Exhibits cards - mainstream, oddball, what?

[Bestdj777]

Originally Posted by tschock

They were at Hershey and Dorney Parks as well. (Eastern PA)

Any recollection on how they were distributed? I know there are different back stamps suggesting some were prizes.

[Big Red Machine]

I have always enjoyed collecting 1920's Exhibit cards for both their scarcity and photography.

[ls7plus]

Originally Posted by Big Red Machine

I have always enjoyed collecting 1920's Exhibit cards for both their scarcity and photography.

A big +1 there! Exhibits had the best photography/visual image reproduction for decades and decades!

Best always,

Larry

[tschock]

Originally Posted by Bestdj777

Any recollection on how they were distributed? I know there are different back stamps suggesting some were prizes.

I know some (most) came right out of the Exhibit machines. I remember getting quite a few of the NASA cards (mid '60s), but I don't remember the price though. There may have been others that were provided as prizes, or some machines may have mixed in the ones with stamps to provide more purchase incentive. I haven't seen any from these parks with stamps, but that doesn't mean they don't exist.

[MCoxon]

Can you help with cataloging / PSA grading and variations? Sometimes I see slabs with:

1947-1966 Exhibits
1962 or 1963 Statistics Back

PSA
1) Has PSA always called out variations for Exhibits, or did they only recognize variations after some point in time, so that anything slabbed prior to that date is not properly coded? (like the 1956 grey and white back Topps)? For instance, Ernie Banks bat-on-shoulder with script or plain signature?

2) I can't seem to find differentiation between 1947-1966 and stat back exhibits in the SMR. Whereas, Beckett clearly shows different cards and different prices for each, such as the 1947-1966 Exhibit and the 1963 Stat Back Roberto Clemente

Scarcity
Also, I think I learned that sometimes prices vary because an Exhibit card variation was only issued during 1 year, where others, say a Joe DiMaggio 1939-1946 Salutations, were issued year after year for several years. Do I have this right?

[autograf]

You definitely have the scarcity thing right. It's also believed that some of the Salutations (1939-1946) were printed with the 1947-1966 cards as well like Williams and DiMaggio. As for PSA.....not sure you can fully count on the SMR being remotely correct on anything other than directionally usable. Just my personal opinion. Not sure how PSA identifies the variations of the exhibits. There are a lot of nuances between them that I'd bet aren't completely identified correctly. Same kind of stuff like T206 back variations and other specifics about individual sets that are difficult to fully appreciate.