The Minnie Minoso 1995 Sonic Coke card. This card eluded me for quite some time, but I finally obtained one in a blind trade with Spiff last month.This is an interesting card for many reasons. One, it features Minnie running and rounding a base. That's something you wouldn't normally see on a card from the picture's era. I love action shots of vintage players because normally their cards would either have a portrait or a posed shot. This really gives the older players more dimension.
Two, the uniform features no logos or identifying marks, besides the pin striping. If this was a White Sox uniform, there has been some very crafty airbrushing done to take the letters and/or logos off of the uniform. The card was made by Upper Deck, so I'm unsure as to why any identifying marks would have to be airbrushed off.
Three, according to the back, Minnie Minoso and Mickey Mantle hit their first home runs in the same game. That's something that I either didn't know or had forgotten over time. I am super sick of Mickey Mantle after years of Topps abuse, but that's still a cool fact. After doing a little checking, that game (May 1, 1951, in Chicago) did feature the first career home runs for each player. Minnie got his in his first at-bat. Mantle had to wait for his until the sixth inning, when the White Sox pitcher thought he would fool him with a change up.
All in all, this is a wonderful card. It's a shame that these Sonic Coke cards don't get as much respect as other releases. Looking over the checklist, it has a pretty impressive roster. A great lineup and the cards look halfway decent. Not bad for what's technically an oddball release.
Nice Minoso card. I had no idea the set even existed. That is what makes what you are doing so hard. There is so much to collect with just one team now that it would be impossible to try and get them all like when we were kids.
ReplyDeleteSure, trying to get everything from just one team is the lofty goal, but that was even impossible when we were kids. I'm finding Sox cards from when I was a kid, that I never knew existed until a year ago. Many of those were regional superstar sets that were attached to a drug store or snack item that wasn't available in the Chicago area.
ReplyDeleteHalf the fun is discovering the stuff that you missed the first time around. There will always be something out there. Half the fun in collecting is the thrill of the hunt.
Wow, that card is pretty awesome. Minnie was a great player who doesn't get the respect he deserves.
ReplyDeleteInteresting point that cards from an earlier era are not usually action cards.
ReplyDeleteIt's outstanding looking.