MSA Disc Cards
 

Hoping someone could point me in the right direction to find more information about the MSA disc card sets from the late 70s. Primarily looking for just how many different actual sets were made referring to the card fronts. Then from those sets how many color variations and different backs might be out there. I thought it might be interesting to see if one could create a back run for one of these like the pre-war/T206 folks construct.

At least from the 1970s, I think my Mike Schmidt PSA set has them all:

http://www.psacard.com/PSASetRegistr...?s=9706&m=3248

The Carousel discs can be very tricky, if you were so inclined to get back stamps from each of the individual stores. That's even too comprehensive for my tastes-

m

I think I have all the Brooks Robinson backs... Just one carousel back. Didn't chase every store. I think I have about 15 different backs.

Marc, very impressive collection. Are you aware of the 1981 Permagraphic Credit Card variations? Each can be found with the regular 3 digit card number, and with 125-preceeding it. Neither has been tough to find in my experience. COMC has an example of each available.

Thanks gentleman.

Marc - Thanks for sharing your collection.

Can you elaborate a bit more about the Carousel backs. Is this one printed back that was manually stamped by individual stores?

Also, I was seeing a lot of different colors on these cards. Was the color on the cards the same within a set or was it an assorted rainbow?

The carousel cards were rubber stamped on back with address/location, which would make them relatively easy to counterfeit. I have a few letter type variations I believe, leading me to wonder if "corporate" sent out the stamps or if the individual locations were on their own…OR..maybe I already have some fakes. I have maybe 15 or so different back locations.

I have most of the MSA Bench discs... graded and some still raw...

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...=174114&page=5

Pages 5,6,and 7 will show you virtually everything done by MSA of Lou Brock.

There is also a listing of all known Carousel backs.

Thanks to every one who provided input. Seems like some of you player collectors have already built what I was thinking of so good to know it isnt too challenging.

I found the MSA Customized, cup lid, and probably Red Barn Restaurant (both versions) to be the toughest.

Saga was a little tougher as I recall, but with Ebay, they all are attainable, and for not a lot of money.

Your biggest challenge will be the 1978 Wiffle Ball discs. These are the ones printed on the sides of the boxes.

About 20 of the cards were printed on a sleeve that attached a single ball to the end of a plastic bat. Because of that format the cards all come with a huge factory crease since they were folded in an octagon shape.

After almost 40 years of searching I still have not been able to identify the full checklist of the 88 players advertised. I can only confirm about 82 of them

My modest Aaron holdings:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...0Aaron%201.JPG
http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...0Aaron%202.JPG

Got all six in one lot. I kind of lose interest in stuff like this once the front variations are accounted for so I will probably only keep two of them.

For me, and in particular Garvey as a subject, the MSA Customized "Ad" back was by far the hardest to find. I have duplicates of all but that one. One seller seemed to have an endless supply of Red Barn discs, which really made that one easy. The newer Saga disc was also tougher than the earlier one (it's the one that looks like the Tastee Freeze front, not the more common baseball seam design. I guess I was lucky with the wax lid too…I probably saw a half dozen of those offered up in a relatively short time, although they are seldom seen now.

Here's a picture from the interwebs that shows the MSA wiffle disc I'm talking about.

http://i812.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps94711f64.jpg

As I said, they don't exist in mint and some of them may not exist at all.

Bat Checklist?
 

Agree with dark horse on the difficulty of the whiffle package discs.

Does a checklist exist of those found on the bat package? I collect George Brett and don't believe he was available on the whiffle bat but have never seen a definitive checklist.

Players only appear on a single version of packaging. Brett can only be found on a softball box. There are Junior sized, regulation size, softball size and bat/ball sleeves.

Thanks
 

Thanks darkhorse. Appreciate the info. I have the softball box version of Brett so I guess I'm good.

Here's a checklist as to how the 1978 Wiffle Ball cards were issued. As I mentioned there were four formats, Junior Sized, regulation Sized, Softball sized and Bat/Ball sleeve.

To date I have only confirmed 81 cards. The boxes indicate there are 88 players. That means there are seven unknown. There has to be both one box and one sleeve I don't know about. That's the only way to make up the "missing seven"




