Next up on Eight Bucks Worth of Orioles are highlights of my cards from Leaf. It turns out, I've already posted a Leaf card and didn't even realise it. That Jerry Adair card that I had no idea about is actually a 1960 Leaf (thanks, Adam!), and the second-oldest card in my collection. Sometimes you get lucky, and the person who sells you the stuff doesn't know what they have. Of course, sometimes you don't know, either!

Here's that Jerry Adair card again, now posted in its "correct" place:

On to some more recent Leaf cards. Here are a pair of 50th anniversary cards from 1998. There were actually about five in the lot, but I chose these two in particular.


Eric Davis was selected...well, I hope I don't need to explain why! In the late '80s, when I was old enough to start following baseball religiously and actually have a clue what was going on, ED was the man for the Reds. He will always give me fond memories, and I was glad to see him revive his career with the Orioles.

Mike Mussina, on the other hand...well, to this day I still can't believe he signed with the Yankees. It seemed like a cruel joke when I heard the news. And yet, I still can't help but like the guy. Let's move on.


Oh Jeffrey, Jeffrey, Jeffrey. You were supposed to be the one. The next great Oriole outfielder. What happened to you? Maybe it's because your parents misspelled your name.

I like the full-bleed photography on the card (that's what it's called when the picture goes all the way to the edge and there's no border, right?) I'm a big fan of full-bleed (man I hope that's the right term and I don't end up looking like an idiot).

Finally, let's end this post with a bang. How about some Ripkens?


There were plenty of Leaf Ripkens in the pile (at least four or five). I picked the '91 Studio card because of the black-and-white photography. I think that black-and-white photos, when done well, can be absolutely stunning. I love how this photo, even without color, still captures Cal's famous steely-blue eyes.

There's also a lot to like about the '93 Studio. Full-bleed design. A shiny (albeit replica) autograph. The fact that it's a Cal Ripken card. But the best part is the prominent nature of the best name of any logo in professional sports history, The Ornithologically Correct Bird.

Yes, it was sad to see the (cartoon) Bird go from the caps. But the '80s were nearly at an end, and the '90s ushered a new era of seriousness. But an organisation as classy as the Orioles couldn't just call the new logo a "lifelike" bird. Oh no, that wouldn't do. So a dictionary was consulted. And the 13-year-old me learned a new word.

Don't believe me on the logo name? Here's the proof.