A Noble Topps Embiggens the Smallest Cards

(I'll take any opportunity I can to work a Simpsons' quote into a post!)



A few weeks ago I was rummaging around ebay and I stumbled on to a set of 18 Cubs and Sox cards from the 1981 Topps Giant Photo Cards set. I don't remember these at all (although I was in college in 1981 so that may have something to do with my memory lapse). The starting bid was $0.99. I kept an eye on it and when it was near the end and still had no bids, I thought, what the hey bid on them and won. They were 20 cents a piece back in 1981 and I got them for 24 cents each 28 years later. Not a bad deal.

The cards are 5 X 7 with a nice glossy finish. There were nine Cubs and nine Sox in the set.

Here are the Cubs in all their embiggeness.

Tim Blackwell - with his super long bushy mustache. I placed his regular Topps card on the Giant card so you can get an idea of just how giant the giant cards are.



Bill Buckner - the big cards give you details you miss with the regular cards, like Buckner's hairy neck.



Ivan DeJesus - he can look happy because this picture was taken in spring training, when the Cubs were in a six-way tie for first place.



Leon Durham - who was aqcuired from the Cardinals over the winter for Bruce Sutter. This is a giant air-brush job. It doesn't look too bad except for the C on the hat



Dave Kingman - showing us the nob of his bat, with only his uniform number on it (sorry Billy Ripken)



Mike Krukow - with either a serious zit on his cheek or some chew



Ken Reitz - also a part of the Bruce Sutter trade, with an airbrushed hat and a shxx-eating grin. Did they catch Ken after happy hour?



Rick Reuschel - smile Rick! He needs to go join Ken Reitz for a drink or two.



Mike Tyson - putting on his game face.



Topps Giant Photos from 1981 are a perfectly cromulent set of cards!