Sunday Randomness - 1979 TCMA Baseball History Series

 

I had intended to post about a different set but while going through the collection I came across this TCMA set not once, not twice, but 3 times!  It seems my previous post about bulk buys was accurate, because I'm certain this set was included in a larger lot that I had purchased.  Do I really need 3 sets?  Maybe, maybe not.  Unfortunately my third set is short by about 20 cards, and I'm missing the two bonus team cards, but that's OK by me.  

The 1979 TCMA Baseball History Series is a set that focuses on stars of the 50's.  The 291 card set is loaded with Hall of Famers and notable players and I really like the "oldness" the set projects with these photos.

Sometimes that "oldness" feeling also includes shots where players faces are obscured by shade.

I love the old photos and backgrounds which really make this unique.  Mantle and Mays are two big stars in the set, but where is Hank Aaron?  Glaring omission there.

In many cases the shots were taken in spring training.  Posed photos are the norm and in a few cards you can note the same background.  With Art Ditmar and Zack Monroe, it looks like the photos were taken on the same side of the ballfield with a lake in the background.

When I saw the Dodger Power card, the first thing that came to my mind was the 1957 Dodgers Sluggers card featuring the same four players.

I love this Leo Durocher card.  It looks like the stands in the background are filling up before a game and Leo is hitting grounders.

Here's a look at the card back.  A nice writeup on the player and lifetime stats.

Overall this is really nice set, especially if you appreciate the old timers.  The card stock is OK, and these aren't glossy photos, but you get many unique shots of the players and the backgrounds can be interesting.  I don't really like the design of the back side of the cards, it is what it is.  While I'll probably purge the partial set, I don't mind having an extra set to play with.