Greetings everyone,
I just stumbled upon this discussion thread while researching the Frank Morris baseball card. I'm one of the moderators of The Bench, a sports card trading community run in a forum style very similar to your forum. Wanted to share some info on the Frank Morris cards Topps made last year (in case anyone is still interested).
The product is called Topps Allen and Ginter. Its design is inspired by the 1887 set by the same name, believed to be one of the very first "baseball card" sets made. The Allen and Ginter line has been produced since 2006 and is popular among set-builders, because of the challenge in finding the "short-printed" cards in the set (the last 50 cards of the 2008 set, which included the Frank Morris card, were produced in lesser quantities than other cards). The selection of cards includes mostly baseball players, but also historical figures, Olympic athletes and certain pop culture figures. As you've seen, there are also autographed versions of some cards, as well as relic versions (i.e. Topps purchases some item worn or used by the person, cuts it up into pieces and embeds these pieces into cards).
Here are the various Frank Morris cards produced in the 2008 Topps Allen and Ginter product (info from Beckett, considered the most authoritative sports card price guide):
2008 Topps Allen and Ginter #349 Frank Morris SP (the same card Patrick Jameson scanned for us to see)
2008 Topps Allen and Ginter Autographs #FM Frank Morris A/190 * (Stated Print Run 190)
2008 Topps Allen and Ginter Autographs Red Ink #FM Frank Morris RIP (serial-numbered to 10)
2008 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini #349 Frank Morris (a mini version of the regular card)
2008 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini A and G Back #349 Frank Morris (a mini version of the regular card, with an Allen & Ginter ad on the back--rarer than the mini)
2008 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini Bazooka #349 Frank Morris (serial-numbered to 25 with a Bazooka ad on back)
2008 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini Black #349 Frank Morris (similar to the other minis but with a black border)
2008 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini Framed Cloth #349 Frank Morris (actually printed on cloth and encased in a plastic "frame" like the autograph card; serial-numbered to 10)
2008 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini No Card Number #349 Frank Morris (a mini version with no card number, stated Print Run of 50)
2008 Topps Allen and Ginter Mini Wood #349 Frank Morris (a mini version printed on wood, serial-numbered 1/1)
2008 Topps Allen and Ginter Relics #FM Frank Morris A/250 * (this is the relic version, as I mentioned above...contains a piece of item worn by Frank, probably a shirt or something like that; Stated Print Run of 250)
There are also printing plates that were put into packs--these are the actual plates used to make the card. They come in 4 colors: Black, Cyan, Magenta and Yellow. Each is serial-numbered 1/1 by Topps.
It's been neat reading your posts about Frank's relative fame in the speedsolving community. For a sports card guy like me, it helps appreciate the cards a little more. I'd imagine a number of my fellow collectors have seen a Frank Morris card and put it into a shoebox, not knowing who he is. I'll be sure to enlighten them now.
All my best.
Robert