The Trader Speaks

An Ad For The Most Gorgeous Cards Ever Produced

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This advertisement from the back cover of the February 1977 issue of The Trader Speaks highlights the most gorgeous cards ever produced: 1976 SSPC!

Why would someone call a collector’s issue one of the most gorgeous sets ever produced? Well, because of the set that influenced its design…

1976 SSPC is a 630-card “collector’s issue” released by TCMA. Dubbed the “Pure Card” set, the design was based loosely on the 1953 Bowman set. The set was available exclusively via mail order and was advertised in the nascent Hobby Media, such as it was in the mid-70s.

Despite the cards bearing a 1975 copyright, the set is considered a 1976 set as it was not released until then.

SSPC was not licensed by either MLB Properties or the MLBPA, and shortly after its release, was sued by Topps. As part of the settlement, SSPC agreed to never reprint their 1976 set, and to never attempt to produce a similar product ever again.

Keith Olbermann, then still in high school, edited the copy on each card.

BaseballCardPedia

Dean’s Cards added that it was the only full baseball card set ever issued during the Topps monopoly, so the hobby saw it as a refreshing change of pace from the predictable Topps issues.

And lastly, if anyone has any other advertisements offering these cards, please get in touch with me.

What’s New For 1983 (Oddball Sets, That’s What)

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The June 1983 edition of The Trader Speaks featured this great piece by Robert Udelson, highlighting four great oddball sets, new for 1983!

You’ll find the first cards commonly called the 1982-83 Neilson Wayne Gretzky Hockey set. And while they’re pretty nifty, the coolest collectible from the set is the 25” x 33” store display sign featuring all 50 cards. Classic Auctions sold this one in November 2017 for $179.

Udelson wrote that the backs of the Gardner’s Brewers cards were very similar to that year’s Topps issue; well, that’s because Topps printed the set! So the hobby now calls the set the 1983 Topps Gardner’s Bakery Milwaukee Brewers cards. The cards remain cheap today. You can grab this pair of graded Yount and Molitor cards on eBay for $50 (July 2024).

The non-standard-sized 23-card 1983 True Value Chicago White Sox cards (2-5/8” x 4-1/8”) would have been tough to assemble in 1983, two at a time, but today, they’re pretty cheap. The Standard Catalog shares that the Sox could not distribute some of the cards because of rainouts, but they were smuggled out to hobby channels anyway; those three cards belong to Harold Baines, Marc Hill, and Salome Barojas.

Frankly, there isn’t much interesting to say about the 1983 L.A. Dodgers Police cards; however, it looks like the partnership to print cards between the Police and the Dodgers lasted a long time. The Standard Catalog lists a set for each year from 1981 to at least 2000, except 1985. This complete set of 1983 cards is available on eBay for $7 (shipped).

1978 Topps Baseball Vending Boxes And Cases

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Set building was a much bigger part of the hobby in the late 1970s and early 1980s. That really stood out when I was flipping through the January 1978 issue of The Trader Speaks and saw how ads for 1978 Topps Baseball Vending Boxes/Cases were written.

Before we go through each of the four ads, a couple of things: first, there was no mention of wax or cello products, and second, these were pre-sales with expected delivery in March/Early April.

The first ad related to 1978 Topps was an early bird special from Stephen Garrihy.

First, he targeted set builders directly, offering one, two, or three. Then, he offered 500 ct boxes (vending) for $6.50 for one, $11.50 for two, and $6.00 for each additional. You could also order a case of 24 boxes for $94.00. What’s interesting is the offer of ten free cards for folks who bought two boxes to fill in missing numbers within a set build.

The second ad was from Okey Blankenship.

He also first offered complete sets and then single vending boxes, as well as vending cases for sale.

Edward Mathewson chronologically had the third 1978 Topps baseball ad in the ‘zine. He offered a similar missing card offer for collectors who ordered two vending boxes.

The final ad was from G. S. Gallery. They offered one, two, or three vending boxes with a guaranteed 726 card set.

They also offered credits toward future purchases, ‘vinyl see-through pages,’ and a ‘1978 Baseball Yearbook’ for sale.

By the way, here’s what 1978 Topps Baseball Vending Boxes (~$3k these days) and Cases look like.

Check out The Unopened Archive for more!

Frank Nagy’s Personal Collection of Hobby Publications

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I wish I had already been building the hobby library in 2005 when Frank Nagy’s personal collection of hobby publications was offered for sale.

You can see a few incredible examples in the photos of The Sport Hobbyist, The Sport Card Journal, The Trading News, Card Comments, The Trader Speaks, The Old Judge, The Sport Hobbyist and Journal, and Sports Collectors Digest among the 721 “choice early hobby pubs.”

Funny enough, Collect Auctions just sold a similarly impressive lot of vintage hobby pubs and guides in their auction that ended on April 4, 2024. Among its 366 items, it offered, I believe, three copies of Richard Egan’s Handbook to Early Card & Gum Baseball. The final price was $1626.

No matter how fancy you think your collection is, something always stops you in your tracks.