I love the Philadelphia Phillies.

I mean, as a Cubs fan, how could I not love them for going through with one of the most uneven trades in MLB history? Before the 1982 Season, the Phillies traded Ryne Sandberg and Larry Bowa to the Cubs for Ivan DeJesus and the rest is history.

I don’t have a ton of Sandberg cards, but I wanted to take a minute and share a few of the best Ryne Sandberg cards in my collection. These five cards aren’t necessarily the most expensive Sandberg’s I own, but sometimes there is more to cards than money!

My connection to the Cubbies started in 1986, and as a infield playing little leaguer, the 2nd basemen for my favorite team immediately drew me in. Sandberg quickly became my favorite player and I began adding his cards to my collection.

1985 Donruss Diamond Kings #1

Even though Ryne Sandberg made his MLB debut in 1981 and then again played 156 games in 1982, he didn’t make his debut on an MLB card until the 1983 Season. Topps, Donruss, and Fleer all included him in their flagship sets. I love those three rookie cards (check them out here on eBay), but this 1985 Donruss Diamond Kings card is the earliest I’m including on my list.

The Diamond Kings were one of the first subsets I chased as a kid. The artwork from Dick Perez is legendary in the trading card world, and when I had a chance to sit down with him for an interview in 2023, a childhood dream came true! The primary portrait combining with the classic pinstripes on the smaller inset figure in the lower left make this one of my favorites.

1993 Topps Finest #105

The Junk Wax Era saw card manufacturers take several steps forward in sports card technology, and it started with a more crisp card stock when 1989 Upper Deck hit the shelves. It took another leap with glossy full bleed Kodak photography in 1991 Stadium Club, but you could argue that baseball cards would never be the same after Topps introduced the baseball card hobby to chromium cards with 1993 Finest(eBay link).

I’m lucky to have a 1993 Topps Finest complete set in my PC, and the Sandberg is part of the iconic All-Stars subset. These early chrome cards laid the foundation for the shiny parallel love fest we see in the modern hobby. I don’t overly emphasize chrome and shiny cards in my collection, but in my opinion, having some of the first chrome cards in the industry is a great way to capture a piece of hobby history.

1993 Triple Play Nicknames #3

The Donruss Triple Play brand debuted in the 1992 season as a “kid focused” set. It returned in 1993 and added the “Nicknames” insert set as a chase. Sandberg’s “Ryno” nickname earned him a spot in the 10 card insert set.

One of the things I like about this card is the use of rainbow foil for the name. The use of foil was a relatively new addition to cards, and Triple Play joined the club with this set.

I love the flip down sun glasses and by the time high school rolled around, I was mimicking the batting glove inside the fielding glove technique!

In this collector’s opinion, this is one of the best .05 cards money can buy!

1992 Score #200

The 1992 Score set is peak junk wax era.

Overall, I’m not a huge fan of the set because of how the side color gradient takes up about 25% of the card. I’d much rather have the photo be all the way across.

That being said, I really like this card. I’m a sucker for full logos on cards. I’m also a fan of mid-swing photos because of the sense of power that just pops off the card. The only thing that could be better is if it was a split second later and captured the moment the bat connects with the ball.

Other than that color bar on the right, this card has everything I like in a card: Great Photo, Player Name, Team Logo, Position, Card Brand and Year.

1986 Donruss #67

1986 Donruss is probably most known for having the Jose Canseco Rated Rookie card. That card is classic, but I like this Ryne Sandberg card better.

The nine time Gold Glove winning 2nd baseman is actively fielding a ground ball and his throwing hand is ready to smother and throw.

Another thing I like about this photo is the classic stirrups. I remember back in my high school days when our team used to devote a portion of a high school practice each season to teach the freshman how to properly put them on so they wouldn’t slide down a half inning into the game.

Wrapping it Up

None of these cards are expensive. Unless you are buying highly graded cards, all five of these can be purchased for under a buck or two. Even though they are cheap, I hope I was able to share why they are valuable to me.

I am a strong proponent for combining both the collecting and business sides of the hobby. While flipping is an important part of the hobby ecosystem, those who are solely into cards for the business side often miss the connection to cards that go beyond the monetary value cards have.

Do you have a “cheap” card in your collection that is meaningful to you? One that tells a story because of the player or photo? Let me know in the comments below!

If you liked this article, you might enjoy this blog post where I outlined several other cards which have a connection to my past!