We're going to look at inserts in today's part 4 of this series of posts on the different types of baseball card.
Insert cards get their name because they are "inserted" within packs of cards and they fall outside the traditional numbered base set.
Because they aren't considered part of the base checklist, manufacturers have been able to really get creative with their inserts. To us, there is something really interesting about seeing an insert that differs to the style of the regular base cards.
They are found less frequently than base cards and manufacturers will now publish the odds of finding them in packs. Autographed, memorabilia and parallel cards are all also considered to be inserts but we'll be looking at those separately at a later time.
There have been so many different insert sets over the years that there are simply too many to name individually, so instead we'll focus on one of our favourites for their designs - 2015 Topps Series 1.
Topps had no fewer than 11 different insert sets included within packs of their 2015 Series 1 cards (not including autograph or memorabilia insert sets), so we've picked out our 5 favourites from this series.
Gallery of Greats (1:18 packs) was a set of 25 cards showing off some of the all-time greats and looked awesome with the way they were framed.
Baseball History (1:8 packs) matched up 2 cards, one which showcased an event in baseball history with the other focussing on an historical event from the same day; for example the Apollo 11 moon landing (#6A) and the Mets winning on a walk-off bunt (#6B) which both happened on 20th July 1969. I really like the idea of coupling two cards together in this way.
Inspired Play (1:8 packs) matches 2 players from an organisation on a single card; one current player and one legend.
First Pitch (1:8 packs) centres on celebrities who have thrown a ceremonial first pitch at a ballgame (including 50 Cent's effort at Citi Field. If you haven't seen it before, you absolutely must).
First Home Run (1:2 packs) is a 40 card set which highlights and describes the first career home run for current and historical players.
Hopefully, this gives you an idea of how these insert cards differ from the base cards, both in terms of their design but also how their content focus can be different (older players, specific events, non-baseball events, etc.).
Have a look online for some of the different insert sets that are available. You'll be sure to find something that appeals to you.
Do you have a favourite insert set that should have been mentioned here?
Let us know in the comments or on twitter.
Comments