I have been thinking about starting a thread about oddball cards that don't seem to fit established categories or those that can be easily categorized but they stand out from the mundane for one reason or another. These cards tend to be 1-card sets or "lone rangers" or whatever you want to call them. Often, they could be considered promo cards though they might not promote a particular product. Some have been documented, some not, existing in some degree of obscurity.

I'll start with this Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop club membership card which features the legendary improv comedian, Jonathan Winters on the front. It measures 2 1/4 x 3 3 3/8 so it's a little smaller than standard size. It has a date of 1970 on the back where it also a decent amount of text. However, it's unclear what the card entitles a member to (discounts? prizes?).

I've seen it for sale only a few times over the past twenty years or so. It has sold in the $5-15 range. Who knows, it could be more valuable than that now as it might be Winters' "rookie" card.

Neat idea for a thread. I'm not sure a store membership card is a trading card. It's definitely oddball. Do people collect membership cards? I've seen used/expired gift cards for sale on eBay so presumably someone collects those.

Yeah, it's not a trading card but it seems to be more collectible than the average membership card. I bought the one shown maybe 20 years ago just because I couldn't think of any other card with Jonathan Winters on it at the time. I checked Ebay and see a few others, a couple of related stickers, and a hopefully-priced sign. One card sold somewhere under $6 on Feb 2.

I've got a Toys R Us Star Wars Gold Card which presumably back when it was released would have given me money off stuff.

Now it's just an oddball card.

I think its rather hard to point out singular oddball cards that would be of general interest. The one recently discussed in other threads was the Bernie Kopell A2 autograph card from the RA Get Smart product that wasn't made. Other singularities are more likely to be obscure promos or gym passes.

The topic of oddball cards can be opened up to also talk about non-mainstream products that maybe came from the 90s or earlier, which perhaps newer card collectors have never heard about. In many ways some of the smaller non-sport card sets of the 90s were more diverse and took more risks than they do today.

I would submit 1993's Clive Barker's Box of Blood in the original box, containing both his and the artist's autograph cards, as an example. A very strange illustrated card set based on one of Barker's very strange short stories. For mature buyers, there were a few hundred made and the price has gone up.

Also certain relics or props from mainstream products could be identified as oddball because of the nature and look of the the item, even though they are mainstream cards. Breygent had very odd relic cards in titles like The Tudors, Dexter and Grimm. Some of the jewelry pieces are unique, less so the nuts and bolts from weapons.

So oddball cards are a matter of opinion and I think anything that looks unique or stands out is oddball. However there should be some expectation of basic demand for it or else oddball is just so much more junk.

I have a card set from the 1990s, can't recall the name of it. Cards are all see through plastic and they came in a pouch with a plastic snap on it that looks like a pocket of a raincoat.

From what I remember, the cards all depict guys doing stunts on skateboards, some kind of extreme sports card set.

I will dig it out one of these days to find out the name of it.

Yes, I meant to add that I was also thinking about various small manufacturer sets that haven't made the guides especially all those from the 90's. There were 8-10-card sets that were for sale that only a few dealers even knew about. Maybe some of them were local interest and most were limited-interest but others tried to appeal to a general audience but it was tough to get the kind of visibility that is more possible now.

An oddball card doesn't have to be in-demand and that's part of the point. It's the card or set that you've never heard about or you've heard about but never seen. It's not on your want list, but when you see it, you think it's kind of cool or perhaps you just wonder where it came from.

Jess

quote:

Originally posted by Raven:
I think its rather hard to point out singular oddball cards that would be of general interest. The one recently discussed in other threads was the Bernie Kopell A2 autograph card from the RA Get Smart product that wasn't made. Other singularities are more likely to be obscure promos or gym passes.

The topic of oddball cards can be opened up to also talk about non-mainstream products that maybe came from the 90s or earlier, which perhaps newer card collectors have never heard about. In many ways some of the smaller non-sport card sets of the 90s were more diverse and took more risks than they do today.

So oddball cards are a matter of opinion and I think anything that looks unique or stands out is oddball. However there should be some expectation of basic demand for it or else oddball is just so much more junk.

Oddball cards are the best. That is all!

I enjoy oddball cards and sets there are so many out there yet many can be tough to find, I love looking for these hard to find cards. It keeps the hobby fun!

I like the preview or test sets that RA put out in the early days. Muppets, First Wave, Black Scorpion, Planet of Apes, etc.

Recently picked up a 36 card Spinal Tap set I think is pretty cool.

I thought I'd share a link to my Oddball page. With all my pretty pretty oddball cards. (Not for sale, MY BABIES!)

https://jklm.net/startrekcards...all-star-trek-cards/

Hi Lynne,

I've checked out your oddball cards a few times - great stuff, tough to find things not in those listings.

Jess

quote:

Originally posted by STCardGeek:
I thought I'd share a link to my Oddball page. With all my pretty pretty oddball cards. (Not for sale, MY BABIES!)

https://jklm.net/startrekcards...all-star-trek-cards/

The 90's was a great time for oddball cards. There were things in the craziest places!

Great idea for a thread. I'm sure there are a lot of oddball cards

I have not seen all of them yet

WOW i knew that there was a lot of Trek stuff ,
but who could of imagined that all this stuff was available
And this is only in card style format

I agree.
That is an INCREDIBLE Star Trek collection!
I poured through my binders to see if I had something to add to it, and maybe, just maybe, this, which I think is a phone card:

First of all, I love the idea of people pouring through the binders trying to find something I don't have. How else will I find things!
Alas, that one is there under phone card, though it's not really a phone card, I suppose.
I am going to include my want list here since it's mostly oddball stuff, however this is for informational purposes only as I think it shows what is challenging to find! I am not trying to solicit on NSU!

https://jklm.net/startrekcards.../lynnes-wanted-list/

This one looks like a baseball card and it was even printed by Topps but when you looked at the back, you'd see it has a birth and death notice. It's actually the funeral card of John James "Red" Walsh who played minor league baseball in his youth and remained a student of the game the rest of his life. After his passing, his family liked the idea of having his funeral card printed like a baseball card - something Red would have approved of.

Funeral cards usually have a religious image on the front but the family can select from a wider range of images such as landscapes and nature scenes. I had heard some families choose to be more creative but this was the first one I'd seen in person.

quote:

Originally posted by STCardGeek:

I am going to include my want list here since it's mostly oddball stuff, however this is for informational purposes only as I think it shows what is challenging to find! I am not trying to solicit on NSU!
https://jklm.net/startrekcards.../lynnes-wanted-list/

I have a couple of cards/sets apparently not pictured. Do you consider irregular sized ST issues as belonging to your list?

https://i.postimg.cc/qq4KQHDf/ST-IMAGE-17.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/KYh8trsw/ST-IMAGE-16.jpg

https://i.postimg.cc/0j1pKw1C/ST-IMAGE-5.jpg

This message has been edited. Last edited by: promoking,

Things get messy when something crosses more than one category. The Hostess cards are listed under "misc SkyBox' cards, and the Christie's are under stickers. I should really put the Hostess back in the food section.