Hello:
I noticed that there isn’t any baseball card information on the page about Ken Griffey Jr and wanted to add content that I feel would improve the article. I do not have a direct connection to this article; however, I am in the field of baseball memorabilia so wanted to err on the side of caution on the COI front. Therefore, I am proposing the edits here with formatted sources. Any feedback would be appreciated. Thank you, MBCollectFanatics (talk) 20:46, 21 February 2024 (UTC)
Baseball Cards
In spring of 1989, the Upper Deck Company released its first baseball card set which included rookie Ken Griffey Jr. as card #1. [1] Upper Deck’s teenage employee, Tom Geiderman convinced his bosses that leading its first set with a minor leaguer would set them apart from the competition. Geiderman selected the players for the inaugural 1989 set proposing Griffey for the coveted #1 spot. [2]
Griffey had yet to make his major league debut. Since he didn’t have a Mariners’ photo, Upper Deck chose an image of Griffey in his San Bernardino Spirits uniform. They had the image corrected by airbrushing the uniform royal blue, and the star was erased, and replaced with a yellow “S”.
[3]
That same year, following the release of his rookie card, Griffey secured a spot in Seattle Mariners' opening day starting lineup against the Oakland Athletics.
As of the summer of 2022, Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) certified over 4,000 copies of the 1989 Upper Deck Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card were graded a 10, Gem Mint status. [4] MBCollectFanatics (talk) 20:46, 21 February 2024 (UTC)
- This sort of content seems more useful on the page about baseball cards or Upper Deck Company rather than Griffey. – Muboshgu (talk) 23:13, 27 February 2024 (UTC)
- Hi User:Muboshgu: Thank you for providing feedback on this edit request. I’m wondering if a player’s trading cards are relevant to their career? I’ve pared down my original content to be specifically about Griffey: 1) his being chosen as #1 in 1989, as a minor leaguer, which was rare, 2) the way his rookie card was created, and 3) the authentication of some of these issued cards. It seems like this would be an interesting part of his legacy. Griffey’s card is ranked the #3 baseball trading cards behind Honus Wagner, and Mickey Mantle which is pretty significant. I have no connection to Upper Deck. Thank you for your time in reviewing this updated information. Best, MBCollectFanatics (talk) 21:47, 4 March 2024 (UTC)
- Sorry I forgot the updated content in my reply. See below. MBCollectFanatics (talk) 21:52, 4 March 2024 (UTC)
Baseball Cards
- Ken Griffey Jr.’s first rookie card was released by the Upper Deck Company in the spring of 1989.[1] Eighteen-year-old employee, Tom Geiderman, selected the players for the inaugural 1989 set proposing Griffey, a minor leaguer at the time, for the coveted #1 spot.[2]
- Griffey had yet to make his major league debut with the Seattle Mariners, so in order to create his rookie card, an image of him in his San Bernardino Spirits uniform was altered. The uniform was airbrushed royal blue, and the star on his hat was replaced with a yellow “S” .[3]
- As of the summer of 2022, Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) certified over 4,000 copies of the 1989 Ken Griffey Jr. rookie card were graded a 10, or Gem Mint status.[4]
- I just took around at some other ballplayers' articles. None of them really mention cards other than Honus Wagner and his T206; if they do, the mention primarily refers to their appearances at trade shows. Singling out "the Kid" seems too crufty. –Skywatcher68 (talk) 19:47, 7 March 2024 (UTC)
- Hi User:Skywatcher68: Thank you for taking the time to review my submission and provide feedback. What if we started adding baseball card information to more player articles? My intention wasn’t to single out a particular player, but rather to add interesting content to multiple players’ Wikipedia articles to improve the overall story. It seems like the issuing of cards is a part of the overall baseball profession and player story. I’d appreciate feedback on that. What do you think of opening up a discussion on the topic? Best, MBCollectFanatics (talk) 23:38, 12 March 2024 (UTC)
- In most content matters on Wikipedia, reliable sources should be our guide. It's natural to make comparisons to other articles, but by doing that, it is easy to take one bad decision and spread it to other articles.
- When we look at what reliable sources say about Griffey, are his baseball cards a tiny percentage of that coverage? Or is he like Honus Wagner in that his baseball cards are one of most commonly covered items about him? I agree that it is smart to think about COI. Larry Hockett (Talk) 00:09, 13 March 2024 (UTC)
level-5 vital article is rated B-class on Wikipedia's content assessment scale.
