BY MARK A. LARSON
“Steeeerike One.” … “Steeeerike Two.” … “Steeerike Three.” … “You’re Outta Here!”
Entering 1993, that scenario has been played out 5,668 times on batters facing Nolan Ryan during the regular baseball season.
Every hitter has had the ultimate challenge when facing the all-time strikeout king over the past 27 years. Collectors of Nolan Ryan cards also face some tough hurdles, as more than 500 different cards of the fireballer have been issued since 1968.
As is would be difficult to focus on several hundred Ryan cards at one time, this article will provide a general overview and look at some of the unique card issues over the years of “The Express.”
Ironically, Ryan’s most noteworthy card – his first Topps card in 1968 – was known for several years as the “Jerry Koosman rookie card.” A fellow Mets pitcher in the late 1960s and early ’70s, Koosman shared the ’68 card with Ryan.
Although surpassed in nearly every pitching category by Ryan long ago, Kooz had a very respectable career. He went 222-209 lifetime, with an ERA of 3.36 and 2,556 strikeouts. His strikeout total is in the Top 20 all-time.
What a card. Together, the two hurlers have won 541 games and whiffed over 8,000 hitters. A better Topps multi-player rookie card would be hard to find. (Mike Schmidt and Ron Cey appear together in 1973, but it was actually Cey’s second Topps card.)
In addition to his regular Topps cards throughout the years, Ryan also appeared on several special cards issued as part of those sets. Since he led the league in strikeouts 11 times, Ryan naturally would appear in many of Topps’ League Leaders subsets. Plus, he showed up on several Highlights/Record Breaker cards in the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s.
For instance, in 1975 Ryan appeared on two “Highlights” cards … one commemorating three years in a row of 300 or more strikeouts and the other focusing on no-hitters. His 1977 “Record Breaker” card is for “Most Seasons, 300-or-More Strikeouts.” In ’78, another Record Breaker card is for “Most Games, 10-or-More Strikeouts.” These types of cards continued as Ryan broke record after record.
The first five cards in the 1990 Topps set focus on Ryan. Leading off is his regular card, while #2-5 each cover his years with different teams … the Mets, Angels, Astros and Rangers.
Other Ryan cards in Topps’ regular sets over the years include: 1970’s N.L. Playoff card, which contains the headline “Ryan Saves The Day!” (he threw seven innings of relief, as New York clinched the pennant); 1983’s “Super Veteran” card which shows a black-and-white photo of Ryan in 1966 next to a color shot of him in 17 years later; 1988’s “Turn Back the Clock” and various “Team Leaders” cards from the early- to mid-1980s.
The Express also appeared in many other Topps issues, including glossy inserts from the ’80s, Topps Big cards beginning in 1988 and Topps’ United Kingdom set also issued that year.
Regular and subset cards of Ryan have also appeared annually in the following sets: Donruss, Fleer, Score, Upper Deck, Sportflics, Bowman, Classic, Leaf, Leaf Canadian, Ultra, Stadium Club, Pinnacle, Select, Studio, O-Pee-Chee and O-Pee-Chee Premier.
Among the minor sets issued by major card companies in the 1980s was Donruss’ “Action All-Star” series. These postcard-size gems were beautifully designed and true forerunners to today’s premium cards. Ryan appeared in four of these sets (1983-86).
Inserts have taken the hobby by storm over the past few years and Ryan has appeared in several sets. In 1991, he was included in the Donruss “Elite,” Leaf “Gold Rookies,” Score “Cooperstown” and Upper Deck “Nolan Ryan Heroes” inserts. Last year, he appeared in Fleer’s “Smoke’n Heat” and Pinnacle’s “Rookie Idols.” In early ’93, he was featured in Upper Deck’s “Then and Now” insert set.
However, insert cards are not a recent hobby phenomenon. Seven years ago – in 1986 – Ryan was one of six players included in Fleer’s “Future Hall of Famer” set. These were issued as inserts in Fleer three-packs (similar to rack-packs).
Here is a sampling of other sets that included Ryan over the years.
• KELLOGG’S: The company issued small – usually about 60 cards – sets each year in boxes of cereal from 1970-83. For several years, Frosted Flakes was the brand chosen to contain one card per box during the season. (You could also send away for a complete set.) Except for 1973, cards were designed with plastic on the front to create a 3-D effect, somewhat similar to the Sportflics sets of the late 1980s. Ryan was included in eight Kellogg’s sets.
• HOSTESS: Topps produced five consecutive sets for the Hostess baking company from 1975-79. Ryan appears in all five. Most were issued in panels of three cards on box bottoms of Twinkies, Ding-Dongs, Ho-Hos, Suzy-Q’s and the like.
