The Post War Cards Newsletter #18
The Post War Cards Newsletter #18
đ Welcome to the latest issue of The Post War Cards Newsletter, the newsletter that celebrates #TheHobby.
đïž Every other week, I share unique content about vintage sports cards, hobby & sports history, and industry activity with collectors.
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đ„€ Why Was The 1980 Topps Pepsi Set Abandoned?
At the beginning of December, I wrote an article detailing the ultra-scarce 1980 Topps Pepsi-Cola All-Stars prototype baseball cards. Only a handful of each of the 22 cards in the prototype set was printed, so theyâre one of the rarest and most expensive sets of the 1980s. However, in the article, I didnât expand on why I thought the set was abandoned in much detail.
You see, Topps had done a few retail promotions in previous years, notably with Burger King starting in 1977, but went into overdrive promoting their brand in 1980 with a bunch of promotional partnerships. I suspect they knew their monopoly was likely to end and that in 1981 they would be getting competition from both Fleer and Donruss.
Throughout 1979 (and probably as early as 1978), Topps was developing partnerships for their 1980 release and prototyping examples with a few brands. We now know two things. First, the partnership with Pepsi was abandoned, and second, Topps released 3-card cello packs with Squirt in 1980. I can only imagine that Pepsi and Squirt wanted to be the exclusive software partner with Topps for cards meaning one had to go.
I believe that Squirt was the aggressor because the brand had just been purchased, in 1977, by Michigan Bottler Brooks Products, who had introduced a new product logo for the brand and reformulated the beverage. So Squirt probably needed this particular partnership more than Pepsi did (Squirt was sold to Cadbury Schweppes in 1998 and today is owned by Keurig Dr. Pepper).
There are other possibilities too. Perhaps Topps didnât think the expense of printing a unique set with Pepsi was worthwhile and that printing the Squirt header cards, and packaging them with their regular base 1980 Topps cards, was more viable. Itâs also possible that Pepsi didnât have a good way to distribute the cards, and they dropped out of the partnership.
If anyone knows any more about the history of these 1980 soft-drink partnerships, please contact me.
âïž Great Hobby Writing
SABRâs Baseball Cards Research Committee: Overanalyzing 1935 Goudey, Part One
The Athletic: From pie in the face to paper clip imprints: 7 cool card stories you may not know
Diamon Jesters: The Greatest Red Sox Cards of 2022
When Topps Had (Base)Balls!: Gimmie a Do-Over: 1973 George Scott
Pre-War Cards: Previously Unknown Babe Ruth Card, Spanish Games and Sports Set Discovered in the UK
The Topps Archives: Edisonâs Medicine
Baseball Card Breakdown: A New Look for 1991 Fleer
Crocodile Sports Cards: Are Kraft Singles Really Cheese?
Night Owl Cards: C.A.: 1960 Leaf Stover McIlwain
đš Shilling Or Sniping?
eBay defines shill bidding as ââŠwhen someone bids on an item to artificially increase its price, desirability, or search standing.â They say that bid sniping is âWaiting until the last few seconds of an auction to make a winning bid is known as bid sniping. This tactic is used to try to prevent other bidders from having a chance to place a higher bid before the auction ends.â The first is prohibited, but the second is not.
Now, in the hobby, a lot of people confuse the two. Iâll often see collectors complain about losing an item, at auction, on last-second bids that went just above theirs. Whatâs more interesting is when the last-second bid results in the buyer winning the auction, but at their maximum bid.
I think a lot of us forget how big this hobby is and that if you want a card for $47.52, someone else probably does too, and if youâre bidding âunderâ market prices, someone is likely to bid âatâ market. A lot of buyers on eBay use sniping programs. And remember, shill bidding rarely happens at the last second; itâs too risky for the shiller. Personally, I just put in my max bid that Iâm happy to pay and move on. If you feel an action house or eBay is untrustworthy, deal with sellers directly at shows or places like Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook.
đ 1969 Topps Football
The brightly colored backgrounds of the 1969 Topps football set make them particularly recognizable. The 263-card set was released in two series. The first 132 cards had a âflush to the borderâ color design that is a bit harder to find in high grades. The second series of cards have white borders that are a little more visually forgiving to condition faults.
The set has Hall of Fame rookie cards of Larry Csonka and Brian Piccolo and all the era's stars like Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath, Dick Butkus, Bart Starr, and Fran Tarkenton. The setâs been growing on me lately and is on my shortlist for one of the most beautiful sports card sets of all time. You can see how Topps packaged the cards for sale on the Unopened Archive; the Rack (Rak) packs are particularly cool since you can see the cards.
đïž In The News
Sports Collectors Daily: Alt Sues Beckett Over Curry Card
Union-Times: Sports-related Facebook group brings holiday cheer to the children in Milaca
Sports Collectors Daily: Sports Collecting Year in Review: Corporate Moves and Crime
KEYT.com: Baseball card resurgence in popularity a big hit with collectors
Redlands Community News: Dream comes true for Reimer as he appears on a baseball card
đ On The PostWarCards Blog
December 26th, 2022: The Oreo Cookie Hockey Checklists
December 27th, 2022: Chicago Bears Great Gale Sayers Stunning 1966 Philadelphia #38 Rookie Card
January 2nd, 2023: Does the 1989 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Set Have The Worst Goalie Photos?
January 3rd, 2023: The Four Cards Needed for a Nolan Ryan Rookie Card Master Set
January 4th, 2023: This Month on PostWarCards â January 2023
đ Stengel-ese
Thanks to History Thru Cards (@CardboardHistry) for sharing this line from 9x World Series Champion Casey Stengel, "Good pitching will always stop good hitting and vice-versa."
