1983 Donruss Hall of Fame Heros #8 - Luke Appling

While this particular card didn't introduce me to Dick Perez, the fact that Luke Appling's card comes first in my blog will allow me to introduce some of my favorite cards around. These are the Donruss Diamond King style cards that are card versions of Dick Perez's oil paintings. Perez is a painter for both Donruss and the Baseball Hall of Fame and probably my upbringing in the Junk-Wax era makes me love these style cards in a similar manner my mom's suburban yuppie upbringing brought about her love for Norman Rockwell collectible plates. These cards and the plates are similar in that they're probably poo-pooed by art aficionados as kitsch and in the fact that only a few of them actually carry massive amounts of value outside of certain circles. But, nonetheless this is the blog's introduction to the beautiful kitsch that is Perez's contribution to my collection: a 1983 Donruss Hall of Fame Heros Luke Appling.