One of the best things Topps Magazine did was publish Skip Rozin’s Topps Remembers series. In issue 13, released in the winter of 1993, they covered Roberto Clemente twenty years after his tragic death.
Given the cover, I thought I’d share some details about one of the pieces on it. I was tempted to talk about the 1963 Fleer card since the set is one of my favorites, but I decided to share a few details about one you might not be as familiar with but isn’t as old as it appears: the 1990 Collect-A-Books!
Here’s an example of Clemente’s that I found listed on eBay for $1.50.
Here’s how Beckett describes the set:
The 1990 Collect-A-Books set was issued by CMC (Collectors Marketing Corp.) in three different sets (boxes) of 12 players apiece. The sets (boxes) were distinguishable by color, red, yellow, or green. The Collect-A-Books were in the style of the 1970 Topps Comic Book inserts but were much more profesionally made. The cards all fit into a nine-pocket sheet (since they are standard size) even though they can be expanded. The set contains an interesting mixture of retired and current players. The concept for this set was created by former major leaguer Jim Bouton.
Clemente came in the green box.
For more, SABR’s Baseball Cards Research Committee’s blog has a nice piece on the set.
Happy collecting!
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