First Blackjack Trading Card Created

I am sure you have heard of trading cards for all sorts of sports before – they are nothing new. Basketball, baseball, even football have a flourishing trade in cards. Yet whoever thought that trading cards would be created for a card game such as blackjack? Apparently, the people at Topps think it is a good idea. They have come up with a Topps trading card featuring no less than Michael Aponte, the inaugural World Series of Blackjack Champion.

According to All In Magazine, “He is part of the 2007 Topps Allen & Ginter set available in stores now. These cards include the likeness of 20 world champions from various fields, as well as more than 300 baseball personalities and 25 historic figures. The original Allen & Ginter cards, created in the 1880s, were slim 1-1/2 inch by 2-3/4 inch lithographs sold in cigarettes packs and showcased baseball stars along with accomplished pugilists, wrestlers, riflemen, rowers and billiards experts. Aponte and others in the current set personally signed a limited number of the 2007 cards that will be randomly distributed in six-card packs.”

How does Aponte feel all about this? Not surprisingly, he is feeling good right now. He says that he “never thought a blackjack player would be featured on a trading card in the same company with professional athletes and world champions. Considering the prestigious history of the Allen & Ginter series, I feel incredibly honored and fortunate to be a part of this set.”

Now I should go get my hands on one.