Ugliest. Card. Ever.

[Bob Lemke]

My most recent blog post . . .

59 Fleer f.jpg

Certainly a contender for the "honor" of being the ugliest baseball card of all time is #34 in the 1959 Fleer "Baseball's Greatest" Ted Williams set.

The card pictures Ted Williams sliding into what appears to be a green "smoke monster." According to the card back, the picture is a Wide World Photo from the July 8, 1947, All-Star Game at Wrigley Field, showing Williams sliding into second base on a double.

In reality, the airbrushed green glob covers the image of St. Louis Cardinals shortstop Marty Marion taking the throw from right fielder Dixie Walker.

Williams had doubled down the right field foul line off Harry Brecheen in the top of the fourth inning. While he advanced to third base on Lou Boudreau's single, he was stranded there. The American League went on to win the game 2-1.

Presumably Fleer was forced to obscure Marion's image because Topps held the baseball-card rights to his image in 1959. If that was the case, they would have obtained the rights with their 1955 purchase of Bowman. Marion never appeared on a Topps card in that era, having been on Bowman cards each year 1948-53.

By the time the 1960 and 1961 Fleer Baseball Greats were issued, however, Fleer evidently had obtained the rights; Marion appears in both those sets in a White Sox uniform from his days (1954-56) managing Chicago.

59 Fleer b.jpg

We've arguably looked at the ugliest Ted Williams card of all time. Next time I'll show you what I hope you'll think is a pretty good-looking Ted Williams card . . . my 1960 Topps-style TW custom.

[Rich Klein]

Yep -- and I thought in 1982 Expos Zellars there was a infamous case that one of the cards pictured ONLY Gary Carter's legs.

I'm at work so hard to post, but I'll post later unless you want to post now.

Rich

I think the 1943 M.P & Co. Ted Williams card and other cards of the same, fit into this category

[ALR-bishop]

Bob--Fleer should have taken a cue from the Topps 57 Mantle and turned Marion into a ghost man.

[Volod]

Man, the gum companies squeezed blood out of those '50's players with contract terms like that - for a lousy hundred bucks, they could own all image rights well beyond the player's retirement from the game? That's draconian.

[Paul S]

Originally Posted by rgpete

I think the 1943 M.P & Co. Ted Williams card and other cards of the same, fit into this category

Ron, you make a strong case --I don't have the Williams but here are some others.

[Matthew80]

Paul, what kind of cards are those? Somehow they fit into the so-ugly-they-are-cool category to me.

Thanks

[Rich Klein]

Those are all MP and CO cards. Yes the design and the drawings are butt ugly -- as opposed to Mark Sanchez and butt fumble

[Paul S]

Yes, these are the infamous MP&CO. These were first issued in '43 and then again in '49. This is a combination since the Mize and some others, were only printed in '43 but obviously the Berra and some other could not have been. Even so, you can always tell by the printing style on the backs. Even for MP uglies, you have to admit these go a step beyond. You'd need 3D glasses to look at the Mize. I got them all in a clump in the late '60s but I have to say they are no more uglier now than then

[Zach Wheat]

Originally Posted by Rich Klein

Yep -- and I thought in 1982 Expos Zellars there was a infamous case that one of the cards pictured ONLY Gary Carter's legs.

I'm at work so hard to post, but I'll post later unless you want to post now.

Rich

Rich,

You are right, that is one ugly card. I wonder why they even made a card showing just "legs"?

Z Wheat

[darkhorse9]

Hey...lay off the M.P & Co....

That set does have one very important distinction ... That's the only set issued during World War II (not counting exhibits)

That's the first 1940's set I completed. Granted that's not much of an accomplishment, but....

[ALR-bishop]

This may be more dumb than ugly

[darkhorse9]

Best.
Baseball Card Photo Bomb.
Ever.

The Splendid Splinter

[Paul S]

The player on deck reminds me of the E90-1 Jackson

[howard38]

.

[brob28]

This one has got to be on the list. They say a picture is worth a thousand words so I'll let it speak for itself...

[HRBAKER]

This one is none too flattering:

[brob28]

Good one Jeff, Clyde just looks slightly annoyed.

[cardinalcollector]

My personal Fred Norman stamp is not graded, but is just as ugly.

[CobbSpikedMe]

I always thought this card was one of the ugliest cards I've ever seen. Sorry it's not post war, but I think it fits this thread.

1933 R337 Eclipse Import Babe Ruth.

Thanks,

AndyH


.

[brob28]

Andy, can't argue with you on that one, it looks like Ruth is wearing a long night shirt!