BY MARK A. LARSON
There are two words that instantly startle, unnerve and basically scare the living daylights out of most American League pitchers: “Frank Thomas”.
Say those two words behind the back of an A.L. hurler and it would be like sneaking up on someone and shouting “Boo!” at the top of your lungs. The neck hairs would stand on end, the shoulders would tense up and the adrenaline would start flowing.
There’s no doubting Thomas should strike fear into the hearts of opposing pitchers. After all, in just two and a half major league seasons, the 24-year old first-baseman has become the White Sox big power man.
On June 5, 1989, Chicago chose Thomas as the No. 7 pick in the first-round of baseball’s free-agent draft. The Columbus, Georgia native was coming off a tremendous career at Auburn University where he set records for home runs and RBIs.
He then began a rapid rise to the majors, accumulating impressive statistics every season. Thomas is now regarded as one of the game’s top hitters, so is it any wonder why his cards are near the top of many collectors’ want lists these days?
In almost every case, Thomas’ cards mentioned in this article are the most expensive in the set they’re included in. By no means is the following overview a complete listing of Thomas issues. It does, however, give hobbyists a general feeling of what’s available in the card collecting arena.
Of course, the most notable Thomas card – and the one that’s generally in the most demand – is his 1990 Leaf. But before discussing Thomas’ cards in the major sets, let’s look at some of his early and more obscure cards from 1988-91.
The history of Frank Thomas cards began in 1988 when he was included in two different sets called Cape Cod Prospects. But it wasn’t until 1990 that the plethora of Thomas material really began.
That year, he appeared in several small sets not affiliated with the big card manufacturers. These included: a 200-card set produced by Pro Cards of minor leaguers; a 28-card Birmingham set produced by Best that included 30 cards; another set called Best Foil that checked in at 324 cards; a 100-card issue by Classic (known as Classic III or the “yellow” set); and a 30-card set of White Sox sponsored by Coca Cola.
This increasing deluge of relatively minor sets continued in 1991. A three-card Thomas set was issued by Bleachers. Bazooka got into the Thomas act with its 22-card Shining Stars set. (One card was issued with each box of Bazooka bubble gum – a Topps product.) And Classic included three Thomas cards in the company’s various ’91 issues.
Some other small sets issued in 1991 that included Thomas were: Jimmy Dean’s Sausage signature set (25 cards, with team logos airbrushed out because it was not licensed by major league baseball); Kodak’s 28-card set of White Sox players; and a 33-card Toys ‘R’ Us Rookies set produced for the retail chain by Topps.
These types of issues continued in 1992 and will surely be evident again in 1993 as well. Now on to the big cards, the ones the majority of collectors are after …
In 1990, Thomas appeared in the Bowman, Fleer Update, Leaf, Score, Score Traded and Topps sets. (His regular ’90 Score card showed him as a No. 1 Draft Pick, while his Traded card followed the design pattern of all other players in the set.)
Initially, the Leaf set was received with a collective ho-hum by the hobby. But within six to 12 months it was advancing quickly in price, with Frank Thomas’ rookie card leading the charge. The nice design and relatively low production numbers – along with Thomas’ potential as a major league star – were the primary factors in the ’90 Leaf set’s fast ascent. This month’s BHN price guide has the card at $55.
Thomas made his first card appearance in five major sets in 1991: Donruss, Fleer Ultra, Leaf Studio, Topps Stadium Club and Upper Deck. The almost immediate – and universal – popularity of the Stadium Club set soon sent that Thomas card soaring too. It remains the most expensive in the set ($30).
DIAMOND KINGS •
In addition to the major 1991 sets, the Chisox slugger appeared in two minor Score issues: The 100-card Rising Stars set and as part of the 10-card Hot Rookies set (inserted into Score blister packs). Thomas was also featured in the 1991 Topps Debut set. This set consisted of 171 cards of players who made their first major league appearance the year before.
“The Year of the Insert” best describes 1992. And Thomas played the key role. Without him, collector demand for many of the insert sets would have quickly waned.
He is included in Donruss’ Diamond Kings; Fleer’s All-Stars (randomly inserted in wax packs); Fleer’s Rookie Sensations (inserted in cello packs); Fleer Ultra All-Stars (inserts in Series II); Score Impact Players (jumbo pack inserts); Team Pinnacle, where he appears back-to-back with Will Clark (inserts in Series I); Pinnacle Slugfest (jumbo pack inserts); Pinnacle Team 2000 (jumbo packs again); Upper Deck Home Run Heroes (low series jumbo packs); and Upper Deck Ted Williams’ Best (high series inserts).
Thomas was also included in the 100-card Score Superstars set and was card No. 1 in the premier Score Pinnacle baseball issue.
If he continues his on-field excellence, look for dozens of card sets and inserts of Thomas each year as his career progresses.
Collectors love him. And why not? He’s a young slugger supreme … the traditional hobby favorite.
• • • • • •
• Originally Published in Mar. 1993 “Baseball Hobby News” •
THIS ARTICLE FROM “BASEBALL HOBBY NEWS” MAGAZINE IS REPRINTED WITH THE PERMISSION OF BOTH THE EDITOR/PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR. IT HAS BEEN RETYPED, BUT NO CONTENT HAS BEEN CHANGED (EXCEPT FOR VERY MINOR ADJUSTMENTS, CORRECTIONS TO TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS AND CHANGES TO GRAPHICS). COMMENTS OR INFORMATION IN THE ARTICLE MAY BE OUT-OF-DATE.
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