I am picking up where I left off with my top 25 A's cards list that I began a few days ago by showing cards 25-21. I will continue to show each part of the countdown 5 cards at a time, all leading up to cards 5-1 which will bring the list to an end.
The major theme that makes this part stand out is the slight difference in uniforms. Each card features a colorful A's jersey and each one is actually slightly different from different colored sleeves to the color of the A itself on the front of the jersey Those smaller features help each card to stand out just like the A's themselves do.
Now, here are cards 20-16 on the list. I hope you enjoy.
#20 1982 Topps Traded #64T Dave Lopes
Before given the name Topps Update, Topps Traded was the name used to describe the set that featured players who had been traded to different teams throughout the season, but not in time to be included in the Topps base set. With 4 vastly different cards from this set to choose from, it was had to decide on one that I liked the best, however, the one that I kept going back to was Dave Lopes. Davey was traded from the Dodgers to the A's in February of 1982 for Lance Hudson, a minor leaguer who I believe never made it to the major leagues. Lopes still looks great in an A's jersey in spite of all of this. They were still wearing the bright jerseys when 1982 came along and the green on his jersey perfectly matches the green on the "hockey sticks" along the side of the card. This was the 2nd year of Topps Traded and before it became the mess it is today, it was actually a pretty good set. They even made the card backs red to differentiate themselves from Topps flagship which is a small detail that I like. All of these details come together and create one of my favorite A's cards ever and one certainly worthy of the list.
#19 2014 Topps Opening Day #92 Coco Crisp
The only reason this card made the list over the flagship card is the opening day banner, seriously that's it. Anyway, this Coco Crisp card is the absolute perfect example of a card that is able to take you back to a certain time. The big afro and colorful jersey and shirt cause me to think that this picture was taken in the late 70's or early 80's rather than in 2014. The sunglasses add to that effect as this card truly resembles a card that you would've seen in a set 30-40 years before 2014 Topps Opening Day came out. Crisp has been a favorite player of mine, even after he hit a home run that ended up eliminating the Red Sox in the 2016 ALDS. Crisp has played for some of my favorite teams in the Red Sox and A's and showed extreme dedication to Oakland by playing there for 7 years. Coco hit 304 of his 639 career RBI for Oakland during his time there. This card, like Crisp and his career, can be summed up as something different and something you don't usually see. That's something I like in a card and a player which is why I had to include this card.
#18 1990 Swell Baseball Greats #65 Rick Monday
This is the first of a few unconventional sets to appear on this countdown as the 1990 Swell Rick Monday takes the number 18 spot. Lots of things stand out to me in this card, but one of the best features is the fact that Swell chose to showcase Monday on the A's rather than the Cubs or Dodgers. It can really be a toss-up for what team to include Monday on considering he spent about equal time for the A's, Cubs, and Dodgers, but the wise decision to pair a picture of him on Oakland with the yellow and red theme that Swell went for in 1990 was a decision that helped create one truly stunning card. The photo of Rick appears to be from the late 60's or early 70's which was the early years of the Oakland Athletics. He played for the A's franchise for 6 years before joining the Cubs and later the Dodgers before retiring in 1984. Swell made a great choice and paid tribute to Rick Monday 6 years after he retired, proof that you don't have to be a superstar to be featured in sets as a retired player.
#17 1990 Pacific Baseball Legends #4 Sal Bando
The thing that strikes me the most about this card is the green and yellow striped socks. I guess when you play for the A's everything you wear has to be colorful, even the socks. Those crazy features along with the nice action shot they got of 3rd baseman Sal Bando swinging the bat is what makes this card so great. Bando was a key part of the A's' dynasty that won 3 World Championships in a row. He played 11 years for the A's and hit .255 during his time there with nearly 800 RBI. Bando was a 4-time all-star and even finished 2nd in MVP voting in 1971, losing to his teammate and a player you'll see later on this list Vida Blue. And while the borders and base set is nothing too exciting, it's the stunning picture of Bando that I like the most. Therefore I am able to look past the boring set design and put this card in the countdown.
#16 1966 Topps #175 Bert Campaneris
The final card in this part of the list is also one of the oldest cards on this list. This picture of Campaneris is by far what lead me to include it on the list as it is the same photo used in the 1967 Topps Pin-Up Posters. The familiar sight of Campy holding the bat as if he's going for a bunt was something that immediately told me "I need to put this card on the list." Unlike the Bando card, this set design actually helps make the card what it is. The purple banners actually fit the card perfectly and I believe the color goes great with the green on the A's jersey. The background is some stadium, however, it's far too blurry for me to know where it is. Still, it adds another good element to a card that is loaded with them. That's why, due to how each element of this card is pretty solid, this card was able to make it this high up on the list.
I'm going to try to post these every other day, so expect the next part of the list to come out on Thursday with 5 more cards in spots 15-11.
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