Seattle Rainiers

A Tasty Collectible: The 1963 Milwaukee Sausage Co. Seattle Rainiers Set

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The 1963 Milwaukee Sausage Co. Seattle Rainiers set includes 11 unnumbered, 4 1/4” square cards cut from retail packaging. Blue tinted with a bit of red and yellow, the set features players like Billy Macleod and several future MLB players. Most cards show stains, evidence of their original purpose.

I actually first learned about this set after running across that Billy Macleod example while flipping through Mastro’s December 2005 catalog. While it shows some mild creases and the back was described as having some creases, it was “responsibly” cut from its retail packaging, so it’s one of the nicer examples of any cards you can find from this set. 

For example, REA sold these Pete Jernigan and Bill Macleod cards for $180 in September 2023, clearly in poor condition at best.

You can read a bit more about the set on SABR’s blog, but the additional info is that:

  • The set’s player photos are the same as that year’s popcorn cards.
  • The team was affiliated with the Red Sox, and a few players saw time on the team, the most famous being Mel Parnell and Pete Smith. 

Both of whose cards are available on eBay right now (December 2024) for $1,899 each!

However, the Parnell looks different from the following example that MHCC sold for $159 in May 2012.

Given the scarcity of these cards, sales figures can vary wildly; Love of the Game Auctions sold this Macleod for $1,440 in the summer of 2023.

And just for completeness, TCDB has an example of a card that’s uncut from its packaging. If you know more about this particular example, please let me know in the comments.

A set born from sausages and stained by purpose; the 1963 Milwaukee Sausage Co. cards are a flavorful slice of hobby history that’s hard to resist.

Happy collecting!

A Complete 1943-1947 Centennial Flour Seattle Rainiers Collection

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In 2005, Sotheby’s offered a collection of some of the scarcest Pacific Coast League cards in their “Important Sports Memorabilia and Cards” auction. The lot included 136 cards, plus a few original mailing envelopes, of the four Centennial Flour’s Seattle Rainiers sets issued between 1943 and 1947.

Here’s the lot’s description:

Produced by Centennial Flouring Mills this scarce regional consists of four sets of unnumbered cards featuring only players from the Seattle Rainiers. Includes the following: 1943-Complete Set of 25 mostly NM, 1944 Complete Set of 25 mostly NM/NM+ with original mailing envelope, 1945 Complete Blue Tint Set of 27 all but a couple NM, 1945 Complete Black & White Set of 27 EX-MT to NM but for 1/3 having a water stain in the corner (includes original mailing envelope), 1947 Complete Set of 32 mostly NM/NM+ (includes original mailing envelope).

I hadn’t even been tracking that the 1945 set had both black & white and blue tint variations.

Here’s how you can tell each of the sets apart.

  • The 1943 cards are 4” x 5”. The bottom of the card backs read “Compliments of / CENTENNIAL FLOURING MILLS.”
  • The 1944s say, “Compliments of / CENTENNIAL HOTCAKE AND WAFFLE FLOUR.” on the back.
  • The 1945s are slightly narrow but longer than the two previous releases. They have a borderless photo on the front and the name and team printed in a black bar at the bottom.
  • The 1947s share the exact dimensions of the ’45s but have a white-framed box with the player’s bio on the back.

Heritage sold a collection of all five of these complete sets (both 1945 variations) in April 2010 for $3,107.