A sampling of samples.

I never had a subscription to Beckett when I was a kid and I haven't bought a copy of the magazine in over 10 years. Not that I didn't want a subscription back in the day, but I hated spending money on anything other than cards when I was a kid. That meant that I only purchased price guides every couple of months and I typically used 800 count boxes instead of sheets and binders. I still don't like spending money on supplies. 

Promotional sample cards have been around for a while, but they reached their peak in the late 90's and early 2000's when they were inserted into copies of Beckett magazine. Since I didn't buy many magazines, I don't have a lot of sample cards. One of the collections I bought had a small stash of sample cards. Sometimes they are easy to spot and other times they are difficult to determine. For example, I nearly missed the Diamond Kings Roberto Clemente sample card.

Sometimes the player selection for these Promo cards is a little puzzling. For example Aramis Ramirez isn't a name that I would have expected to see on a promotional card, but maybe he was a bigger name than I remember. 

I have a couple of questions for the blogosphere. Answer any, all or none. Thanks for reading!

Have you ever, or do you currently have a subscription to Beckett?

What are the first sample cards that were produced? What year? What product?

Do you collect sample cards?