Back in 1988 I’d buy anything cardboard with a baseball pic on it. As it turns out Hobby karma paid me back with the unlikeliest of Dodger World Championships that season.

I’m not sure why but I bought far more Donruss than any other brand that year, with Score probably taking second. One of the best pulls back then was of course Donnie Baseball who seemed to be on the fast track for Cooperstown.

Back then, Mattingly’s Donruss card was on of many that went straight to penny sleeve with the assumption I’d someday become dateable, get married, have kids, and ultimately sell a handful of Donruss Hall of Famers to put said kids through college. Little did I know it would be the cost of college that would go up a hundred fold while my cards would barely feed the meter.

Market vagaries aside, let’s take a look at the card. What’s going on with that blackish, bluish, reddish border design? I’m not a fan. Fortunately, I have a dining room table full of glitter paper and other assorted odds and ends.

That plain white inner border is now silver and that godawful outer border has been upgraded to gold refractor. I can almost hear the late 1980s card dealers now: “Hang onto those Mattinglys, kid. His cards are gold!”

Well what do you know!

UPDATE: This card did not last long at all! Congratulations to @leefcards who also helped out the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum along the way!