Topps Carelessness Creates Collecting Dilemma

In looking at the cards that just came out in the Topps Update series, I found that there is a new Jim Palmer card to add to my player collection - or so I thought.  When I took a look at the picture of the card, I realized it wasn't Jim Palmer on the card:

Instead of Jim Palmer, we get a picture of Mike Boddicker. 

Really Topps?  I appreciate you trying to find a new picture rather than recycling the same few shots over and over again, but this is ridiculous.  Is there no quality control process to check to make sure the pictures are of the correct players, especially for a series recognizing a player's greatest season?

This isn't some minor league prospect we are talking about.  Jim Palmer is a Hall of Famer, and appears in a number of Topps sets each year, so you should have an idea of what he looks like.  His # 22 is retired by the Orioles, and Boddicker's uniform clearly shows a 5.   How this got missed is beyond me.

So here is my dilemma - should I even bother with adding this card to my Palmer collection?  It obviously isn't him.  If this were the only card, I'd probably say yes, just as a curiosity.  However, as with almost every Topps card these days, there are the dreaded parallels.  I see there are gold and blue parallels already listed on ebay, and I'm sure there are black, green, red, and 150th variations as well.

Since I do try to pick up the parallels (the unfortunate curse of being a completist), I find myself not even wanting this card, because then I've essentially committed myself to gathering up the parallels to go with it.   I've got the 150th Anniversary Greatest Players card of Palmer (and all of the parallels except red), but if I then put this card in the Jim Palmer binder, it will seem odd that 1) IT ISN'T EVEN HIM! and 2) unlike the other cards where I have the parallels, this one will look odd by itself.

I find myself disliking the card because of the fact that Topps obviously doesn't give a flip about producing quality cards.  When you don't have any competition, why bother to try hard.


So I'd like to ask the player collectors out there - if one of the players you collect ended up with a card picturing someone else, would you still feel it needs to go in your collection?  And if you also chase the parallels, would you try to track those down as well?

Fleer Stickers That Never Were - USFL Edition

I came across a great item on Pinterest where someone designed USFL helmets in the style of the 1977 - 1980 Fleer Team Action stickers:

I also like that the creator (Gumball) uses the Fleer logo for their name.  Very nice touch.

I never saw a USFL game in person, but do remember watching some of them on TV.  Since I was not born when the AFL formed, and too young to remember the WFL, it was exciting to see the start of a new league.   Its a shame the league wasn't able to survive.

If you haven't seen the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary "Small Potatoes: Who Killed the USFL", I'd highly recommend you check it out.  Its a great look back at the league.