Don Mattingly Oddball Item
 

My father collected Don Mattingly cards and oddball items. He primarily did this during the height of the junk wax era. Among the many things he picked up was this item.

I believe it's a glove tag, the type which would be hanging on a baseball glove when it was brand new.

According to a few sellers online, this was available across several years.

Does anyone know how to definitively assign a year to this item?

Front

Back

Mattingly only won the MVP in 1985. So I would date it to 1986.

Looks like there are a couple different variations.
https://www.comc.com/Cards/Baseball/...ail_Base,sr,ot

Add: That said, Mattingly was popular for years, so even if this tag debuted in Spring 1986 for baseball season little leagues, it probably was sold for 5 years, which is probably why they changed labels. My guess is that some legislation which required manufacturing location (South Korea) would help date that variation.

Thanks for the info. This definitely helps.

I agree.

I worked at KMART in Sporting Goods while I was in college, and these sort of glove tags were quite common.

They would (ahem, accidentally, ahem) dislodge from the gloves and I would confiscate them frequently. I got quite a few of the Mattingly's, Mike Schmidt's, Bo Jackson's and others.

I am pretty sure they came out multiple years with essentially the same tags, probably for as long as the player endorsed the product.

As I begin the slow crawl through my father's Mattingly cards, I'll post some of the oddball issues here. It makes more sense than starting a new thread for each card.

This issue is a 1987 Fleer Mini. It was distributed as part of a complete boxed set of 120 cards. It measures roughly 2 9/16" x 1 13/16" and has a glossy front. The design is similar to the normal '87 Fleer set; however, the photo is different.

For those who don't know, my father passed away in 2020. One of the things he left behind was a box of inexpensive Mattingly cards. I'm just now getting around to going through the box. For me, it will be an experience that means quite a bit more than sorting through a random bargain box at a show or opening packs. I don't know exactly what I'll find; however, I'll know where it came from.

I realize 99% of the people on Net54 won't care about this, and that's fine.

(Hell, I'd say 90% of the people on Net54 never even visit the 1980-present forum.)

For everyone else, thanks for checking out this thread from time to time.

I visit here and I think it is very cool, thanks for sharing. It is always better to see cards that actually mean something than ones worth money.:)

Thanks for posting! Huge Don Mattingly fan!

These tags were used from 86-88 and then they switched to black bordered version with a full picture. I don’t know enough of each version to id the year. There are numerous versions over the years depending on the glove and year. Most are made in Taiwan, some Korea. I think the earliest have a small sticker stating the product was made in Korea and this is the later version. I think they had their hands slapped for not adding country of manufacture and did the sticker to fix it.

You would need to find a serious 80s glove collector to get the version for each year down perfectly

Not surprisingly, the 1988 Fleer Mini was also in the box.

This issue is very similar to the '87. Again, the card was part of a 120 card box set. The design is the same as the regular base set; however, a different photo was used and the card front is glossy.

Interestingly, I saw this card (and the 1988 Fleer set) in a whole new way tonight.

For starters, it's over 35 years old. Damn, that's a long time. Other than me, my dad was the only person who ever owned this card. Yes, I realize an '88 Fleer card isn't exactly a family heirloom. Still, it's cool that he and I have had it this long.

Secondly, the design is visually appealing to me now. In the past, I'd always thought it was bland and uninspiring. I guess it grew on me. Nostalgia may be coloring my opinion here, but it is a clean looking design. Plus, I've always been a fan of red, white, and blue.

Lastly, I was 16 years old in 1988. Like many of us, I remember those days fondly. Seeing this card for the first time in a while took me back there (in my mind) for a moment. Memories are a powerful (and sometimes wonderful) thing.

The back looks clean and classy, too.

Thanks, Justin. I appreciate the detailed info. There are probably a couple serious 80s glove collectors around here. Hopefully, one or more of them chimes in.