• SSPC (Sports Stars Publishing Company): In 1976, SSPC released a 630-card set that was intended to compete with Topps. But legal problems forced the company to discontinue production and distribution. Ryan appears in this set, which was designed like the 1953 Bowmans – no frills on the front, only the player’s photo.
• DISC SETS: Starting with the 1976 Crane Potato Chips disc issue, Ryan appeared in several sets with a similar round design in the late 1970s. Others included sets issued by Pepsi and Burger Chef restaurants.
• TRANSOGRAM: Cards were printed on boxes of Transogram baseball statues. The Mets set – which includes Ryan – was issued in 1970 commemorating the team’s 1969 World Series success.
• BURGER KING: In 1980, Topps manufactured a 34-card set for the fast-food chain to promote its “Pitch, Hit & Run” competition. The design is similar to Topps’ regular 1980 set. Ryan is among 11 pitchers in the set.
• PERMAGRAPHICS: Plastic, credit-card like baseball cards were issued by the Permagraphics company in the early ’80s. They were very different, but really didn’t catch on with collectors. Ryan appears in the first of these, the 32-card 1981 Super Stars set.
• POLICE/SAFETY SETS: “Police” sets became a popular way for law enforcement to interact with youth during the 1980s. Typically, a set of cards would be issued over the course of a summer … given away one card at a time by law officers. Each card included a safety message. Ryan’s first appearance in this type of set was in 1986. The set was co-sponsored by Kool-Aid and the Houston Police Department and contained 26 cards.
• SMOKEY: Along the same lines as Police sets, Smokey the Bear sets were issued for several teams in the mid- to late-’80s. These included tips on fire safety and were typically given away at the ballpark as a promotion. One of the first to feature Ryan was the 20-card 1989 Smokey Angels All-Stars. The set included current and former Angels who appeared in an All-Star game. Some of the sets showed players posing with Smokey (a person dressed in a bear costume).
• MOTHER’S COOKIES: Many Mother’s Cookies cards were given away at major league baseball stadiums in the west. The typical Mother’s set contained 28 cards. Usually, 20 or so would be distributed at a special baseball card night promotion at the ballpark. The remaining eight would then only be available by redeeming random coupons and then trading with friends. Ryan made his initial Mother’s Cookies appearance in the 1984 Astros set.
• DRAKE’S: Drake Bakeries issued several sets in the 1980s. Many of them were actually produced by Topps. However, the 1986 set – the first in which Ryan appears – was not. It consisted of 37 cards issued on panels of two, three or four cards each … much like the Hostess sets of the 1970s.
• • • • • All three cards: 1991 Pacific • • • • •
• PACIFIC: In 1991, Pacific issued a 110-card set devoted exclusively to Ryan. It was the first set sold in wax packs in 32 years to feature only one player. (In 1959, Fleer issued a Ted Williams set of 80 cards.) In addition, two insert sets totaling 15 cards of Ryan were also issued by Pacific. The set covered Ryan’s entire career and personal life until 1991. Pacific added another 110 cards to its Ryan set last year, and this year added 30 more to run the consecutively numbered total to 250, plus inserts.
• BOXED SETS: This general category usually refers to 33- or 44-card sets issued as a whole in a small collector’s box at a specific retailer. These were nearly always produced by Fleer or Topps.
Among the many Ryan was included in were: 1985 Fleer “Limited Edition” sold at McCrory’s, J. J. Newbury, McClellan, Kress, YDC and Green Stores; 1986 Fleer “Baseball’s Best … Sluggers vs. Pitchers;” 1987 Topps K-Mart “Baseball’s Stars of the Decades;” 1988 Woolworth “Baseball Highlights” produced by Topps; and 1990 Kay-Bee Toy Stores “Kings of Baseball,” also manufactured by Topps.
• MISCELLANEOUS: In addition, Ryan appeared in sets associated with Coca-Cola, Jiffy Pop, Quaker Oats, Nestle, True Value, Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, M & M’s, Ralston Purina, Seven-Up, Post Cereal, Wonder Bread, Jimmy Dean Sausage, among many others.
It’s not beyond the realm of possibilities for a hobbyist to obtain all known Nolan Ryan cards. It would be a major undertaking, for sure. But since more than 80 percent of the over 500 different Ryan cards in existence were issued after 1980, with some diligent searching, they can be found.
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To see the related article “BASEBALL HOBBY NEWS — Tough Ryans
in 8 Non-Traditional 1970s Topps Sets”
Click Link Here
• Originally Published in May 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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