One certain thing about the 1995 baseball season is that there will be trading cards and they will be available by mid-December.
Topps is putting gold foil on its flagship line, and Fleer and Donruss are cutting the size of their sets.
For its 44th season, Topps more than brings its cards into the future with foil stamping.
The 400 cards of its SpectraLight insert set have all-foil fronts with the players silhouetted over the foil -- and the stats on the back are computer extrapolations of what might have happened had the 1994 season been completed.
Other inserts include Stadium Club First Day cards and a sweepstakes. Each 15-card pack has one SpectraLight card. There are 396 cards in the first series, same as last season.
Card No. 3 honors Babe Ruth's 100th birthday, and Dave Winfield is shown in a Cleveland Indians uniform.
Fleer is again going with a single series but is cutting it from 720 to 600 cards. The set's new look features a different design for each division.
There are 116 insert cards, and each 12- and 18-card pack will again have an insert card. One insert card can be redeemed for a special nine-card rookie set.
Donruss says its 1995 production will not exceed 1994's, which was a sellout for both series. However, it has planned only 220 cards for its second series; last year's Series Two had 330.
Series One has 330. Card fronts feature two photos. There are five insert series with 42 cards. Wrappers of both series will feature four players: Frank Thomas, Barry Bonds, Jeff Bagwell and Juan Gonzalez.
Upper Deck's first offering will be Collector's Choice Special Edition. It has 265 cards and a first for Upper Deck -- full stats.
There are no insert sets or factory sets. Upper Deck says production is one-fourth that of least year's Collector's Choice first series. Collector's Choice will be back next spring in one series.
Score Series One again has 330 regular cards.
Borrowing from its hockey set, Score is also printing each regular card on gold foil. Collectors who assemble a gold team set can exchange it for a platinum one. There are also autographed Ryan Klesko insert cards and exchange cards good for platinum cards.
Santa cards return
Football card collectors again can redeem their wrappers for the NFL's 11-card Santa Claus set. Each NFL card licensee has created a card featuring Santa.
Fans can order a maximum of five sets per order by sending 20 1994 wrappers and $1.50 for each set to: NFL Santa Card Set, P.O. Box 7232, Osseo, Minn. 55569-7232.
SP football gets smaller
Hobby-only SP football will have only 200 cards, down from 280 last year, and Upper Deck says production will be less than last year. Player are shown in 1994 games, including "throwback" uniforms. Inserts include cards commemorating Dan Marino's 300th touchdown pass and Jerry Rice's record-setting 127th touchdown, and 40 cards featuring All-Pro players and "future All-Pros."
Howard added
Upper Deck has added Washington Bullet Juwan Howard to the draft-pick set collectors can get for a trade card.
Bowman football
Bowman arrives this month with 116 draft picks among the 360 regular cards. There's also a 30-card all-rookie team subset. The super-premium cards come 12 to a pack.
Coming events
Today, card show, Towson Marketplace, Best wing, noon to 5 p.m., (410) 337-6935.
Today, card show, Holiday Inn Cromwell Bridge (I-695, Exit 29 south), 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., (410) 239-7446.
Saturday-next Sunday, racing collectibles show (expected signers include Mark Martin and Todd Bodine), Lancaster (Pa.) Host Resort Motel (Route 30), Saturday 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., next Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., (717) 687-0718, (717) 291-9621 or (717) 569-1478.
Saturday-next Sunday, card show, Virginia State Fairgrounds, Richmond (expected signers include Ken Griffey, Jeff Bagwell, Kyle Petty and Harry Gant), Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., next Sunday 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., (800) 899-8833.
Next Sunday, card show, Wicomico Civic Center, Salisbury (Civic Avenue), 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., (410) 437-9927.
Dec. 16-18, card show, Hunt Valley Mall, mall hours (expected signers include Boog Powell, Dec. 17, 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.; and Jeff Tackett, Dec. 18, 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.), (410) 529-1624.
Dec. 17, card show, Arbutus Fire Hall (expected guests include CFLs cheerleaders), 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., (410) 536-4533.
CARD OF THE WEEK
Card No. 99 of Maxx Race Cards' inaugural set in 1988 was scheduled to be Dale Earnhardt, but it was never approved. Earnhardt and Maxx have agreed to release 999 of the 1988 cards with the 999 cases of the Maxx Medallion premium set. Maxx guarantees one 1988 Earnhardt per case. The Earnhardt cards will be sequentially numbered with gold foil labels.