MB Card Selection
I don't think we will ever know why those seven rows of cards were selected out of the 10 possible 1st series rows and 8 possible 2nd series rows.
I never spoke with James Shea, Sr. He retired in late 1967, stayed in the Springfield area until his death around 1984.
I did speak with his son briefly, James Shea, Jr. He ran the company from 1968 until the merger with Hasbro in 1984. He moved to California, and died there in 2013 at the age of 87.
The last contact I had with anyone at Milton Bradley who had anything to do with this set has no memory left, severe dementia.
Mr. Shea Sr. was a lifetime Red Sox fan. I have always wondered why he wouldn't have picked some of the Yaz League Leader Cards--he was the triple crown winner in 1967. He might have also picked Tony Conigliaro #140. Willie Mays #50 was still one of the most popular players in those two first series. I believe the selection was random, as the atmosphere in that company in early 1968 was very hectic. I don't think Mr. Shea picked them. Checklists and rookie cards were not popular with kids back then.
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