Cardboard Masterpieces, Pt. 8

1973 Topps #627 Luis Alvarado

In the world of baseball cards, repetition is fairly common.

The same action shots, the same style pitching poses, etc. While it's not all bad, it's refreshing to see a card company use a shot that's not often used or is just plain odd. It makes the card unique in its own right.

That's exactly what we have here.

This is one of those cards that I never knew existed until I became a part of the blogosphere. I'm pretty sure this was the first time I was introduced to it. 

1973 Topps is an odd set in itself. Weird angles on action shots, odd tidbits on the back of the card, and even photos where I'm not sure what the heck is going on.

But when you're talking '73 Topps, Luis Alvarado is the "king of odd".

I'm still not sure who Luis Alvarado is, but that's irrelevant when recognizing the greatness of this card.

First off, there's the controversy on who exactly the player or coach wearing #38 is. Even after some extensive research by Night Owl and other commenters on his post (that I linked earlier), no one's been able to figure it out.

It's a mystery.

But what makes this card so awesome is the "used car lot" backdrop, even though I've never had much of an interest in cars. It makes the card odd, unique, and great, all at the same time.

I've never seen another card that's anything like this one.

Seeing that it was a high-number from the '73 Topps set made me think it might be difficult to acquire.

But I was wrong. I managed to snag this copy from "the best quarter box on the planet" a few months ago. 

A few months ago, I probably would've passed this card up, lumping it in with all the other no-namers and tired poses found in most '70s Topps sets. But that's another way the blogosphere has changed the way I collect. 

It's introduced me to another world of great baseball cards, just waiting to be discovered.