What happened to the Baseball Card nobody wanted?
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In 1987 a young entrepreneur from Los Angeles named James Mims wrote to Topps with an idea. Having collected baseball cards himself, he was well familiar with the various mail-in offers and promotions Topps often advertised on wrappers.
With collectors able to redeem wrappers for prizes such as card storage lockers, glossy all-star sets, and team checklists, why not add his own line of products to the mix? Unfortunately, as Mims reported on the "Talent Chasing" podcast, Topps was not interested.
Now, mind you, Topps sent me a Dear John [rejection] letter in 1987 when I tried to go get in a deal with Topps to say, if you send in five of these wrappers, you can get one of these...They sent me a Dear John letter, you know, no, we're not interested because you're not licensed by Major League Baseball.James Mims
The products in question were wristbands, long a staple of big leaguers and little leaguers alike, but the wristbands Mims produced had a twist. They featured the likeness and facsimile signatures of actual major leaguers. What's more, Mims' bands, which he dubbed Mimsbandz, were already being worn by top stars Ozzie Smith, Tony Gwynn, and Eric Davis, among others.
Fast forward more than three decades to the Topps online release known as Project 70, a set "too big NOT to fail" that rode in on the frayed and immediately passé Project 2020 of the prior year. From the moment the release was announced, the cards seemed doomed.
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With collectors and dealers struggling to sell their Project 2020 wares for even half the sticker price, the decision to expand the offering to 51 artists and 1020 cards seemed, to say the least, ambitious. Still, the Project had its share of successes, including debut sets from breakout artists Lauren Taylor and Alex Pardee.
Also making his Topps debut with Project 70 was James Mims, whose Mimsbandz were now ubiquitous across Major League Baseball, particularly among the game's Black players. For his first couple "drops," Mims paid tribute to the now iconic player apparel with cards that featured nothing more than the wristbands themselves.
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Still, as unique and historic as the cards were, they were largely dead on arrival, mired in a release that was hemorrhaging collector interest by the day. The print run trendline for the first four Mims cards told the story of the Project itself:
- Tony Gwynn: 2713
- Ozzie Smith: 1782
- Matt Kemp: 1116
- Gary Sheffield: 920
Consequently, there was one Mims card that was particularly doomed to fail, just as it would for nearly every other artist in the set. Rather than focus on a player, each artist was required to pay homage to a Topps set of the past by lending their artistic stylings to the set's...umm...wrapper?! Good luck with that one, artists!
Not surprisingly, the wrapper cards were among the least popular of the offering. After all, what collector is looking to spend $19.99 plus shipping on a card with no player, no rookie card logo, no team, and often only a modicum of creativity? Still, despite a print run of 645 that placed it in the bottom 5% of all cards produced, the Mims wrapper may well be the sleeper highlight of the set.
At first glance, there's not much there. On the surface, the card looks more or less like a 1986 Topps wax wrapper in the form of a wristband, which is of course what it is. On closer inspection, however, there is the special offer to "Win a Free Mimsbandz." This is of course the very idea Mims pitched to Topps 35 years earlier, only to be rebuffed.
Fittingly, right next to the offer, is a Mimsbandz featuring none other than Mims himself, along with his signature and some advice for collectors and non-collectors alike. The advice came in the form of three simple words worth far more than $19.99 plus shipping to anyone with a good idea and a dream: "NEVER GIVE UP."
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.