the wizard of oz final tributes

not too long ago, i featured a post with some 1997 upper deck final tributes.  included in that set were andre dawson, kirby puckett, and ozzie smith.  today i will show some (most) of their other final tribute cards.  first up is the wizard of oz.

1997 upper deck collector's choice

i like the 'tribute' designation on the front, even though not all of the career stats are included on the back.

1997 fleer ultra

double play action, with rickey sliding in!  fleer gets ozzie's entire career stats on the back, too

1997 leaf

with what might be a dp turn on the back, but only one year of stats

1997 donruss

with all but one of ozzie's seasons on the back.  got something against 1978 donruss?

1997 donruss elite

probably my least fave of the final ozzie cards.  the back is pretty uninspired

same goes for 1997 pinnacle

although we get a bit of a write-up regarding ozzie's final season on the back

1997 fleer

has the best back of the bunch - every year is covered, and it is easier to read than the ultra card.

fleer also included ozzie in the 'golden memories' insert set

with a photo from his number retirement ceremony held on 9/26/96.  here's the back.

topps failed to issue an ozzie smith card in 1997 which was too bad.  i think they could have done better than these cards.  if pressed, i would say that fleer is the winner here, but all of these are in my final tribute binder so it doesn't matter.

next up, the hawk.