The 1984 San Diego Padres Tony Gwynn Lite Beer promo card is a fascinating oddball issue. I spotted it in an August 1985 Baseball Cards Magazine ad from San Diego Sports Collectibles, but I’m unsure how it was originally distributed.
The advertisement says they were only released in the San Diego area in September 1984, but where and how? If you have the details, let me know in the comments.
The back of the card only includes information and statistics from his 1983 season, but the front honors the fact that he led the National League in batting in 1984 (with a .351 average, by the way).
The signed promotional card example pictured above was sold by Memory Lane Inc. on 11 January 2025 for $540, but you can pick up an ungraded and unsigned card for between $15 and $20.
Update 30 Jan 2025: A few collectors on X told me they were given out at a game as a stadium giveaway.
A few months ago, I shared this 1984 ad from Richard Gelman that offered a T206 Honus Wagner card for $23k and .25 cent 1981 MSA Mini Discs on the same page, but another collector highlighted another great buy: the $24.99 life of Mickey Mantle set probably had the autograph in it!
Here’s a zoomed-in scan of “The Life of Mickey Mantle” section highlighting the 1982 set that Authentic Sports Autographs (ASA) released.
The Standard Catalog wrote that:
This 72-card set chronicles the life of Mickey Mantle in contemporary photos, many from Mantle’s own collection and many picturing him with such stars of the era as Maris, DiMaggio, Ted Williams, Mays, etc. A total of 20,000 sets was produced; 5,000 of them feature a genuine Mantle autograph on card #1 and 15,000 sets have no autograph. Back of cards from the autographed sets are printed in blue while the unautographed sets have backs printed in red. Issue price was $25 for the autographed set, $13 for the unsigned version.
TCDB has more set info, including that blue back cards with serial numbers 1-10 had every card in the set autographed and auctioned off with bids due by May 1, 1982. They also wrote that the blue back sets were originally $19.99, but sets ordered after May 31, 1982, were $24.99, while the red back sets were originally $9.99, increasing to $12.99.
A few more notes shared by TCDB:
14 cards in the set were printed in full color, and 58 are black, blue, and white.
There was one card for each of Mickey’s seasons.
There was one card for each of Mickey’s World Series.
The set was written and researched by Fred McMane of UPI.
Photos from Mickey and Merlyn Mantle’s personal collection.
Sets began shipping in May 1982.
That info comes from the following advertisement; please let me know if you know its source.
Update 30 Jan 2025: Andrew Aronstein told me that his dad distributed this set through his advertising vehicle, The Baseball Advertiser which is where the ad came from.
Here’s an example of a signed card #1 that PWCC sold for $435 in August 2020, which is around what they’re selling on eBay these days.
Here’s what the unsigned card #1s look like:
I also found an uncut proof sheet (see The Uncut Sheet Archive for more), signed by Mantle, that REA sold for $690 in the summer of 2024.
The sets came boxed; REA sold this one, including the signed card #1, for $360 in October 2021.
Robert Laughlin’s creative sets have become super popular lately. In March 1976, he advertised two great 42-card sets in The Trader Speaks: the 1976 Laughlin Indianapolis Clowns and the 1976 Fleer Baseball Firsts.
Here’s a quick primer on these vintage gems!
First, naturally, let’s cover the 1976 Fleer Baseball…Firsts! The Standard Catalog says, “This 42-card set from Fleer is titled “Baseball Firsts” and features several historical moments in baseball, as captured through the artwork of sports artist R.G. Laughlin. The cards are numbered on the back, which is gray card stock with black printing. The set is not licensed by Major League Baseball.”
Obviously, based on the ad, Laughlin was allowed to sell these sets directly for $3.75 each, but TCDB also says that “These cards were inserted into packs of Fleer MLB Real Cloth Baseball Patches as stabilizers and are not mentioned on the pack itself.” However, the display boxes mention a color trading card in each pack, along with the four patches.
