Time again for another oddball Fleer release. This time we are "Super Sizing" our review by taking a look at the 1973 Fleer Baseball Big Signs:
When Fleer says "Big", they aren't kidding. These cardboard signs measure 8 x 11.5 inches, and dwarf a normal sized 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 card:
Unfortunately these are just a bit taller than a standard 1 pocket sheet as the top of the sign sticks out slightly, so storage can be a bit of a concern.
Storage issues aside, these are a very nice way to display your favorite team's logo. The signs even have a perforated hole at the top which you can punch out if you want to hang up the "sign".
Here is a look at all 24 teams, arranged by the division alignments from 1973:
AL East:
AL West:
NL East:
NL West:
The signs sold for $.10 a piece as shown on the box:
I think these signs were sold without a wrapper as I have never seen one, so presumably you could search the box for the teams you wanted. There is not a date on the box or on the back of the signs (which are just blank cardboard), so I can't say for sure that these were issued in 1973. I've sometimes seen these listed as being from 1974, but most of the time they are referred to as the 1973 Big Signs.
Fleer only issued 1 set of Baseball Big Signs, but issued 2 different Football sets. Next time we'll take a look at the Football signs.
UPDATE January 2023
There are 2 versions of the Angels sign. One with a small "a":
and one with a large "A":
This leads me to believe these were issued in both 1973 and 1974. More details at this post:
Day-in, day-out, this site is amazing. You just never know what you're going to learn. I love it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the nice feedback. I enjoy your site as well, and always make sure I catch the Friday Five!
ReplyDeleteI love the Fleer Big Signs. When I was a kid the convenience store at the campground we stayed at got a box of them and was selling them even cheaper than the 10¢. I ran as fast as I could back to our camper to get my money and went back and bought all of the different ones I could find. There were a few missing, but years later I came across a few at a baseball card show and got the rest off of ebay to complete the set.
ReplyDeleteEven better, I scanned the artwork of the players in action used to fill the dead space and made new signs in the same style for the teams that have been added to mlb since then.
Jeff,
ReplyDeleteIf you'd like to send me some pics of the signs you've created for the teams that have been added, I'll be glad to post the pictures. I'd really like to see them!
What do you think a complete set of these baseball signs would go for today? My husband is thinking of collecting.
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