#285 Cliff Fannin

#285 Cliff Fannin
Progress: 1st of this card
274 of 407  67.3% complete
How acquired: $4.99 on eBay
Condition: Very Good

This Fannin ended up being a pick-up I feel pretty good about.  The 5th Series (#251-310) of this set has proven extremely difficult to find at reasonable prices, so to find this Fannin in this shape and price feels pretty good.  Most the price guides insist that the first series (#1-80) demands more of a premium, but in my experience, that's a bunch of B.S..  I question how many of those editors are actively trying to piece together a set of these on the cheap.

This card is somewhat unique in this set.  Without looking at it too closely when it popped up in ebay listings, I assumed it was one of those abstract solid color backgrounds, akin to the Johnny Sain card in this set.  But in hand, I don't think it is.  It could be, but my guess is that the red is actually the outline of a stadium that's been shaded in and the blue is the sky.  Perhaps this was the artist's attempt to depict a photo taken at night?  Or maybe it was just a lazy effort at coloring in a background.  Which ever the case may be, the Fannin is one of the more unique cards I've run across so far in this set, in that it doesn't fall into any of the common styles.

Stats: 8 seasons, 34 wins, 51 loses, 4.85 ERA, 28 CG

Best Hall of Fame Showing: N/A