The set’s key cards are #5, Four Straigh Homers (Lou Gehrig), and #12, Baseball Cards.
Regarding the 1976 Laughlin Indianapolis Clows, The Standard Catalog shares that “in a departure from the style of most Laughlin issues, this 42-card set does not use his artwork but rather black and white photos framed by a light blue border. The cards are oversized at 2-5/8” x 4-1/4”, with red printing on front and back. The cards are numbered on the front.” It’skey cars belong to Hank Aaron and Satchel Paige.
Did you notice the special to subscribe to Bob Cards’ Inside Pitch? I’d love to get a run of these; let me know if you have any for sale.
In Mastro & Steinbach’s August 1997 auction catalog, I saw this stunning 1930s Dizzy Dean Grape-Nuts cereal advertisement. More research led me to find three total cardboard counter display versions from the Gashouse Gang era, showcasing vintage marketing at its finest.
Here’s the full ad description from the catalog:
From the glory days of the old Gashouse Gang, this striking easel-backed cardboard counter display (approx. 22-1/2″ x 26-1/2″) features the colorful Hall of Famer, Dizzy Dean, making a pitch for Grape-Nuts cereal. Still attached is the cardboard holder along with an original pamphlet which promoted Grape-Nuts’ Dizzy Dean premium offer. A hint of soiling, along with a minor crease in the upper left and missing tab on the lower right do not detract from its otherwise colorful and attractive appearance. One of the nicest cardboard display ads you’ll find from this era. Minimum Bid $300
REA sold the same version of the Grape-Nuts counter display as Mastro & Steinbach offered for $630 in the fall of 2024. They also included a photo of the back but noted that the easel wasn’t original.
Most auctioneers date this next version to 1934. While appearing to be more common, it sells for more than the previous example, usually for just over $1k these days. It’s ~26” x 40” in size.
This final version seems the scarcest and is described as 20-1/2” x 26-1/2” in size. Like the previous examples, the easel isn’t original.
There may be other cardboard counter display examples out there, too, because there are certainly posters with different designs; if you know of any, let me know in the comments.
Here’s the original artwork Dick Perez painted for the 1989 Donruss Bobby Boniila #2 Diamond Kings card.
Ron Oser Enterprises offered it in a lot with a few other signed Perez originals in April 2001. I think the piece is 11” x 17”. I previously shared the Mike Schmidt card from this lot on the blog.
Here’s the final card, followed by a side-by-side comparison.
The final card’s colors may have been touched up, but the scan of the original art from a small picture in an old catalog probably isn’t super accurate either.
Between 1957 and 1966, a series of 12 instructional booklets titled The Finer Points of Baseball For Everyone offered baseball insights and hints for little, junior, midget, and Babe Ruth players. The booklets, which had copyrights attributed to Vital Publications, Inc. and later WM. C. Popper & Co., were promotional products that provided advertising on the back for their clients.
My Introduction to The Finer Points of Baseball For Everyone
I discovered these baseball instructional booklets from my hunt for their basketball-related cousins. However, I can’t remember if it was this Mile High Card Co. auction from 2017 of an opened 1968 Topps Test Pack with a How to Play Better Basketball booklet or this auction from REA for a 1963 Hood Dairy Bob Cousy How to Play Better Basketball Booklet Collection that prompted my jump into this hobby niche. I’ll write more about the 1963 How to Play Better Basketball booklets soon; for now, if you’re interested in them, check out VintageBasketball.com.
How to Play Better Basketball Booklets
To this day, I’ve been unable to secure a single basketball booklet, but in looking for them on eBay, I noticed the baseball ones and picked up a trio with a 1965 Copyright and Hood Ice Cream advertising on the back in May 2023. I hadn’t given them much more thought until the 2023 National in Chicago; when closing a deal on some pre-war strip cards, I noticed the dealer had a complete set of 12 from 1958 with Fleet Wing Gasoline advertising on the backs, so I included them in the deal. The set was priced at $150, but I believe I got them for $100. Here are the covers and backs to all 12. I’ve also included scans of every page of the How to Play First Base booklet at the end of the article.
