Forty Something

OK, it is a pretty rare event but every once in a while something new (well, old but new to me) pops up that I can honestly say I have never seen before in the universe of vintage Topps issues.  This happened to me last week with an issue called Pocket Size Baseball Game:



Now, I have been aware of the existence of this product since 1985 when an old Baseball Card News wrapper checklist listed it.  I had just never seen one before.  I had incorrectly surmised that the product inside was a 1970-71 Baseball Scratch Off.  I was utterly off base as it turns out.  Then based upon a scan of the back of the pack I thought it might contain something much like the 1974-75 Basketball, Hockey and Football Scratch Off games, although I could tell its design varied a little from that trio's.  Wrong again. Instead, I opened up a pack (I bought three) and found this staring at me:

The card itself is larger than either those mid 70's game cards or the original inserts, all of which are standard sized.  This behemoth measures 5 1/4" x 3 1/8",  a size also used for the 1970-71 Supers and 1976-77 Basketball cards and is on the same type of stock used for the regular baseball cards of the time.  I think this issue dates to an earlier time than the big basketball cards, likely 1970-72. The letters spelling out baseball are replicated on the reverse but in a more "mod" style, reminiscent of the team lettering on the '72 baseball cards and that may be the only way to roughly  pinpoint the date.  If forced to choose, I would go with 1972 but that is just a best guess. The back offers another clue to support my time frame estimation:

It''s undated but the instructions on how to play the game are exactly the same as those found on the 1970-71 inserts, down to the spacing of the words and lines.  Therefore, it seems it must have been created at a time when the artwork for those inserts was still fresh.  The pack contained two cards and some gum.  The other card in this pack was off center but features a blue themed reverse.  In fact, all three packs showed blue through the back, leading me to believe red and blue are probably the only two colors used on the reverses. Both fronts were blue by the way-not sure if that carries through as I am not opening another pack.  Here is the blue reverse, off center and almost miscut:

Perhaps an NL/AL color scheme was occurring. I had surmised that the pack would be a test pack and indeed it turned out that way:

The pack back offers no clues, even though the small traditional Topps test style ingredient and manufacturing sticker that is attached:

The sticker conceals some glue that was still holding the pack together quite well even at this late date. Here's a hint: use a business card to gently separate glued packs when opening them. Slide it between the layers and slowly work through the glue, stopping if you encounter any real resistance. If it doesn't open easily just attack from a different angle or spot in the same gentle manner and the flaps will eventually work apart from the main body of the wrapper without tearing anything.

I tossed the gum, which was staining the pack but kept the little insert that kept it away from the cards.

 

I actually measured it out to 4 3/4" x 2 1/2" although the gum was smaller and looked to be about the same size as the gum I remember as a kid.

So the set has been added to the master Topps checklist I keep; now if only the date and full array of color schemes could be confirmed, we'd be all set! Still, I think this to be a pretty neat item.

Go Scratch

In 1970, with Topps in the midst of a multi year run of top notch inserts in their baseball (and other) packs, a colorful set of interactive cardboard panels appeared. Scratch Offs were a brightly colored set printed on thick cardbooard.

Here is what the front and back look like, no matter which vintage (they were reissued and reinserted in 1971):





Folded, these measure 2 1/2" x 3 3/8". When opened they revealed a large panel with 44 black blocks that gave off a distinct optical illusion.



Notice the white interior color. In 1971 it turned crimson:



Each block had a baseball play printed under it such as "Single" or "Out" and you could keep score on the back. Oddly enough for me, my hybrid set is intact and I can't show a scratched card. Each team in MLB at the time had their own team captain and the set is loaded with hall-of-famers. We played this game for hours back in the day. The red is probably in shorter supply (I have 5 red and 19 white interiors in my randomly assembled set) but these are pretty easy to find and there is no real pricing difference.

There is a reference in an old wax pack article that mentions a rewrapped pack for the Scratch Offs, renamed “Pocket Sized Baseball Game”. Rewrapping insert cards was a Topps hallmark, helping to siphon off excess inventory from their warehouse and selling it to the public, but I have never been able to locate a copy or even a scan. It would have to be one of the rarer Topps wrappers out there if it exists and I have to think it would be in a test wrapper format. (NOTE 7/12/11: It is not a re-wrap but an entirely separate issue.  Click here for details)

The uncut sheet shows off the three colors used for the fronts; this is likely from an Ebay auction last year:



I would have thought the color distribution would even out at 8/8/8 but no it's 6/7/11.

In 1973/74 Topps issued another scratch off with the Action Emblem cards. These were tallboys (even tho' the Action Emblems were standard sized) and while they were the usual 2 1/2" wide, they were a whopping 4 11/16" tall. The scratch off material was different this time out and there were no team captains but the play was the same.





In 1980, Topps issued another scratch off card, similar to 1974 but resemebling the 1970 version as well.





These were also 2 1/2" wide but a fraction shorter than in '74 at 4 1/2" high. Their distribution is a little murky but Bob Lemke of SCD thought they might have come in Jumbo Packs in 1980 (the back has a 1980 production code and the offer on the locker expires on 12/31/80) and Topps was selling cello packs with a couple of dozen cards or so packaged above a pack of stick chewing gum at the time, all overwrapped in an elongated wrapper. A look at the production codes shows a match with Major League Baseball Gum's 931 product code and the back of the scratch off card, so it's a good bet Mr. Lemke is correct:



While it is technically a year past my arbitrary 1980 bright line, Topps resurrected a 108 card set with a twist in 1981 as it was issued over 36 three card panels, as shown in a recent Ebay auction:





Before being ripped into its three component panels, this big boy measured in at 3 1/4" x 5 1/4". The set was marketed on its own and is one of the better 80's efforts from Topps.