This card is interesting because only on badly off-centred ones you can actually see Oh and Harimoto's faces.

3. 1975 NST Shigeo Nagashima. I just love how they cut the tip of his nose off in that unnecessarily zoomed in photo.

Can't remember if posted already: 1948 Elephant man Phil Rizzuto

I always thought this card of Jerry Garvin made him look like a bit of a wanker.*

* a Britishism for someone who "wanks off"

Attachment 618439

This photo is so bad that I love it and it's one of my favorite cards of all time.

This card of coach, and HOFer, Hoyt Wilhelm is one of the worst I’ve ever seen. 1979 TCMA:

Babe or Jonathan Winters
 

I think Jonathan Winters was a genius improv comedian.
He even played a “reverse baby” in Mork and Mindy.
But I didn’t realize his first card was a 35G

By the looks of Ruth's face (1935 Goudey 4 in 1), he might be constipated!

Some of these Z's have interesting poses.

A few favorites of mine… Paul Pierce furious with making it to the NBA, Dirk introduced to American fans as a zombie, and Mariano looking more like some teenage pipsqueak taking a break from busing tables at a tacky seafood restaurant for a quick snapshot than the future greatest closer of all time… 92 Bowman is IMO one of the worst sets ever made but sadly it’s slowly becoming iconic in large part due to this card.

Attachment 618961

Attachment 618962

Attachment 618963

This one always struck me as a pretty bad one.