1958 Finer Points of Baseball for Everyone – Fleet Wing Gasoline Set – Fronts
1958 Finer Points of Baseball for Everyone – Fleet Wing Gasoline Set – Backs
After that pickup, I had to learn more!
The Finer Points of Baseball For Everyone Overview
There’s not much out there about these advertising booklets; save for this page from KeyMan Collectibles and a few notes from MyComicShop. But between those references and some eBay/Auction sales, we can piece a lot of the details together.
First, the 12 booklets are ~ 3 3/8″ x 4 5/8″ in size. Each has 16 pages if you include the front and back covers. Ten are positional, or action “How-to” guides, another has rules for umpires, and one has finer points for everyone. Each has a cartoon drawing on the cover and the words “Hints for Little, Junior, Midget, Babe Ruth Players.”
Here’s the checklist:
Baseball Finer Points for Everyone
How to Catch
How to Pitch
How to Bat
How to Run Bases
How to Play First Base
How to Play Second Base
How to Play Shortstop
How to Play Third Base
How to Play The Outfield
How to Use Baseball Signals
Rules for Umpires
They’re full-color printings in a newspaper-like material saddle-stitched like a magazine.
The differentiation comes from the copyright on the inside front cover and the advertising on the back. I’ve noticed that the early years show a copyright attributed to Vital Publications, Inc., while the later years show WM. C. Popper & Co. Unfortunately, I haven’t found any details about these companies or if it was the result of an acquisition, but they’re both referenced to New York.
As I wrote in the intro, the booklets were used as promotional products. KeyMan wrote that “for the most part early books were used as a premium for meat companies like White Seal Franks, Neuhoff’s Franfurters, Essem Hotdogs, and Hydride’s Wieners. Other ads that show up are Kids Does, Reed Candy Company, Fleet Wing Gasoline, and Stop & Shop Supermarkets.”
I’ll have to take his word for it, and he shared quite a few advertisements, but I didn’t find a lot of meat company examples in my research for the early copyright years.
Hygrade’s Meats Ad with Booklets
White Seal Franks/Bacon Ad with Booklets
He continued writing that “By the 1960s, an array of advertisers began using the baseball books, including; local banks, and car dealerships, Mr. Softee, Baseball on NBC TV/DX Oil, Sealtest Foods, All Star Dairies, International Harvester, Weaver Potato Chip Co., Country Kitchen Restaurants, Hood Ice Cream, Horn & Hardart Automats, Holland Popsicle, and Manny’s Baseball Land, located across from Yankee Stadium.”
Finer Points of Baseball for Everyone Yearly Breakdowns
Utilizing KeyMan Collective’s, MyComicShop, and eBay/Auction listings, I’ve managed to categorize a lot of the advertisers by years; there are likely many others. I’ve sometimes taken a listing’s title as truth, but I’ll note that below when a scan of the copyright page wasn’t included.
1957
First, booklets exist without any advertising; perhaps they were used by the publishers as samples through the years, like this 1957 example set.
1957 – Blank Back Set – Front Covers
1957 – Blank Back Set – Back Covers
1957 – Blank Back Set – Copyright
Reed Candy Company
1957 – Reed Candy Company – Front Cover
1957 – Reed Candy Company – Copyright
1957 – Reed Candy Company – Back Cover
Stop & Shop Super Markets (no copyright scan)
1957 – Stop & Shop – Front Cover
1957 – Stop & Shop – Back Cover
1958
Blank Backed
1958 – Blank Backed – Front Covers
1958 – Blank Backed – Copyright
1958 – Blank Backed – Back Covers
Fleet Wing Gasoline – See the photos I shared above.
1959
Garden Gate Margarine
1959 – Golden Gate Margarine – Front Cover
1959 – Golden Gate Margarine – Copyright
1959 – Golden Gate Margarine – Back Cover
1960
MyComicShop wrote that International Harvester Company had a 1960 release, and Heritage Auctions sold a lot of them attributed to 1960 (plus a handful from a few other years that sold for $264 in June 2018), but I don’t have any copyright page scans.
