DATA: 2009 Upper Deck Goudey Mini Green (56)

ACQUIRED: checkoutmycards.com

PING: We’re still lovin’ the Goudey. The minis are sweet. While Goudey switched to the modern card sized for their 2008 & 2009 sets, It’s nice they kept the mini in as an insert. Of course, that helps sell more cards… but we still dig them. There are Blue and Green variations in this year’s Goudey set… maybe black as well? Just more cards to track down, right?

DATA: 2009 Upper Deck Goudey

ACQUIRED: bayTRON

PING: I love Upper Deck’s Goudey and couldn’t wait for Votto to get his own card in this year’s set. Though there are a lot of not-so-flattering “illustrations” in this set, Joey ended up doing alright. I especially love the tight crop, showing Joey briefly admiring a shot to the left-center gap before hustling around to second for a double.

In regards to ’09 Goudey – I would have like to have seen the illustrations take on a few liberties, taking out logos (like the Majestic logo on Joey’s sleeve), simplifying wrinkles in the jerseys, taking the vent holes out of the new-style helmets, and other stuff like that. I think it would have amounted to a more timeless release with those types of artistic choices. All-in-all though, the simplicity of the card design and lack of glossy finish really do it for me.

UPDATE: I just realized how close the photo on this Goudey card is to the Reds 2008 SGA Joey Votto card. Crazy.