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Originally Posted by Merkle923
As to Topps filling in the blanks - mix in the 1966 guys they left out with the 2015 players in the 1966 design being used for the Heritage set that comes out next month - I've been arguing that for years. The closest I got them to do were these occasional autographed cards (liked the 1960-style Dick Burwell). If they can't make a chase card out of it, they won't do it. What they have to pay the player for his image rights, to make a card most collectors would have no interest in, makes no economic sense.
Also, Topps does not have a photo of the "other" Billy Williams of the 1969 Pilots. One of the first things I looked for. They got him with Hawaii during the PCL/IL shoots of 1968 while the major leaguers were boycotting Topps, but that was it.
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I had thought about that. But it would seem to me that the players in question--like Leon Brown, for example--would not charge a great deal for the use of their images. They'd probably be more than happy to do it just to have some licensed cards they could pass on to their kids and grandkids. We're not talking major stars, here, who can command thousands for their autographs. Deceased players might be more problematic (no telling what the families would see as the value), but a guy like Leon Brown...I'm telling you, he'd do it for free. A&G, another Topps brand, has done similar things with Negro Leaguers. I'd wager those rights cost more than a guy who got a cup of coffee 50 years ago. Most collectors I know would be thrilled to chase such cards as opposed to yet another insert of Jackie Robinson featuring the same picture they've used a hundred times before. Yes, they already have Robinson's rights paid for, and, yes, its Jackie Robinson. But, again, I doubt guys who managed a handful of games in the bigs would charge much and the collectors I know would gladly chase them with enthusiasm. I know
I'd buy more product to collect such cards (I'd much rather get 'em out of a pack than on the secondary market).
As to Billy Williams, I'm sorry to hear that they don't have him with Seattle. But the computer generated "airbrushing" they use these days is quite a far sight better than the old manual on-the-negative painting. They can make that minor league picture work, I'm guessing.