posted 2/1/09

Bubble Gum Card Diplomacy
by Rick Sense
Editor
The Inside Scoop

While taking my sons Ryan and Greg to a sports card show at Northland Mall in Appleton in October of 2008, my youngest son was making a decision about whether or not to buy a Dale Earnhardt, Jr. card from his favorite vendor Bryan Fraser, when I noticed a card on the table that piqued my interest.

I took a look at the card and realized it was a trading card of Jakaya Kikwete, the President of Tanzania.  I showed the card to both of my sons and they were excited to see it as well.  We decided to buy it and forward it to friend of Scoop, U.S. Ambassador to the United Republic of Tanzania Mark Green.  Having had visited with Mark a few days earlier, I had learned from Mark how much President Kikwete enjoyed sports.  My family thought the president might enjoy receiving the card, so I emailed Mark and he asked that we send the card on to him.

The actual card is one of 50 different world leaders that the Topps trading card company had honored with a card.  This card is part of a "chase" set that is part of a larger set from the 2008 Topps' "Allen & Ginter's" product.  This product line was a throwback to the historical trading cards produced by Allen and Ginter the Richmond, Virginia, tobacco manufacturing firm formed by John Allen and Lewis Ginter in 1875.  Allen and Ginter created and marketed the first cigarette cards for collecting and trading.

President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania as he appears
on his trading card issued by the Topps Company
Image used by permission of Topps.

My family drafted a letter (click here to view) and sent it and the card to Ambassador Green.  Mark received the card and letter in his diplomatic communications in late December.  On January 15, Ambassador Green met with President Kikwete and presented the card to him in his final meeting with the president before leaving his post.

On January 28, I came home from work to find that my family had received a personal letter of thanks from President Kikwete himself. We were all very excited to receive his kind remarks and were happy that he enjoyed the card.  (Click here to view President Kikwete’s letter.)