This week's Card of the Week (hopefully a weekly series as the title would suggest) is the 1987 Topps Ben Oglivie. The 1987 set was a nod towards the classic 1962 Topps set, as the wood grain borders and the overall design would suggest. Measuring 792 cards in total, the set also included the rookie cards of Barry Bonds, Barry Larkin, Bo Jackson, and Rafael Palmiero.
1986 was the final season in Oglivie's career. Spanning from 1971 until 1986, he amassed 1615 hits, 235 home runs, and 901 RBI to go along with a .273 career batting average. A three time All-Star, he also won a Silver Slugger award in 1980, the same year that he lead the American League with 41 home runs.
So, why this card? Oglivie was a solid, but rather unremarkable player over his career. Well, it's simple. People always remember their firsts in life - first love, first kiss, first concert, first pet. This card was the first baseball card I ever got, being the top card in a pack of 1987 Topps purchased by me so long ago.
As collections and thoughts change, it can all be traced back to the appropriate first. This card, depicting Oglilvie as he appears to be thinking back fondly upon a solid career, kickstarted my enjoyment of collecting. Hopefully somewhere, you still have the item that brought you to whatever brought you into the hobby that you enjoy.
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