Oversized cards: Extra-large joy
Oversized cards have always been present in the baseball card world. Originally they were actually seen as more of a ‘luxury’ or ‘upgrade’ product over the small tobacco cards you’d get in the late 1800s-early 1900s. The first ones I can recall were the old judge ‘cabinet’ cards, where you could redeem your empty packages of tobacco (which would have one small card in it) for a full size cabinet card! There were also turkey reds cards in the early 1900s, and 1960’s Topps ‘mini-poster’ cards, but I remember when oversized cards re-emerged onto the scene in the late 90’s and as a kid I wasn’t really sure how to feel.
The set that really caught my attention was 1997 Zenith. The first thing I remember was the sticker shock - $9.99 a pack for 5 standard cards and 2 oversized cards - might as well have been $100 a pack for a 9 year old. However, my LCS at the time had owners that loved to close the shop and open boxes for themselves in the evening, so I got to see the oversized cards opened and out right after their release and was blown away. First of all that set has, to this day, some of my favorite photography from the 90’s. Secondly, it was so cool to see the images blown up to an 8x10 size so you could see all the detail. I swear if you put the oversized card close to your face it feels like you’re there in the moment! Then to top it off, you could get a dufex version of the 8x10, what a time to be alive!
I’m not a set collector, but I do own one full set - and it’s that 1997 Zenith 8x10 with the standard and dufex of each card. It’s the only binder I own, and it’s one of my favorite things to flip through. Matt and I have often talked about displaying your collection so that you can appreciate it, and I’m making this post to state that having oversized cards in your collection you can display or easily flip through is 100% an easy way to bring excitement to your collection and remind us why we enjoy cards. There are plenty out there I encourage folks to look into: box toppers (and auto/game used parallels), oversized sets (Topps super chrome) and most of the time you can get something that fits your collection that won’t break the bank. All this to say, I’ve enjoyed the non-traditional sized cards I’ve picked up for my collection over the years - and hey - a lotta times they don’t fit in my standard storage for my collection, so they stay out on display and help remind me how much fun it is to be involved in this hobby.
Best,
Ben
