Nostalgia plays a big role when choosing which baseball cards to invest in. More often than not, collectors would always gravitate towards cards that showcase a memorable event or a player that has accomplished so much in this game. On the other hand, there’s also a sense of notoriety for cards that are famous for all the wrong reasons. One such example is a 1996 Pinnacle card featuring Bob Hamelin, who played for the Kansas City Royals at that time.

Way back in 2013, Slate Magazine called this piece of memorabilia as the worst baseball card of all time. When seen for the first time, any card enthusiast would agree right away. Its design and the unflattering image of Hamelin used are certainly miles away from how a proper sports card should look – one that should elevate the athlete on it, and not the other way around.

In an interview with MLB.com, Hamelin said that he didn’t hear much about the said baseball card for a long time. He added that it took a life of its own when people started writing more about it on the internet.

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The image used for this Bob Hamelin baseball card was taken during Spring Training, an instance where players are taken to different photo day stations and asked to pose for various outlets. The baseball star said that that first picture in every station had him holding his name. Hamelin added that this was their way for them to know who you are when they scroll back through everything.

For his part, Hamelin didn’t have any clue as to why Pinnacle used that particular photo of his. He speculates that the company, which has been out of business 1998, misplaced the images and chose to use the one found on Hamelin’s baseball card.

It’s not surprising to see that card with this reputation in the hobby has been selling well in the market. Heading over to eBay, the price of this raw piece of baseball memorabilia ranges from $20 to $35. Nevertheless, its history and the legacy of Bob Hamelin himself make it an enticing addition to any baseball card fanatic’s collection out there.