UGLIEST BASEBALL CARDS

While baseball cards are cherished collectibles that memorialize great players and memorable moments, not all cards are considered beautiful works of art. Some stand out as downright ugly due to poor designs, bizarre photos, or just unfashionable styles that didn’t age well. For enthusiasts who love the humor in warts-and-all nostalgia, ugly baseball cards can bring amusement. Here are some of the ugliest cards that were made over the decades:

1954 Topps Card #1 – Mickey Mantle: This is generally cited as one of the strangest and most unflattering baseball cards ever made. The iconic Mantle is pictured from head-to-toe with an odd stance, but the bizarre thing is his giant rounded head that seems pasted atop his body. It looks downright odd and earned this Mantle rookie card notoriety as one of the weirdest in design.

1972 Topps #132 – Rollie Fingers: The Handlebar Mustache pitcher earns a spot for his ghastly expression, with his eyes nearly shut and mouth agape like he’s terrified. The blue and yellow color scheme only amplifies the sheer strangeness of Fingers’ wide-eyed look. It’s as if he was having a nightmare when the photo was snapped.

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1976 SSPC #339 – Rich “Goose” Gossage: With his hair sticking up in a blown-back style and ominous glare, Gossage looks absolutely mad in his card photo. Add in the drab brown and mustard yellow uniform with odd pinstripes, and you have a perfect storm of ugly. It’s become a cult favorite for collectors looking for bizarrely ugly finds.

1977 Topps Traded #21T – Bill Lee: Best known as “Spaceman” for his eccentric personality, Lee’s card captures his true weirdness. His face is squeezed into the front of the photo with an expression that’s hard to read. Combined with a messy brown and yellow style lacking any team logo, it’s no surprise this card often makes ugly lists.

1982 Donruss #150T – Willie Aikens: Aikens stares downright disturbing in this close-up shot with his eyes nearly popping out and lips strangely curled. The drab blue and yellow color combo does nothing to help, and it became known as one of the most shocking ugly finds from the early ’80s era.

1992 Donruss #319 – Darren Daulton: Big players with bigger chins and odd faces sometimes don’t photograph well, as shown here with the former Phillies catcher. Daulton appears to be grimacing in pain or anger in this bizarre close-cropped photo that cuts off at his neck. Just an unfortunate and ugly memory captured.

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1994 Upper Deck #361 – David Wells: Perhaps the posture and cigarette take this over the top, but “Boomer” looks decidedly unhealthy or unwell in this odd shot. Combined with the dull yellow and blue backdrop, it adds up to a very bizarre baseball card that stands out as extremely odd if not downright ugly.

1995 Leaf #288 – Sid Bream: By itself, the facial expression on Bream’s cardboard version isn’t that awful, but it’s the execution that makes this card a true turd. Surrounded by an ugly brown and teal color palette that swallows him up tiny, combined with odd swirls, it’s easy to see why this rates among the ugliest ever made.

2002 Upper Deck Vintage #149 – George Brett: This shot of Brett sporting a vintage KC A’s jersey would seem like a nostalgic nod, but the execution is terrible. He’s cut off at the knees with a strange blue backdrop and facial close-up making him look distressed or ill at ease. The overall design is lazy and amateurish for an Upper Deck product.

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2016 Topps #569 – Bartolo Colon: At this point, most people assume any image of the massive Colon will be amusing at worst, but this one takes the cake. Shot from below, he fills the whole square space and appears angry or constipated trying to exhale. The dull red background does nothing for the unflattering weirdness of this Colon close-up that had to be one of 2016’s biggest eyesores in design.

Those represent some of the oddest and downright ugliest baseball cards ever produced over the decades. While not all ugly cards can be attributed to poor photography or bizarre facial expressions alone, sometimes designs, color schemes, and just execution combine for a true abomination on cardboard. Collectors still value these ugly ducklings today though for their humor, nostalgia, and ability to spark conversation about the evolution of baseball card art over the years.

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