1985 Topps All-Stars Glossy Insert

 

While at my LCS awhile back, I was in the middle of setting aside some cards for purchase when I spotted a box of small, random sets.  All of these sets were a bit dusty, as if they had been sitting in storage for a long time.  I spotted something that looked familiar and was happy see a nice complete glossy set from 1985 rack packs waiting for a new home.  Even better the sticker price was $1.  This dealer is very reasonable and owns one of my favorite shops.  So this set was a throw-in with all the other stuff I bought that day.  Hard to beat that.

The set has 22 cards and features all the starters from each league.  The N.L. had a strong lineup in 1984's ASG.  I think any manager would love to have these guys.

The A.L. lineup wasn't full of slouches, though I don't remember Chet Lemon starting.

Here are your managers from the prior year's ('83) World Series.

I've seen this Hank Greenberg card in discount bins and could never place it before looking into this set and with the b&w photo, it looks out of place.  The 1985 ASG had honorary captains and Topps decided to include a card of them.  I never realized Hank Greenberg was even alive at the time (he passed away a year later).  It's too bad Topps didn't use a more up-to-date photo.

I'm still a bit amazed that collectors continue to ignore these glossy sets.  I know as a kid I pretty much ignored them too, but I've also been fascinated with them because these glossies were the precursor to today's shiny cards.  So I'll continue to work on these inserts from the 80's, especially when they can be bought for a $1 (or less).