Mike Lansing Baseball Card History and Collection
Mike Lansing had a 15-year career in Major League Baseball spanning from 1991-2005. The slick fielding second baseman was known primarily for his defensive skills but was a reliable contributor with the bat as well over his career. As a result of his lengthy MLB tenure, Lansing has numerous baseball cards from the major card manufacturers spanning his playing days. Let’s take an in-depth look at Mike Lansing’s baseball card history and some of the prized cards in his collection.
Lansing’s rookie cards came in 1991 after debuting with the Detroit Tigers late that season. The flagship rookie cards include a 1991 Fleer card #602 and a 1991 Score Rookie/Traded card #643. Both captured Lansing in his debut Tigers uniform and provided collectors their first glimpse of the young second baseman on cardboard. These rookie cards hold significant value for any Lansing PC builder given their significance in commemorating his MLB starting point.
In 1992, Lansing broke out as Detroit’s primary second baseman and garnered increased card coverage. Top issues that year included a 1992 Donruss Diamond Kings #206 sketch card featuring an illustrated portrait of Lansing. The prized 1992 Upper Deck #222 showed Lansing in action and captured the definitive image of his early Tigers tenure. Both remain highly sought after by collectors two decades later.
Trades would take Lansing to new teams and thus new uniforms on his cards over the years. In 1996, he was dealt from Detroit to the Colorado Rockies. This prompted rare Rockies debut cards including a 1996 Studio #58 and Topps #582 traded issue. For collectors chasing a full career set, these debut Rockies cards are important additions.
Lansing enjoyed his most productive MLB seasons with the Rockies from 1996-1999, appearing in over 100 games each year. Highlights of his Rockies period include ultrarare Premier League #74 parallel signature card from 1997 and a coveted 1998 Finest Refractors parallel insert #91 showing off in the purple Rockies duds. Cards from this productive period resonate well with fans of his underrated Rockies career.
Early 2000s cards captured Lansing in a Dodgers uniform after being dealt to LA before the 2000 season. This included flagship rookies for burgeoning talents like Shawn Green and Paul Lo Duca who were teammates of Lansing in Dodger Blue. Later in his career, Lansing also donned the uniforms of the Toronto Blue Jays and St. Louis Cardinals for a season each, yielding a handful of memorable late-career issues in those final duds.
Post-playing cards for Lansing have ranged from specialized insert sets to prestigious awards-based issues. A 2008 Finest Greatest Hits parallel ranks among the most visually striking in this category with its elegant design. Lansing was also featured amongst Alumni in the popular 2012 Topps Tribute set alongside other retired second base greats. Collectors seeking a single card to commemorate Lansing’s career often gravitate to such prestigious post-career issues.
In summary, Mike Lansing’s 15-year MLB tenure resulted in a deep history captured on baseball cards across many manufacturers, teams, and stages of his career. While not a true superstar, Lansing’s consistent defensive wizardry and reliability at the plate etched him into the card collections of many fans during his playing days. For those constructing a complete Lansing collection today, it’s a treat to browse the vast array of cards commemorating each page of his memorable big league journal. With rarities still emerging decades later, his card story continues to unfold for dedicated collectors.
