Discounterparts...who has the most??

[JollyElm]

144. Discounterpart (also Willie McCoverage or Ubiquitous Erving)
A player who is featured on one or more other cards (of far lesser value) in the same set containing his rookie card.


There have been a bunch of players featured on multiple cards in their cardboard rookie years (most notably, Willie McCovey on two in 1960 and 'Dr. J' in all of his ABA glory on three in 1972), but a new contestant suddenly emerged and pushed himself into the lead(?)...Roger frickin' Staubach (shout out to anyone whose girlfriend/wife forces you to watch the 'Making The Team' Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders show...even though they're not doing it naked)!!!

He is featured prominently on FOUR separate cards in the 1972 Topps set:

1. Regular card
2. In Action card
3. Passing Leaders card*
4. Super Bowl card

(Here's a screen grab of the quartet from eBay.)

1972staubachcards2.jpg

Does anyone know of a player (from any sport) who has appeared on more rookie year cards in a regular, major set (Bond Bread, etc., does not apply) than that??


*That card made me check out other leaders cards, and holy heck!! The 1971 NFC receptions leader (Tucker on the Giants) had a scant 59, and the AFC leader (Biletnikoff) had only 61. Even with less games back then, those are crazy low numbers. Then again, it was the 'pound the ball into the mud' run-game era.

[Peter_Spaeth]

Asterisk, but Rick Barry 1971 Topps has a base card, is on two of the leaders cards, and is on a Topps Trios sticker.

[JollyElm]

Judge's ruling (5/4 split): disqualification.

Must be a part of the same, specific set.

[Peter_Spaeth]

By the way can get to 3 on 71 Dan issel as well, or 4 with a disqualified sticker.

[BobC]

Look at the '80-'81 Topps basketball set. Though the cards normally come as three separate mini panels/cards, with perforations, I believe the unseparated three panels are considered as complete, actual cards. Assuming so, in Bird's case alone, he's on one three panel card with Dr. J and Magic (the big rookie card), but also appears on other three panel cards with Marques Johnson and Jack Sikma, another with Bill Cartwright and John Drew, then again with Fred Brown and John Brewer, and then at least one more with Scott May and Jack Sikma. Oh, and he also appears on a Celtics team Topps Pin-Up card from '80-'81 as well, if you count that. So that's at least 5 (maybe 6) different Bird rookie cards from that one set/year. And there could be even more different combo cards I didn't quickly come across. Also, I didn't check to see how many there may be for Magic, he could even have more than Bird for all I know.

[Peter_Spaeth]

I think there are four Magics, the Bird Erving Magic, the "rookie" pose with Van Breda Kolff instead of Bird, and then the two All Star poses one with Cheeks and Boone and one with Long and Boone.

[Gary Dunaier]

Originally Posted by BobC

Look at the '80-'81 Topps basketball set. Though the cards normally come as three separate mini panels/cards, with perforations, I believe the unseparated three panels are considered as complete, actual cards.

Maybe they are now, but if Topps' original intention was for the kids to separate them into individual cards, would they still qualify for purposes of this discussion? To the best of my knowledge, the Bird and Magic rookies are the same card no matter who they're paired with, and if you were to separate them into single cards - I know, , right? - but anyway, if you were to separate them, there'd be no way to tell which players that specific card was originally teamed with (unless they appeared in different positions - left, center, right - on different cards).

[Exhibitman]

Earl Campbell has four 1979 Topps cards: his 1979 RC #390; 1979 Topps NFL Leaders Walter Payton-Earl Campbell #3; Team Leaders w/ Willie Anderson, Ken Burrough, Elvin Bethea #301; and Record Breaker #331. It was the only year he signed with Topps so those are his only career-issued Topps cards.

[ALBB]

How about a 1970 Boog Powell

reg card, AS card, playoff card, LL card

[Exhibitman]

I know it isn't rookie but the 1983 OPC set has 8 different Wayne Gretzky cards: regular, AS, Oilers TL, LL cards (scoring, assists, goals, shorthanded goals, game wining goals)

[JollyElm]

Rookie card year, people, rookie card year.

[ALBB]

Oh

[BobC]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Rookie card year, people, rookie card year.

So do you think the '80-'81 Topps basketball rookies of Larry Bird are at the top of list, for now at least?

[JollyElm]

For me, going all the way into the 80's didn't even enter my mind (I was thinking 1973 as the traditional cut-off point), but since that wasn't set out in my original post, Bird is indeed the word.

[Harliduck]

This one immediately came to mind! The McCovey is the coolest though...

[bobc88]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Bird is indeed the word.

I'll nominate '78/'79 Topps (or OPC) Mike Bossy for the tie. A couple years closer to '73...

115 Regular card
1 Highlight
63 Goal Leaders
67 PPG Leaders
201 Islanders Team

[Gr8Beldini]

1972 FB set also shows Steve Owens (regular, action, & leader) and John Brockington (regular, leader, & all-pro) on 3 cards each.