For my birthday yesterday, I received a very special set of baseball cards from my wife. A 35-card set of “Stars of the Negro Leagues” produced by Punk Rock Paint in conjunction with the National Pastime Museum, these cards feature players “that shined the brightest while playing in the Caribbean.” Only 100 sets were made.
You have heard of most of the players in the set: Josh Gibson, Satchel Paige, Minnie Minoso, Pop Lloyd, Martin Dihigo. I love the design with the large action shot and small face photo inset in the upper left corner. The back lists the teams each player appeared with, and many have some little factoid printed below the teams. For instance, Lloyd’s card boasts, “Babe Ruth considered him the greatest ballplayer ever.”
The size of the set makes it perfect for collectors who like to display their cards in three-ring binders. Thirty-five cards plus a checklist fits into four nine-pocket pages, or two pages if you prefer two cards per slot. I’ve long desired a set that is divisible by nine for this very reason.
The front of the unnumbered checklist card explains the purpose for the set and promotes the National Pastime Museum. TNPM is a virtual museum that features articles and artifacts educating fans about many facets of America’s greatest game.
Baseball fans, especially those who are interested in learning more about the players that were barred from playing during the first half of the twentieth century, will love PRP’s “Stars of the Negro Leagues.”
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