Don Mattingly Oddball Item

[Eric72]

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?

[Eric72]

Front

[Eric72]

Back

[swarmee]

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.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by swarmee

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.

[David W]

Originally Posted by swarmee

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.

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.

[Eric72]

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.

[bnorth]

Originally Posted by Eric72

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.

[SyrNy1960]

Thanks for posting! Huge Don Mattingly fan!