1978 Disc Format
Sal Bando Softball
Buddy Bell Regulation
Johnny Bench Bat/Ball
Vida Blue Regulation
Bert Blyleven Regulation
George Brett Softball
Lou Brock Regulation
Bill Buckner Bat/Ball
Ray Burris Softball
Jeff Burroughs Softball
Campy Campaneris Junior
John Candelaria Softball
Jose Cardenal Regulation
Rod Carew Bat/Ball
Dave Cash Softball
Cesar Cedeno Softball
Ron Cey Bat/Ball
Chris Chambliss Bat/Ball
Dave Concepcion Regulation
Dennis Eckersley Bat/Ball
Mark Fidrych Junior
Rollie Fingers Bat/Ball
Carlton Fisk Regulation
George Foster Bat/Ball
Wayne Garland Regulation
Ralph Garr Regulation
Steve Garvey Regulation
Don Gullett Bat/Ball
Larry Hisle Regulation
Catfish Hunter Softball
Reggie Jackson Bat/Ball
Von Joshua Regulation
Dave Kingman Junior
Jerry Koosman Softball
Ron LeFlore Softball
Sixto Lezcano Regulation
Davey Lopes Junior
Greg Luzinski Regulation
Fred Lynn Regulation
Garry Maddox Regulation
Jon Matlack Regulation
Gary Matthews Softball
Lee May Regulation
John Mayberry Regulation
Bake McBride Bat/Ball
Tug McGraw Bat/Ball
Hal McRae Bat/Ball
Andy Messersmith Bat/Ball
Randy Moffitt Regulation
John Montefusco Regulation
Joe Morgan Bat/Ball
Thurman Munson Regulation
Graig Nettles Regulation
Bill North Softball
Al Oliver Bat/Ball
Jorge Orta Regulation
Jim Palmer Bat/Ball
Dave Parker Regulation
Tony Perez Regulation
Gaylord Perry Bat/Ball
Jim Rice Regulation
Aurelio Rodriquez Regulation
Pete Rose Regulation
Joe Rudi Regulation
Nolan Ryan Bat/Ball
Manny Sanguillen Regulation
Mike Schmidt Regulation
Tom Seaver Regulation
Ted Simmons Regulation
Jim Spencer Regulation
Willie Stargell Regulation
Rennie Stennett Junior
Frank Tanana Regulation
Gene Tenace Regulation
Luis Tiant Softball
Manny Trillo Regulation
Bob Watson Softball
Carl Yastrzemski Bat/Ball
Richie Zisk Regulation
Butch Wynegar Softball

I have a few of these for sale
 

Anyone here interested? I have 1 of the ones on the end of the bat - Bench/Palmer. I have 3 flattened regulation size boxes - 1 - Munson, Garvey, Rudi, 2 - Brock, Schmidt, Concepcion and 3 Tenace, Bell and Stargell

Are the different colors different years?

R Jackson/T McGraw bat sleeve comes light blue or red.

I'm still looking, but I thought I had a bat/ball sleeve partial with no color and different cardboard.

Steve B

Tougher than the discs are the advertising for them. I have two pieces, both from sets issued near where I lived.

The Chillee Willee one is a mobile with a large disc shaped ad and three of the discs hanging below it from strings. It hung above the machine, and eventually got some syrup on a couple of the discs. I don't recall if I restored mine using extras I had or if I left it with the stains and all.

The Papa Ginos discs were advertised with a cardstock register display and a larger one that went up on the menu. I'd asked if I could get one when the promotion was over but they said the front office wanted them all back. A week or two after the cards were gone I spotted one down behind the register. Asked and after a bit of confusion they gave it to me. "hey, can I have that old ad with the cards" What old ad" "That one right there" " Confused look, where?" "down behind the register" Looks behind, pulls it out hesitates and finally says "sure here. "
That was a moderately tough set, one or two per purchase, and until right at the end even the kids in my school that worked there couldn't get me any or they'd be fired. The last week of the cards my family was at one at a mall a little farther from home and I got a duplicate. I tried asking if I could swap it for one I needed which hadn't been allowed in the past, and instead they brought out the whole bucket full, left it at the table and told me to take what I needed. Set complete!:D

Steve B

Picture pls
 

Can you please post a picture of the Chillie Willie mobile? I don't know if I recall ever seeing this particular ad piece before or any ad piece for the MSA discs for that matter...

Here's a few

We had a Wisconsin dealer that used to set up at a few of the Detroit area shows in the 1980s that would have some Red Barn discs mixed in their $1 box. I never knew the version without the address existed. When I collected Brooks Robinson, the Saga and Red Barn were the last for me to track down.

It will take a while, I'll have to find it. With any luck it's right with the Papa Ginos ad and I can take pics of both. Papa Ginos was an MSA product too, but with its own design.

I picked this up off ebay a few weeks ago, it is supposedly cut from an advertising poster for Burger Chef. The seller had all the Cardinals individually cut out and for sale. I would really have liked to have that poster, but now it resides in a dozen pieces on ebay..... It is on glossy paper and is blank backed.

I just bought this off ebay as a frame of reference for the Lou Brock cut out above. The seller has 60-70 of these cut out, 10 or so clearly show the advertising for the Burger Chef MSA discs.

MSA Poster
 

I know Scott (quitcrab) sent me a picture a while ago of an example of one of the Burger Chef posters w/Brooks Robinson pictured. I think he still has it and is "thinking" about selling it to me "someday" soon (may already be in the mail; who knows!?!).

Patience
 

We're fairly patient; find it yet?!?;)

I'd love to see both of those examples; likely I've never seen either one before. What is the year of the MSA Papa Ginos?

Also, thanks so much you guys for posting some of the advertising items. They look very cool!

Few more commons Detroit Caesars Bench Robinson Yount
Tastee Freez Seaver

Brooks Robinson
 

Anyone know if Brooks ever had a Taste Freeze disc?

I finally checked and I don't have any Garvey Red Barn discs that aren't from Kenosha. I may have passed on a non-location copy because i was unaware.

Didn't know this, thanks for the tip

I wasn't aware of this either. Now I'm gonna track down the other variation (without 125) for my Yaz collection. Thanks for the tip!