Card backs...not so much. You can find an occasional post about card backs, but they are few and far between. Before I joined the Trading Card Database, I didn't even scan the backs!
But I really think this design is my favorite...not just in hockey, in everything.
And it fits the sport it's used for perfectly, the skate shape is just so creative. And they had room for a cartoon, to boot!
It's a set I know I will never ever complete due to being Wayne Gretzky's rookie card season, but I enjoy them every time I get one. This one came from the stash of Rangers I posted about in November. As I was working on editing the scans I realized I never really mentioned how much I liked the backs of these, so I had to write this post.
Here's the front.
Yep, greatest card backs of all-time. My Avatar on blogger actually comes from one of these backs!
ReplyDeleteI should have recognized it based on the color and artwork!
DeleteIt is a very nice card back, though I like having a bit more statistics than that.
ReplyDeleteI do as well. Could have made the font a little smaller and fit in some more...
DeleteAside from 1993 Leaf I dont see too much mention of card backs, and 79-80 is definitely one of the most creative. The Gretzky RC casts a wide shadow but there's a lot of other things to like about that set.
ReplyDeleteAny chance you've picked up a couple more cards from this set recently?
I added most of the Rangers and I also added one card from the Canadiens winning the Stanley Cup and one of the Flames- although I forgot who, which is bad, because I just scanned it literally 2 days ago.
DeleteI love this set, front and back... but especially the back. As a kid I bought more packs of 1979-80 than any other hockey set and I would've completed it by now except that - of course - I didn't pull the Gretzky at the time, and I sure as hell can't afford it now. I've given some thought to trying to complete the set with Gretzky as a stand-in, but I'm mainly just chasing the cards I like at this point.
ReplyDeleteDon't you just hate when that happens? There's a few sets where I missed important cards but got most of the others over the years.
DeleteI agree, that skate is a really cool design element.
ReplyDeleteI like the card fronts too, the blue border is a lot more appealing to me than the usual white ones.
It goes well with the Rangers team colors as well! Even though everybody got blue, it fits my team particularly well.
DeleteI'm one of the few who posts about card backs, I've had several, including a 50 Greatest Card Backs of all-time way back (Chris: 1993 Leaf did very well on that). But I also get the feeling when I'm writing about card backs that nobody knows why I'm doing it.
ReplyDeleteI agree hockey cards, especially pre-90s ones, have terrific backs.
Your series specifically was what I was thinking of when I chose not to say "nobody posts about card backs"...as I had originally typed and then backspaced over.
DeleteI love it and the fact that Walt used to work carrying dynamite into gold mines. Ha!
ReplyDeleteThat cartoon is why I chose to post this card specifically! That's got to be a bad enough job no matter what, but imagine doing it on skates? Oh my!
DeleteThat is a fantastic card back! I'm one of those guys who has focused mostly on card fronts my entire collecting career... but off the top of my head, I do know that I really, really, really like the 1971 OPC baseball card backs with the floating heads.
ReplyDeleteThose are pretty cool even if floating heads can be a little creepy sometime.
DeleteEven the color choice is well done! The light blue matches perfectly with the front and isn't overbearing.
ReplyDeleteYes it does. And as I mentioned above, it has the added bonus of being one of my team colors!
DeleteAgreed. Great use of the space, too. Everything fits perfectly.
ReplyDeleteIt all adds up to make such a great back.
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