what makes bigger better

a short while back, fuji asked what our favorite oversized card set was.  i am always late to the fuji question party, and i am sure you all are tired of the oversized card posts.  i don't really have a favorite anyway, although if i were pressed i would probably name the 1977-79 sportscasters as the top of my list.  

i will tell you, however, what i don't like in an oversized issue.  repetition.  for example, here are a 1988 donruss super diamond king bob welch card, and the regular 1988 donruss diamond king card of the dodger pitcher.

what made donruss think i wanted the same card, only bigger?  there are some minor differences - like the hash/striping over welch's left shoulder, and the overall cropping of the card, but that's not enough for me.

same goes for the 1989 versions.  look at kirk gibson's 'super' card and his regular diamond king card.

all we get with the super issue is more lightning.  meh.

this surprised me, because donruss had previously issued oversized cards that not only featured different images of players, but also sported different designs.  to prove that point, here are a couple of mike marshall cards from donruss in 1985.  a 1985 donruss all-stars and his regular flagship issue.

now that's better.  so, while i do own the appropriate dodger and infielder cards from such non-inspired issues as 1984 topps super and 1985 topps super, i do so only as a completist and not for any other reason.  i much prefer the different sets that donruss (and topps) issued earlier in the decade, and wish that they had not gone to just enlarging their flagship cards.