lineup card questions

[Qstick333]

As I get deeper and deeper into my fascination with the game-used aspect of collecting, I am thinking I might try to collect lineup cards as well. What is the overall size of a lineup card? Is there a fair market value for cards that are not representative of a signifigant event on the field?

My other questions are regarding protection fo the card and displaying it. What is the preferred method of display - framing? I assume the cards are written in Sharpie(?), do you need some form of UV protection for the card? Am I way overthinking this :-)


Sorry for all the questions, I appreciate any input. I cannot tell you how much I have enjoyed reading through the past posts - definately a great learning experience.

Zach

[geoff]

I own 2 lineup cards that i bought when i went up to see the Phillies play this past summer and i have them in protective holders taped up so that no air or dust gets too them.But framing them is a good idea that i might do in the future.Good luck Geoff

[Qstick333]

Hi Geoff -

Thanks for teh reply - if you get a minute can you measure and tell me the overall size of the lineup cards?

Thanks,

Zach

[geoff]

18 by 11 inches with the plastic case .

[samc117]

Line up cards have become an interesting collectible because it's unclear what the lineup card is. In recent years MLB has developed these large cards which post the lineup in the clubhouse and are later taken to the dugout. But in addition there is the card that the manager holds onto and marks and trades with the opposing manager. These seem like the more game used collectible as they are used by the manager while the larger card is just taped to the dugout wall. I'm interested to see what others have to say about this. MLB seems to have totally disregarded the managers card as you never see one in their MLB auctions.

[thomecollector]

I have a couple as well. One is from Jim Thome's 300th HR game. Signed by Ron gardenhire of the Twins. It is framed, and matted. I also included a ticket from that game. The other is from last season. not framed yet.

[pietraynor]

I have several cards, mostly from the Indians..What I like about them is they are date-specific, relating to what happened in a specific game/time. I like to get them signed by players, then matted/framed..The Mother's Day (pink/breast cancer) & Father's Day (blue) versions add a little variety. One of my favorites came directly from the Indians from Grady Sizemore's 1st MLB Game..He was a late-inning replacement in the OF, I had him sign it "1st MLB Game"..I'm a big E. Murray fan, would love to have the lineup card from his 1st game! Will try & scan a couple cards..Jay

[012562]

Hi Zach,

I have been collecting the dugout lineup cards since 1977 when I was attending junior high school. One day I met a visiting batboy who told me he worked at Anaheim Stadium, and he instructed me to come down after the game and he would give me the lineup card. I really did not know what to expect, although I knew the lineup cards were something on the dugout walls. Next to the dugout after the game, he quickly handed me the White Sox lineup card, which was folded in half. Among many other game used items, I have collected these dugout wall lineup cards since that time and have accumulated a couple hundred by asking players, coaches, and other staff like security guards and grounds crew members still in the dugouts after the games, and also by purchasing them from many other sources.

For the purposes of this post, I am only talking about the dugout lineup cards and not the smaller paper lineup cards that are traded by the coaches, managers, and umpires at homeplate prior to the game.

I do not know the definitive history of the dugout lineup cards. My knowledge is mostly just anecdotal and from personal experience. I see them sell most frequently now for $10 to $50 for regular games. They can be purchased at some big league ballparks, through on line auctions like eBay, and at card shows.

At The National Convention this past year in Anaheim, there was one seller with about 20 assorted Minnesota Twins cards from the mid 1990's for $10 to $20 each, and they were not drawing any attention. Over the years, I have sometimes found them in groups like this Twins lot, since somebody (most likely a batboy or clubhouse staff member) will collect them and then get rid of them all at once. I obtained a large lot of cards from a Padres visiting clubhouse staff member in the early 1980's for a couple dollars each.

Prior to about 2002 when I started to see the large cards that are very similar to the cards currently used, there were all kinds of sizes and various paper materials used. Perhaps each team printed up their own versions of the lineup cards since there seems to be no consistency in the printing styles on the cards. A few of the cards are even printed on regular paper. However, most of them are on a medium or light weight white cardboard. Some of the cards have come in various colors over the years, such as the A's in light yellow and the Pirates in a goldenrod color. I just took a real quick look at a few I have, and some of the sizes I have are 6 1/2" x 11" from the 1970's, 11" x 14" from the late 1970's and early 1980's, 8 1/2" x 14" from the 1980's and 1990's, and 11" x 17" from the 1990's to recent years. This is by no means an exhaustive list of sizes. There are many others.

I always wanted to get at least one from each team. This was not an easy task with the longstanding popularity of teams like the Yankees. One of the great attributes of the cards is if you can match up the writing of a manager to the cards. For example, the writing of both Gene Mauch and Tommy Lasorda were unique to me, so it is interesting to see the cards they filled out.

Most often the cards have some kind of bending or creases or damage. Some even have spit tobacco stains. If there was rain or moisture, the inks sometimes have run. All kinds of pens were used: Markers, ballpoint, red, blue, black, thick pens, thin pens, block letters, cursive writing, it's all there. Most are taped to the dugout wall with athletic tape, so sometimes they have the tape folded over or just torn off, leaving the cardboard surface missing from the edges or corners, sometimes impacting the writing. Torn off corners are frequently seen. More recently, I have seen many of the cards with pin holes in the corners. There must be corkboards in the dugouts now.

Many of the older lineup cards did not have dates added when they were filled out. Trying to research which game they were from can take some time.

Maybe some of the forum members can comment on how many of the cards are issued now for each team from each game. While visiting Cleveland for a game in 2005, they had a nice selection of the cards available in their souvenir store for about $25 or $30 if I recall correctly. However, there were two cards for one of the games that were filled out exactly the same. They had the same information, and were not photocopies. They were both filled out by hand. I believe they were Indians cards for a road game. One of the cards had player names crossed out to indicate it was marked on as the game progressed. The other had no marks. Why would they make up two cards for one game, both from one team? I purchased these two cards just to have them as examples. I also purchased one of the Father's Day or Mother's Day special cards. I also have cards with Opening Night or Opening Series logos from other teams, all from the past few years.

The lineup cards can be found with player autographs since people try to get them signed after the game. However, these usually look messy since the players sign next to their names written on the cards when they were originally filled out, sign next to other players names, sign on the borders, sign on top of the writing from the manager or coach, or even sign on the back. They use different pens, and are never complete with all the signatures of the players named on the card. I have seen many with 5-10 signatures, and that is all. If the reserves are listed and both teams are listed, at least 50 autographs would be needed to make the card complete, and even more if you get the managers or coaches to sign.

My lineup cards are all just in piles in boxes in a dark room except for a few exceptions from the late 1970's when I would frame them up with the boxscore from the game and my ticket stub (these are in boxes too). I cannot comment on the best way to display them. Light is always a concern to me with anything that has writing on it due to fading.

If you have access to the minor leagues or spring training, those can be sources for free lineup cards off the dugout walls since they are sometimes overlooked at those venues. I have acquired lineup cards when there was literally nobody left in the ballparks except the grounds crew members. They just get left on the walls.

Hope this information is helpful!

Tom Duino