Since the mid 1980s, Topps has been producing baseball cards in smaller sizes than their typical form. They’ve been marketed as mini or micro cards, sometimes sold in packs of 6 mini glossy cards for 25 cents, other times sold in entire set forms. Either way, their popularity was relatively mild compared to their full-size counter parts. But if Topps had made just a few adjustments to the measurements, the company could have smoked the competition a full two decades before everyone started making tobacco-era style cards.
Imagine the craze that might have ensued if the company had made 1991 Topps Micro set in the same dimensions as the T206 set. That 1991 set had arguably the best photography ever seen in a single Topps base release. And coupled with the nostalgic aesthetics of a near century-old set, that combination would have been a huge hit among collectors. Also consider that this was a time when many were still buzzing over the sale of the “Wayne Gretzky Honus Wagner” card.
On the flip side, if Topps had produced such cards during that era, we might not have Allen & Ginter or T205 in their current Topps incarnation. The hobby might have grown sick of the tobacco nostalgia.
cardboardicons.com 