1970s Dodgers 8x10 Color Team Issue Photos

[mrmopar]

Can anyone here confirm that they ever bought these photos directly from the Dodgers either at the stadium or via mail order in packages like these pictured? I have many of the single photos collected over time and never really knew how they were distributed. A few months back though, several packs of photos showed up on ebay and it seems reasonable that this is how they might have been sold by Dodger concessions in the 70s or possible via mail order. I have 4 packs, but 2 didn't have price tags, yet they could very easily have slipped out as the packs are only "sealed" with a single staple on the top. It's very low tech, but it was the 70s after all. I can almost picture Danny Goodman (or his staff more likely) stuffing these bags with 4 new photos and dropping in a price tag before stapling them shut.

It would be extremely cool if this is how they were originally sold and someone, somewhere has a list of the various packs (sets) and what year they were sold. Wishful thinking I am sure at this point. The other less exciting prospect is that some random dealer sold theirs this way and I happen to have purchased a few of their repacks.

I have always wondered how they were sold and how to date them. This may be a clue in the right direction. although they are still mostly a mystery as opposed to the more common 5x7 B&W Photos, which were sold 20 per marked manilla envelope for varying prices throughout the 70s and early 80s.

[Cliff Bowman]

It's a little odd that Rick Monday and Andy Messersmith are in the same Dodgers picture pack, Messersmith signed with the Braves as a free agent before the 1976 season and Monday was traded by the Cubs to the Dodgers before the 1977 season. Edited to say that Messersmith returned to the Dodgers for a short time in 1979.

[Chris Counts]

I recall buying the color 8x10s at Dodger Stadium the first time I saw a game there in 1970. I saw other games throughout the 70s, and the 8x10s were a staple of every souvenir stand in the ballpark. I recall seeing them for sale individually, though, not in packs. But I do remember seeing 5x7 black & white photos in packs. In the late 1970s, I went down to the stadium on an off day and somehow pestered my way inside the stadium, where someone ushered me down to a basement room filled with 8x10s and other stuff dating back to the 1960s. They let me carry away a free box of the stuff, including dozens of postcards, 8x10s, yearbooks, etc. I recall getting a World Series pennant from '65 and a World Series program from '74. They must have produced stuff in large quantities to still have '65 pennants left in the late 70s ...

[mrmopar]

Cool story. I imagine that the stuff was made in fairly large quantities and whatever was eventually left over long enough was probably discounted, sold in bulk to someone else, tossed or still stashed away in some unassuming warehouse somewhere, waiting to be rediscovered!

I remember happening upon the closing of Michael Cramer's (Pacific Trading Cards) retail store in Lynwood, WA in the late 90s. This was the "final" version that was still running outside of their factory on Highway 99. I got there late in the closing sale, but there were still a bunch of bulk items (100s of USFL 3" buttons, ASG books, etc). I should have inquired about more stuff, but I was actually at work and didn't have the time to browse very long. A lot of it was advertised in their catalogs and was obviously overstock.

[ecRich]

Hi Curt,
These photos were sold at the stadium for many years 1960's-1980's. New photos would be added each year with older ones available until they sold out. Most were sold as singles, sometimes they were grouped together to move extra photos. Danny Goodman sold many via mail, usually in groups or in promotional packages.
Rich

[mrmopar]

Thanks Rich. Does what I posted look like something the Dodgers/Goodman might have sold in your opinion/experience or might this just be aftermarket dealer/collector packaging for resale?