Do You Like Your Hamburger with Mayo?
Here’s some food for thought: Can the hamburger have a Rookie Card? Heck, for that matter, should the hamburger even have a trading card, period? And if so, should that card be inserted into a football set?
That’s a lot to digest, I know. But while you’re chewing on it, know this: 2009 Topps Mayo includes what is believed to be the first sports trading card featuring a piece of food, the iconic, American-as-red-white-and-blue hamburger.
As part of Mayo’s 14-card World’s Fair Attractions insert set, Topps officials produced cards for such eye-catching checklist inclusions as the Ferris Wheel, Buffalo Bill (not the Buffalo Bills), the Idaho Building and the John Bull Locomotive. And then there’s savory card #12, devoted to the hamburger.
The card back reads: “American taste buds were forever changed when the hamburger – a slab of cooked ground beef served between two slices of bread or toast – debuted to the masses at the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago.”
More than 115 years later, its card will debut to the collecting masses next week when 2009 Topps Mayo releases to the public. In the meantime, many traditional collectors can’t seem to stomach the notion of a hamburger card in a football pack.
The beef, of course, is that they’d rather have something more germane to the game for their hard-earned collecting dollar.
“I would be [upset] if I bought a box of cards and got a hamburger card,” noted Beckett.com member aron1128. “That’s ridiculous that a product this beautiful would have a fill-in card like that. Does it come with a fries and drink card, super-sized like the
?”And then there’s this morsel from Becket.com member doctork15: “Regarding the inclusion of non-football cards in the set, I don’t particularly care for them. Although they do add a level of uniqueness to the set itself. The hamburger, as funny and awesome as that is, serves little purpose to me personally as a collector.”
Clearly, the hamburger card – and other non-sports cards like it – is not for everyone. Ultimately, it comes down to individual taste; you know, what you’re hungry for.
For their part, Topps officials insist that there’s a method to the meaty madness.
“The hamburger [card] definitely has reason for being,” says Clay Luraschi, Topps’ Director of Product Development. “It was introduced at the World’s Fair in Chicago at the same time the original Mayo Football was released.
“With our vintage-style products, we produce inserts that reflect pop culture of that era. Collectors have come to enjoy the quirkiness of these inserts and they are great conversation pieces.
“For such an important player in the food world, it’s crazy it took over 100 years for the hamburger to get a rookie card.”
Crazy indeed.
— Tracy Hackler
I thought at first when I saw a small thumbnail image that Topps was taking a shot at Panini card company. I was a little let down when I found out it was just a juicy burger.
While I don’t like the nonsport inserts recently popping up in many products, it does fit with the theme of the other inserts. I just wish they would lump these types of cards into their own set, with culture and historical cards. When I shell out $60+ for a box of football, I want football cards.