Wiffle box discs from 1978
 

I've been working on this set for over 30 years now and I've never been so frustrated with a set in my life, because I can't even confirm the existence of many of the cards.

In 1977 Wiffle issued a set of discs that were die cut and inserted one at a time in Wiffle ball boxes. There were 88 of them and they're fine. I've got all them. That's not where the problem is.

The trouble comes in 1978 when Wiffle started printing the cards on the boxes themselves. Aesthetically they are much less pleasing, but collectible nonetheless. The boxes advertise that 88 players make up the set, just like the previous year. Therein lies the problem.

To date I have never seen evidence that eight of the cards exist.

Cards were printed - five to a box - on various sizes of Wiffle products (junior, regulation and softball sizes). The scarcity of the cards depends upon the popularity of the product there were on (like Post, Hostess etc.) The Standard Catalog does not properly reflect this and should be re-examined.

Additionally, 18 cards were printed in pairs on the sleeves that were used to sell a bat/ball set (nine different that I've found). Each of those sleeves features one pitcher and one batter. Because of the way they were produced it is impossible to find any of those without severe creasing. Again, the pricing should reflect that.

The problem that I run into is that there are eight cards that I have never seen on any product from Wiffle from that year. They are:

Bobby Bonds
Rod Carew
Al Hrabosky
Randy Jones
Ed Kranepool
Steve Rogers
Rusty Staub
Carl Yastrzemski


I have in my possession, or have witnessed, the existence of all the other 80 cards in this set.

Here's the additional problem. I can't even guess what product might posses the remaining cards. With eight missing It can't include a five-disc box, because that would leave three missing cards.

It can't been four missing sleeves because there are only three pitchers (Jones, Hrabosky, Rogers) unaccounted for.

Does anyone have any clue as to what is up with this issue?

Also...there needs to be a serious re-examination of the pricing on these cards to reflect their true scarcity.

I'll take a look to see if I can find mine.

I think there's a couple different types of sleeves too.

Steve B

I know of two styles of two-card sleves, but they are both two-card models with a pitcher/batter combination.

I'd love to see a Carew from this set. It is one of the few cataloged cards that I have never seen of his. I was actually trolling the web looking for one the other day. I'd definitely pay at least a couple time more than the $6 value it carries in my 2010 Standard Catalog.

I've seen the sleeves selling for anywhere from $25 per sleeve to $60 per sleeve. Some would go higher

The ones I have seen on sleeves are:

Gullett/McBride
Carlton/R. Smith
Chambliss/Perry
Eckersley/Buckner
Fingers/Foster
R. Jackson/McGraw
Morgan/McRae
Ryan/Cey
Bench/Palmer

Several of those - considering the rarity and star power of Ryan, Jackson etc. would go for higher, the problem is they all have severe creases in them. Unless you found a pre-release version the best you could technically get is a "poor/good" condition.

It does beg the question, how would PSA grade something that was created with creases like that?

I imagine the discs would take a hit similar if not bigger than the one the Topps Candy Lids get with their built in crease topping out at mid-grade unless you somehow find a proof, and that's just with the tiny crease found on the Lids.

I haven't found them yet. What I recall is sleeves that were thin cardboard and some on corrugated cardboard. I think one -probably the corrugated- didn't have colored sides to the cards.
Somewhere I have one of each.

Now I've really got to find them and the boxes I have.

Steve B