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G-Sticks: '81 Donruss Clear Choice

G-Sticks: '81 Donruss Clear Choice

Regular price $149.95
Regular price $169.95 Sale price $149.95
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Hand-made collectible art card

I consider 1981 to be the birth of Junk Wax. Topps had competition for the 1st time with the launch of two new brands: Fleer & Donruss. It's also the only year that both new brands packaged their baseball cards with sticks of gum.

After losing a monopolization lawsuit in 1980, Topps went back to court and won exclusive rights on bubble gum. So, in 1982, Donruss made puzzles and Fleer made stickers (although their other product lines could be packaged with gum).

I've acquired some rare sticks of '81 Donruss gum. These wax packs aren't easy to come by, and the 40 year-old gum inside is badly discolored and often broken. I developed a color restoration process to inject the pink back into this yellow-aged bubble gum. The gum itself is significantly larger than what is found in Topps wax packs.

The patterned '81 design is a nod to the mass print production of the Junk Wax era. Given the rarity, and restoration involved... these cards will be sold for a premium. An unintended effect of the restoration, produced a more vibrant black ink on the gum, which I'll try to reproduce on my future G-Sticks. 

“Baseball card art by Matthew Lee Rosen
A side-by-side comparison of the color restoration results. The broken yellowish gum is how they appeared after 40 years of aging. Even the card itself turned yellowish.

As with all my G-Sticks... the gum portrait is placed in the exact position in which the player's image would appear on the front of the card.

Unlike my G-Sticks on black stock, these cards will NOT be signed on the back


Designer gum sticks. Pop art that actually pops!

My G-Sticks are a series of bubble gum artwork, inspired by that one stick of gum that was stuck to the last card in the wax pack. Typically tilted by 9 degrees, as a nod to the starting 9 on the diamond.

Here's what you'll receive with this order

  • My original ink illustration, directly onto a vintage piece of wax pack bubble gum.
  • Each illustrated gum stick is backed by a custom-designed setting, and typically placed in the exact position in which the image would appear on the actual card.
  • These art cards may be created using a heavy 75pt black stock, an original card, or just the clear case by itself.
  • Cards are protected inside an Ultra Pro One Touch magnetic card holder... finished with my matching Rosen signature label.
  • My G-Sticks made with black stock are signed on the back, and all cards will ship with bonus autographed items.

Card Checklist

You may reference my growing checklist of collector-owned cards.