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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... sometimes stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new fun cards and oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

WELL BEFORE PHILLY
The Card: Kyle Schwarber 2015 Topps Heritage Minor League
The Buzz On This: This MiLB card isn't one that came from a team set since Heritage is an in-pack brand of the past (it was killed off in recent years) and it was one that revisited old MLB designs with today's printing and today's stars. This is a re-do of the 1966 Topps set showing Schwarber after his first season as a minor-leaguer. Schwarber has got plenty of prospect cards showing him in a Cubs uniform and his college colors as well -- those arrived the year before this one and his USA Baseball stuff actually arrived two years before this. In short, he's got a lot of cardboard -- and that's a good thing for collectors who like his slugging ways (I do). He doesn't have as much cardboard in actual MiLB uniforms, so that's why I picked this off on the night of his All-Star Game heroics. This was my first target but you'll see more of him on his few minor-league cards here in the future.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards (and other stuff) you can find in MiLB.

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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... sometimes stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new fun cards and oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

REMEMBER ME?
The Card: Keith Comstock 1989 ProCards Las Vegas Stars (CGC 10)
The Buzz On This: This classic prank photo appears on just a standard baseball card -- it's not an error/variation and it's not one that was pulled from production at any point because of its joke photo. It's one that's been out there all these years, isn't super rare and it has had its moments of fame when reporters found it again and again over the years, telling its story and helping pump up interest to where it's definitely a cult classic. I've graded this one more than a few times with good results -- I own top marks in slabs from PSA (a 10), BGS (two 9.5s) and CGC now. This was a recently graded copy of mine that I had planned to use in my monthly Making The Grade series here, but I realized just today that my lineup for MiLB stuff for this series this month was depleted ... so here we are. Only three PSA 10s exist, six BGS 9.5s and three CGC 10s ... none have checked in higher via any company with a decent volume graded between all of them.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards (and other stuff) you can find in all baseball these days -- not just in MiLB.

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Minor league baseball cards from the past can include some weird stuff ... stuff you wouldn't imagine to be found on a baseball card. Here are some some new oddities in this latest edition of MiLB Madness. 

NASCAR MEETS MiLB
The Cards: Dale Earnhardt 2012 Hickory Crawdads
The Buzz On This: The racing icon's Chevy dealership is actually well-represented on MiLB cardboard from the past with several years of card sets including nods to their corporate sponsor. Sometimes, they're cards of office members, new cars, logos or scenic images that inject some horsepower onto the diamond, but this pair of cards -- pocket change-priced finds -- feature The Intimidator himself signing autographs and standing alongside his legendary No. 3. This is a perfect example of the odd things you might not expect to find in baseball card sets from down on the farm.

Keep reading for more examples of some weird or fun baseball cards you can find in MiLB.

Continue reading →