1969 Fleer Baseball Iron Ons

As I mentioned in a previous post, the late 1960's to mid 1970's was a very productive period for Fleer in terms of a number of various Baseball releases. Today we turn our attention to another oddball item - Iron Ons.

Fleer issued 2 different series of Iron Ons during this time period. From what I can tell, the 2 series would likely have been released in 1969 and 1970 - based on the fact that there is a Seattle Pilots logo in both sets (with the 1970 set presumably having been printed shortly before the Pilots moved to Milwaukee at the end of Spring Traning that year).

Often you will see these referred to as 1968 Iron Ons, which I do not think is correct. The packs have a 1968 copyright (which says "1968 (c) Major League Baseball Promotion Corp."), but I believe this refers to when the logos were copyrighted, not when the product was actually released.

Today's post spotlights the first series of Iron Ons which I'm pretty sure was released in 1969.

Packs had a number of logos on the front:

Boxes contained 24 packs:


The front of the box also leads me to believe that these were a 1969 release given the box displays the 2 teams that met in the World Series the previous year:


More logos gracing the side of the box:


Ahhh, unopened bliss:


Each pack contained 1 strip of 3 iron ons, a card with directions on how to apply the iron ons, and a stick of gum. Here are 3 examples:


Since these were designed to be ironed on to items like shirts, the images had to be reversed.

There were a total of 16 different strips. Through the wonders of modern technology, The Fleer Sticker Project is proud to present how the iron ons would look once you ironed them on:






Finally, note the 100th Anniversary designation on the MLB logo. 1969 was the 100th Anniversary of MLB as seen here:


For some reason, there are no Iron Ons for the Expos, and there is only 1 Iron On for the Cubs (presumably because the team's logo is also what they wore on their uniform instead of the team name), while all the other teams have 2 (a logo and the name that was worn on their uniform).

The 1969 series of Iron Ons is less common and a bit more difficult to find than the 1970 series which I will cover tomorrow.

Given that the images are reversed, and given the size of the strips makes them somewhat difficult to display, this isn't one of the more popular Fleer collectibles you'll come across, but it does make for a nice collection of team logos.

Some Great Helmets!

I wanted to say thanks to Tom for responding both to me and to the Uniwatch blog after reading the Christmas catalog post and sharing some of the NFL helmets he still has from his childhood .

I was really glad to see a link to my posting about the old catalogs full of NFL goodies mentioned by Uniwatch. If you've never read the blog, its a fascinating daily read of any and all things uniform related.

Monday's Uniwatch blog linked to my page on the Christmas catalogs, and then today's post had a follow-up with some pictures that had been sent in by Tom. You can see the links to Tom's photos as well as a mention of my "old kiddie NFL merch" post towards the end of today's posting on Uniwatch. Its towards the bottom of today's post.

Tom also contacted me directly to share some information about the helmets. If you don't feel like clicking over to Uniwatch, here are the pictures that Tom shared:


According to Tom, these are helmets made by Rawlings. Luckily I've still got my Colts helmet just like the one in Tom's picture. Thanks for not throwing it out Mom! I also really like the black Saints helmet, which apparently was only worn during the 1969 preseason.

Tom also has some helmets made by MacGregor:


I love the old face masks!

I wanted to say thanks to Tom for sharing these pictures of some great vintage NFL gear. If anyone else has some vintage sports logo related items to share, please feel free to send me some pictures and I'll be glad to post them.

Thanks for the Link Exchanges

I've been meaning to say thanks to the people who I have corresponded with over the last month or so who have been gracious enough to link to my blog.

First off, I'd like to say thanks to David at Cardboard Junkie for adding me to his lineup of links and also congratulate him on his 2007 Gummie Award for Best Baseball Card blog. I knew I had to start following this blog when I read the following quote: "I would like to stage a bloody coup and take over Upper Deck just for one day, so I could decree that there would be logo stickers in all Fleer products from now to eternity." How could The Fleer Sticker Project not be in total agreement!

Next, I need to say thanks to Kevin for adding links from his 2 blogs that cover 2 of my other favorite areas besides Fleer items - The Orioles @ Orioles Card "O" the Day and the 1965 Topps Baseball Set @ The Great 1965 Topps Project. Kevin does a great job of giving me my daily O's fix with his thoughts on a wide variety of Orioles cards from both the recent as well as the more distant past. For his 1965 project, Kevin does a great deal of research on the cards that he is acquiring for the set, and posts the information on each card he receives. If you have any 1965s that need a home, Kevin's got trading lists posted of what he has available, or feel free to just make a donation to the cause. I passed along a few extras I had sitting around, and have enjoyed reading the information he has dug up on the players he received.

Continuing the team theme, Steve has a great blog covering the White Sox @ White Sox Cards. He's got a couple of regular features, including Greatest Uniform Numbers which is a fun look back at various players who wore a particular number with the White Sox and Steve's pick for who was the greatest player with that particular number. He's also got the latest up to the minute news on what is going on with the team. He's branched off with a 2nd blog entitled Things Done to Cards. You'll need to check it out to see what kinds of "things" Steve is talking about.

