A Post with no Name

As I sat watching the World Series I remembered I picked up a card a few months ago that I meant to post about, but didn’t. It is an All-Star Fan Fest Card-I will keep you in suspense for the time being.

I wondered when were the first All-Star Fan Fest Cards issued. A search of The Trading Card Database gives 1991 as the first. The 1991 Mid-Summer Classic was held at the Sky Dome in Toronto and for which Petro Canada issued 26 cards-sans photos for each of the players. As the photos indicate, they were very simple. So there you have it-the First Fan Fest Cards. **Correction-Reader Angus pointed out the Petro cards DO have photos inside. Actually they are really nice and well done-will find a few of these. Thank you Angus!

Upper Deck for the 1992 game in San Diego issued 54 cards to mark the event-and even had a gold parallel version of each.

After skipping 1993 and 1994, 1995 saw Pinnacle issue a 30-card set and because it was held in Arlington, TX a special Nolan Ryan set. Pinnacle issued a 30-card set for the game in Philly in 1996.  As with the previous year another set was issued for volunteers-players and non-players, and another set dedicated to Steve Carlton.

For the 1997 game, again Pinnacle issued a Fan Fest set (No Redbirds); the set also included non-player insert cards. Pinnacle also issued a set of 7 promo cards.

The 1998 game was played in Coors Field and the cards issued for that event consisted of 5 cards; one each from Topps, Fleer, Upper Deck, Pinnacle, and Donruss-and I am not sure why, because frankly I don’t remember why-but the set commemorates Cardinal Lou Brock. Nice looking set of cards. We have the Upper Deck one but I haven't picked up the others yet.

For the next year’s game Pacific would issue a set of 21 cards. No cards issued in 2000, and for 2001 affair a MLB Showdown Promo set of 6 were issued.  In 2001, the game was held in Milwaukee and one of the most attractive All-Star Fan Fest Card sets were issued. I mean these really pop.  There was also a wrapper redemption set of 4.

Playoff Prestige, one of my favorite card lines, issued a 144 set of Playoff Portraits FanFest Green cards-another attractive set from Playoff.

After skipping 2004, 2005 would see two Fan Fest card sets issued for the Classic in Detroit. One contained 9 cards from various producers-Topps, Upper Deck, and Donruss. The two cards of Tigers in this set-Ivan Rodriguez and Dmitri Young were jersey cards. Topps would also issue a 5-card set specifically of Tigers.

Not until 2010 would we see another Fan Fast edition. Now I don’t know if the 5 cards with manu relics were issued at the Fan Fest. Then not again until 2012 would we see another set-this one 6 cards plus anther 4 Fan Fest patch cards-again not sure if there were for the actual Fan Fest or not.

In 2014 there would be 7 cards issued by Topps for the game in KC. Again another issue of patch cards.  Because Kris Bryant went to University of San Diego-one card was issued for the game at Petco Park in San Diego-a pretty cool one.

OK, OK so what is the card led me on this long Fan Fest Card sets? A 1996 Phillies All-Star Game Fan Fest Steve Carlton Rookie Reprint. The only card of the 5 cards that have Steve as a Redbird. The reverse is weird since it has him as a Philly. I posted this without a title at first-hence A Post with no Name.