As families pulled the baseball cards from the packages of hot dogs in the southeast Michigan summer of 1953, they had to be hoping that maybe it was the start of some telepathic connection that would turn the team's fortunes around. It wasn't exactly turning into a banner year. The Tigers never did right the ship, finishing in sixth place, a whopping … [Read more...]
Walter Johnson Highlights 1925 Holland Creameries Set
While tobacco and candy cards were popular earlier, the 1920s saw the introduction of several unique baseball card sets. Among the more interesting types of cards were those distributed by ice cream producers. One of the more obscure ice cream sets not discussed too much is the 1925 Holland Creameries set. Here's a closer look at this rare 1920s issue. About the 1925 … [Read more...]
Topps, Utz Chips Team Up for 2020 Baseball Card Set
You can quell your snack fix and cardboard fix in one purchase again this year. The 2020 Utz Chips baseball cards are starting to hit packages in selected areas of the country, thanks to the Hanover, PA-based company's partnership with Topps and status as MLB's "official salty snack." As it did with last year's debut set, Topps created the cards, which are … [Read more...]
Stapled, Stamped and Punched: 1960 Lake to Lake Braves Were Designed to be Traded
As a new decade approached, a popular Wisconsin dairy company nestled near the shore of Lake Michigan was looking for a marketing edge. A partnership with the popular home state big league baseball team brought the 1960 Lake to Lake Milwaukee Braves baseball cards to life: two lives actually. These were meant to be traded back to the company for something … [Read more...]
Called for Clipping: 1956 Shredded Wheat Football Set Offered Prizes for a Slice of the Card
When American youngsters were spotting Topps NFL football bubble gum cards for the first time, kids in Canada were seeing them in their cereal boxes...assuming of course, they didn't mind eating a non-sugary cereal for breakfast. The 1956 Shredded Wheat set offered a single card of a Canadian Football League player per box. Today, the cards are among the rarest … [Read more...]
1978 Holsum-Gardner Football Set a Regional Rarity
If you lived in Minnesota or Wisconsin in the late 1970s and early 1980s and collected sports cards, you probably ingested a lot of carbohydrates. It's where Holsum and Gardner's brand breads kept collectors full by offering a few different sets as promotions aimed at youngsters. They cranked out three different football issues during the time period including … [Read more...]
1949-1951 Hage’s Dairy Pacific Coast League Cards Included Familiar Names
It was the west coast's "big league." A starting point for future major league legends, the Pacific Coast League spawned several baseball card sets during its long heyday in the first half of the 20th century. Among them are three early post-war vintage issues from Hage's Dairy. Operated in San Diego by Willard Hage Jr., whose father founded the company, Hage's was a … [Read more...]
1950 Drake’s TV Cards a Precursor to 1955 Bowman Issue
Whenever vintage collectors think of baseball cards and television, it's usually the 1955 Bowman set that comes to mind. That release would be Bowman's last one before being taken over by Topps. What some collectors don't know, however, is that the look was not an entirely new one. In 1950, Drake's offered a set of baseball cards with a similar design. 1950 Drake's TV … [Read more...]
1959-1961 Morrell Meats Dodgers Were Big League
Dodger fans who opened their morning newspaper in southern California on April 30, 1959 probably read about Johnny Podres of the Phillies beating his old team. The Dodgers were in the midst of a grueling 17-game early season road trip across the country as their second season in Los Angeles unfolded. In another part of the paper, fans learned of a new promotion that … [Read more...]
Hot Dog! Nice Find of Uncirculated 1954 Wilson Franks Cards
It’s one of the most popular regional sets ever issued, a challenging and somewhat quirky collection of 20 different subjects that were packaged with hot dogs in what some refer to as the ‘golden era’ of baseball cards. The 1954 Wilson Franks set had folks eating a lot of weiners, but not nearly enough to satisfy the demand of today’s experienced … [Read more...]