Help! Newly discovered multisport set!

[Cardboard Junkie]

Aloha! In 1986, at a garage sale in Volcano Hawaii, I purchased an incomplete set of multisportscards. I presume the set is 100 cards as I have 80 of them including #1 and #100. They are 11" X 14" Blank backed, on heavy cardboard stock. They include Boxers, Golfers, Olympians, even horserace jockeys. There are 27 baseball related and 12 football related. There are basketball, golfers, figure skaters etc. etc. I think they are circa 1949/1950 as the latest pic shows #99 the winner of the 1948 Indy 500 and #100 Bob Mathias winning the 1948 London Olympic games. So far everyone is stumped. I lived most of my life in Detroit and knew Frank Nagy...even he had never seen them. They are rubber stamped on the back by a local hawaiian library as acquired in 1983. I spoke to the now retired librarian who recalls withdrawing them because they were not a book and the set seemed incomplete (The library received them through a donation). She stated that they were sold at a book sale around 1983. #'s 1 to 50 have SP-(then a number) 50 to 100 have a number then SP. They are currently in the hands of Huggins and Scott Auctions who are trying to specifically identify them. I have been a collector since 1956 and my brother a collector since the forties. I have scoured the internet and every guidebook I can find to no avail. H and S will have them at the national for all to see. Also I am trying to get SCD and Beckett and Oldcardboard to do an article on them and try to identify them through their publications and or members. Any insight would be a big help. You may contact me at 808-966-4207 or my email massconfusion1964@gmail.com. Much Mahalos, Respectfully, David Pierson.

[cmoore330]

I work at a university in Oklahoma and recognize your pictures. We have three boxes of these photos that I believe were used as teaching aids. Each photo has a brief sentence attached to the back similar to what you would see on an AP photo.

One box highlights 1900-1930, one is 1930-1950, & the last is 1950-1970. So I am guessing they were issued in the 1970's. I didn't count how many are in each one, but 50 per set would seem about right.

They were distributed by:

National Educational Aids, Inc.
PO Box 3351
Milwaukee, WI 53208

A quick Google search doesn't turn up anything on the company, so I would guess they are long gone. There is also a (long)letter enclosed in each box that reads the following:

"PLEASE NOTE: The pictures in this set are arranged in an order that correlates with the teacher's guide (I haven't seen this by the way). We suggest you read through the guide before changing them.

Our pictures have been carefully selected and researched to represent the heritage of the American way of life. Although chronologically organized, they represent more than historical fact. They are thematically arranged to include the changing mores, the ingenuity of the American conscience, and the human foibles as well as the milieu of American achievement. the thematic organization not only pictorially depicts the development of our heritage, but can be used to garner the student's interest by creating an atmosphere analogous to the time period being studied. Men learn in many ways. The educational process is indeed a very visual experience. teachers, who talk about a period of time when little else reinforces those ideas expressed, are not using all the resource they command. Very often the student's senses are not assaulted enough or in a sustained manner so as to create the desired mood. Once the mood has been created, the teacher's job becomes much simpler. He has created an environment that matches the ideas he desires to present. Our program can greatly assist you in creating this illusion.

The pictures are not captioned allowing for greater versatility. That is, you can remove the captions from the teachers guide (A-HA) and attach them to the pictures; you can add a personal flair by making your own captions based on our research; or you could allow the students to research the pictures and make their own captions.

The program that we offer finds strength in the versatility that it offers. The pictures lend themselves to any number of disciplines including history, English, humanities, economics, etc. Teachers have successfully used our series in many ways. the pictures can be hung or placed about the classroom creating the desired mood. They can be used to create interest and motivate students to ask more about them and the concepts they represent. Students can also use the series in an individualized manner as part of a research paper or project. Teachers have also found that the pictures are excellent tools to generate meaningful class discussions.

The innovative possibilities become unlimited as the pictures provide an educationally sound stepping-stone for truly creative teaching."

Hope that helps! I am going to ice my hands now since I haven't done that much typing in years!

[Cardboard Junkie]

Thank you for your response. These cards/posterboards are all sports related.(The description of the contents of your librarys boxes seems to indicate that yours covers many aspects of life not strickly sports). The "SP" designation on each one of the 11 X 14 inch cards that I have probably stands for Sports Pictures or Photographs. Also I think the National education cards had lines on the bottom border for notations and I think they were much smaller. If there is a way for you to send me a pic or 2 of what your library has I would very much appreciate it. A photo of the box that the NEA cards are in would also be helpful as would a photo copy of the sheet that you took so much time to relay. I thank you again for your info and your interest. Dave. ps I would be happy to send you a little token of appreciation for your help. What do you collect?

[cmoore330]

Dave,

These are actually just down the hall from my office. All of the pictures we have are sports from each of the three different time periods. The letter that I shared is actually what came in each box of pictures. When I get a chance, I'll try to take some pictures.

BTW, I appreciate the offer...I collect prewar football so there isn't much out there to choose from!

[Cardboard Junkie]

Aloha again, here are some football pics from the set I have.

[cmoore330]

I was able to take some pics this morning and think you will agree that these are one in the same as yours. I took an assortment highlighting some of the things you asked for including pictures of one you have (SP-50) and of one from the series that you don't have (129-SP). I didn't take a picture with a tape measure, but they do measure 11x14.

Hopefully this is all helpful and brings you closer to the conclusions you are looking for on this set.

[cmoore330]

[Cardboard Junkie]

Originally Posted by cmoore330

Aloha! Thank you, Thank you Thank YOU!!! You have helped me tremendously!! They are definitely the one and same!!!! Fantastic.....stumped by everyone else...and you had the answer!!! I give you my word I will search my football boxes and come up with something prewar football for you as a token of my infinite appreciation. Your Friend, Dave Pierson.