Trading cards of athletes have been popular collectibles for more than a century now. And seeing their success with sports cards, many companies have decided to expand their offerings to other areas as well.

Some of these companies, though, have had some very strange ideas about what could be popular. Below are some of the most unusual cards released over the last 40 years.

Saddam Hussein Pro Set Rookie Card 

Image via Mercari

Founded in 1988, Pro Set was best known for its football card sets from the early 1990s. In addition, the company held licenses to produce cards featuring NHL players, PGA Tour golfers, and drivers from NASCAR. In 1991, Pro Set chose to commemorate Operation Desert Storm by producing a card set featuring some of the main figures from the operation.

While creating the cards, Pro Set chose to include heroes as well as belligerents. That meant in addition to producing a card for Norman Schwartzkopf, they also produced a card for Saddam Hussein. The Hussein card remains a curiosity online and collectors can easily pick one up on eBay.

Screech 1992 Saved by the Bell Rookie Card 

Image via eBay

Saved by the Bell ran from 1989 through 1993. There was a College Years season that ran for one year as well. While the show was popular during its first run, it remained enormously popular in the years after while running on syndication. And while all the characters of the show were memorable, the breakout star was Screech, played by Dustin Diamond.

While Diamond passed away in 2021, his character is fondly remembered. Screech's first trading card came within a 1992 set of cards produced by Pacific. The card sells briskly online.

A Whole Bunch of Serial Killers 

America has long had a serious fascination with serial killers. There have been hundreds of books, television shows, and movies dedicated to the topic. In 1992, the Jon Bright company put out a 100-card set of some of the most notorious murderers in history.

The cards feature artwork from Valerie Jones and Peggy Collier. Some of the figures depicted include Ted Bundy, David Berkowitz, Ed Gein, and Jeffrey Dahmer. The cards are readily available online and a full set can be had for under $50.

Kris Humphries and Kim Kardashian Wedding Menu Card 

Allen & Ginter was a tobacco company that produced trading cards in the 1880s. In 2006, Topps resurrected the line, producing attractive sporting cards. They are also known for producing rare and weird inserts. Some of their cards include hair clippings, beans, and even blood.

Kris Humphries was a decent basketball player but is best remembered for his short-lived marriage to Kim Kardashian.. Allen & Ginter got their hands on one of the menus from the nuptials. The cards feature a piece of the menu and are limited to 50 copies. Due to the lack of stock, they are hard to put a value on.

Paul Tagliabue 1992 Pro Line Auto

Image via eBay

Today, autographed cards are very common in card collecting. Many boxes include at least one autograph and some sets even place one in every pack. Back in the early 90s, they were much rarer, which helped to make the Pro Line set popular. The brand not only featured players in street clothes, it also featured spouses and executives.

Collectors hoping to pull a Dan Marino or John Elway auto were less than pleased when they opened a pack featuring a Faith Cherry or Mitzi Testaverde signed card. Commissioner Paul Tagliabue even got in on the action. You can still buy boxes from the set on eBay.

*Any perceived investment advice is that of the freelance blogger and does not represent advice on behalf of GoCollect.