Fleer 1970 World Series set

[Mesquite]

I collected these world series cards as a kid, and have most of the 66 card set except for 5 of them. At the time, there weren't many ways for a kid around 10 years old to learn about the past world series' so the paragraphs on the back of each one were educational.

Some photos below. They are in mediocre condition since they were frequently handled, so they aren't worth much. The misalignment on some of them is pretty bad too (not just left to right, top to bottom, but even tilted in some cases).

Anyway, I just thought I'd share them in case you've not seen them before. I don't suppose it's something serious collectors collect, since they are more of a light-hearted "schoolhouse rock" type of theme.

But I also wanted to ask about these clear sheets they are stored in. They're beginning to yellow (I put them in these clear sheets in 1991), but it doesn't seem to be affecting the cards. Is it a bad idea to use these clear sheets for long term storage?

Thanks for looking.

[swarmee]

Actually, I think your cards are in really nice condition for their age. You can probably complete your set pretty easily on eBay or COMC if you want. Or you can post a WTB (want to buy) ad in the Buy/Sell/Trade section of the board.

The initial 9-card pages were probably not acid free, so I would move your cards to acid free pages or Card Saver 2 sleeves.

[JollyElm]

You nailed it about reading the paragraphs on the back. Taught us all about the old days of baseball. Love those cards!!!

[chris6net]

Nice cards brings back memories for me as a kid collecting them

[mrmopar]

The Fleer/Laughlin cards are actually quite popular and many collect them. i enjoy them and gathered up a nice variety before they started getting harder to get. I see set breaks on ebay a lot, but finding complete sets can be challenging and/or expensive.

One set I really liked/wanted and eluded me in my younger collecting days that fits that category is the Diamond Jubilee sets. I see singles often, and higher per card prices than most similar sets, but the sets are either tucked away or dried up. If a set were for sale, it would almost certainly be more than I'd want to pay.

I collected the 80s version of the WS cards that were on the back of Fleer stickers. Similar designs, but not as cool, but then again I wasn't able to be buying 1970 Fleer at age 1!!

[ALR-bishop]

I have this set and the related set from 1971 that was updated through 1978. The 70 set with blue ink backs was 66 cards. The 71 set has backs with black ink and initially had 68 cards, but was updated through 1977, maybe through pack inserts in subsequent issues, or maybe with leftover inventory of other WS cards. The 71 set ended up with 75 cards and the subsequent 71 through 75 series cards can be pricey

Most people are familiar with the Fleer baseball sets from 1959 through 1963, but Fleer put out many baseball issues from 1964 through 1980. Since they involve mostly stickers, emblems and pennants, and cards involving prior era players ( there is though a Don Drysdale puzzle card set), they have had less hobby appeal and notice

If you type in a internet search for "the fleer sticker blog project" you will find a great site which covers all the many Fleer baseball and football issues from the 60s, 70s and early 80s. While a few of the sets appear in the SCD Standard Catalog, most do not. The World Series sets are included in the site and there are illustrations and scans of all the sets listed and discussed, including a discussion of the packaging and distribution of these issues in packs. Link below

http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0LEV...NLGyIkXexfTpk-

[rats60]

I collected the 1970 and 1971 sets when they came out. I never knew about the update cards. Those would be nice to add to the 71 set. It's a shame that they didn't make more of those. The sticker set seems to be readily available, but to me the write ups on the back about each series is what drew me to them.

[ALR-bishop]

One more link

http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0LEV...NwgG07xbvU5RU-

[laughlinfan]

Here is another link from the Fleer Sticker Project - this one specifically about the 1978 set. I believe the Troy that is mentioned in the article posts on Net54 from time to time - the ad that Troy shared confirmed what I had heard anecdotally from others regarding the Good Humor man distribution.

http://fleersticker.blogspot.com/201...s-mystery.html

I enjoyed these cards when they were originally issued when I was a kid, and I was flipping through a stack of them about 20 years ago at a card show looking to upgrade a few commons, I think, when all of a sudden the Clemente showed up in the stack. I was really stunned - I knew the set was issued in 1971. How could this card be? Then I saw a few cards in the stack for the years after that. Trying to piece together the history (pre-internet for a while!) has made the Clemente card one of my personal favorites. I am always on the lookout for cards from the 1978 set, and I would estimate that they show up about once or twice a year, out of the hundreds of eBay listings for Fleer WS cards. They are tough!

Just fyi on the B&W prototypes that are up on the Bay right now - I think prototype is a misnomer, as Bob made these to sell as sets in both 1967 and in 1974. The "only 300 sets produced" is not really correct, either. He did only make about 300 of the 1967 set, but the second printing, in 1974 was probably done in the 1000-2000 set range. I am guessing the singles that are for sale are from the 1974 issue, but couldn't verify that unless he showed pictures of the backs.

I did try to contact Mike Austin, from the article that was posted, but I don't believe I ever got a response. The quest for a 1978 pack or wrapper (or a picture of either) continues!

[laughlinfan]

By the way, packs, love that signed 1912 WS card. I used to send some of these out for autos in the late 70s - I will have to dig out the ones I have to share.

[ALR-bishop]