1960 – International Harvester – Front Covers (& Others)
1960 – International Harvester – Back Covers (& Others)
1961
MyComicShop wrote that Sealtest Foods had a 1961 release, but I haven’t found any scans that include a 1961 copyright. But this is as good a time as any to share another advertisement KeyMan shared for Holland Popsicles that included a book in each 12-pack.
Holland Popcicles Ad with Booklets
1962
Black Backed
1962 – Blank Backed – Front Cover
1962 – Blank Backed – Copyright
1962 – Blank Backed – Back Cover
DX Dealer
1962 – DX Dealer – Front Cover
1962 – DX Dealer – Copyright
1962 – DX Dealer – Copyright
DX Dealer Ad with Booklets
Sealtest Foods and Carstens Hygrade (No Copyright Images)
1962 – Sealtest Foods – Front Covers
1962 – Sealtest Foods – Back Covers
1963
I haven’t found any examples referenced to 1963.
1964
MyComicShop wrote that Twin City Federal Savings & Loan sponsored a set, but I don’t have any examples of that one.
Country Kitchen
1964 – Country Kitchen – Front Cover
1964 – Country Kitchen – Copyright
1964 – Country Kitchen – Back Cover
1965
Hood Ice Cream
1965 – Hood Ice Cream – Front Cover
1965 – Hood Ice Cream – Copyright
1965 – Hood Ice Cream – Back Cover
1966
National Bank and Trust Company
1966 – National Bank and Trust Company – Front Cover
1966 – National Bank and Trust Company – Copyright
1966 – National Bank and Trust Company – Back Cover
Mister Softee
1966 – Mister Softee – Front Cover
1966 – Mister Softee – Copyright
1966 – Mister Softee – Back Cover
Undated Examples
I found a few other examples that I don’t have dates for.
Kahn’s Wieners
Kahn’s Wieners – Back Covers
Friendly Chevrolet
Friendly Chevrolet – Back Cover
Weaver Potato Chip Co.
Weaver Potato Chip Co. – Back Cover
Finer Points of Baseball for Everyone How to Play First Base Scans
Here’s a really cool item that I ran across in Mastro’s March 2000 catalog: a 66-card uncut sheet of 1959 Topps Baseball cards, including Hank Aaron, Orlando Cepeda, Frank and Brooks Robinson, White Ford, and Don Drysdale!
Here’s the complete auction description:
An uncut sheet of 66 cards including Hank Aaron, Orlando Cepeda, Frank and Brooks Robinson, Whitey Ford, Don Drysdale and three multiple player cards. Of course, uncut sheets of early Topps cards are rarely seen, and are highly valued in conditions amenable to framing. The bright colors on this sheet here make it particularly eye-catching and tend to make the moderate stains inconspicuous that affect the top row of cards (including Aaron). As one might expect, the sheet has several creases, most visble across cards of Orlando Cepeda and Clem Labine, and across Moe Drabowski and Bill Mazeroski. The four corners have creases and wear, and a tear cuts into the Smoky Burgess card. Overall, the sharp photography and spyglass design serve to make this Very Good condition uncut sheet a very attractive candidate for framing and proud display Minimum Bid $400
I don’t think any of the following is the exact same 66-card partial sheet that Mastro sold, but Huggins and Scott sold one with the same format in May 2017 for $450 and another in November 2017 for $750.
And REA sold this one in the Spring of 2021 for $630.
REA also sold this 5th Series 1959 Topps production sheet in the Spring of 2014 for $10,073. Notice the 66-card series was repeated twice; it’s believed the other half of a full 264-card sheet would be identical to this 1st slit.
For more, there’s a great thread on the Net54 Forums on 1959 Topps Uncut Sheets. And don’t forget to check out The Uncut Sheet Archive, too!