Perhaps the most comprehensive team site I've come across is Twinscards.com. If you are looking to find anything Twins related, you can probably find it here. Blake's site has cards, photos, stats, publications, you name it. The site has over 5,600 Twins cards available for your viewing pleasure, and includes a search feature so you can find exactly what you are looking for. Topps, Fleer, Donruss, and Upper Deck are all there. Even oddball sets!

Finally, I'd like to say thanks to Bart, otherwise known as The BaseballCardMan. Bart started up his blog about the same time I started mine, and posts an interesting variety of cards with interesting stories from vintage cards like a 1960 Jim Katt to a much more recent 1998 Ken Griffey Etch-A-Sketch card. Bart is looking for trades, so check out his site, and see if you can work out a deal.

After reading a number of baseball card related blogs, I decided starting my own would be a fun way to meet other collectors. The first month or so of blogging has been great, and I've already met a number of collectors that I otherwise would have never had the chance to meet.

Thanks again to those of you who had added links to my site, and thanks as well to the readers who have been leaving comments. I'm glad to see that what I'm posting occasionally is interesting enough to warrant some feedback.

All I Want For Christmas Is.....

I know that I'm either really late or really early with getting my Christmas list ready, but after taking a look at the vintage Christmas catalogs at WishbookWeb.com, you'll have to forgive me for feeling like I'm a kid getting ready for Christmas. If you are ever in the mood to relive Christmas Past, you need to check out

http://www.wishbookweb.com/

This site has scanned a number of Christmas catalogs (or Wish Books as Sears called them) from the 1940's through the 1980's. If you were a kid in the 60's, 70's, or 80's you'll find lots of things in the toy sections of these catalogs that you remember from your childhood. Fisher Price, Legos, GI Joe, Mego Super Heroes, Evil Knievel, Star Wars, Hot Wheels, etc. Taking a look through the catalogs, I came across a number of toys I had forgotten about which instantly came back to me when I saw the pictures.

One thing that a number of these catalogs have are team logo items. Most of the items were NFL items, which to some degree would make sense given that the NFL is in season leading up to Christmas, but it is a striking difference between how many NFL items were in the catalogs (often a number of pages worth), while in many catalogs there was no MLB merchandise at all.

One thing that the NFL has done very well over the years is utilize NFL Properties to promote the league. And who better to promote it to then kids - your future customers. As these catalogs show, the NFL was very aggressive in getting kids at an early age to identify with their teams. MLB on the other hand, seems to have done very little with its licensing and promotion to kids - at least in terms of team merchandise available though department stores like Sears and JC Penneys.

I wanted to share some of the more interesting catalog pages I came across while perusing the catalogs.

The first appearance of any logo related items shows up in the 1970 JC Pennys catalog.

Check out these NFL uniforms:


Is it just me, or do these uniforms look a little creepy?

In 1971 the Sears Wishbook had some great NFL items like pajamas:

Jackets (check out the great patches):

Sweatshirts (has anyone ever seen the Browns logo on the shirt before?)

Hooded sweatshirts:
And Watches & Jewelery:


Moving on to 1975, the Sears Wish Book had even more NFL items, like Cardigan Sweaters & Bobble Heads:
NFL Helmet Buggies (similar to the MLB Bullpen Buggies):

Jackets & Knit Caps:
Belt Buckles:
Sweatshirts & Mini-Helmets:
Robes & PJs:
Watches & Clocks:
Pennants & Trash Cans:
Bedding & Curtains:
And finally Sport Bags:

No trip back to 1975 would be complete without taking a look at the latest in home entertainment - 8-Tracks & Pong Rule!



The 1976 JC Penney catalog had much of the same type of NFL Logo apparel as the 1975 Sears catalog, along with a few more items like Raincoats:

Football Helmet Radios:
And NFL and MLB (!) Watches:


The 1979 Sears Wish Book had even more NFL items:

Beanbag Chairs & NFL Logo Bedspread:
Mugs:
NFL Action Team Mates (which appear to be similar to Kenner Starting Line-ups):
Jeans & Shoes:
Helmet Lamps:
And all 28 Helmets & Uniforms (which don't look as strange as the 1970 pictures):


Moving into the 1980's, we finally see cards show up in the catalogs:


MLB finally gets 1 page of items (1983 Sears):


And we get some more football uniforms (1986 Sears):

For my money, the 1979 NFL Helmet & Jerseys are by far the best of the 3 that I found.

My thanks to the folks behind WishbookWeb.com for all the work they have done in tracking down these catalogs and scanning in all of the pages. Its a really fun site to visit and travel back in time. Check it out - you won't be disappointed!

UPDATE: If you enjoyed this look back at vintage Sears & JC Pennys catalogs, please see my 2nd posting with more great NFL items from the 1970s & 1980s:

http://fleersticker.blogspot.com/2008/11/christmas-time-is-here-again-vintage.html

1969 Fleer 3D Baseball Trophy Plaques Set

The late 1960's / early 1970's was a very productive time for Fleer in terms of the number of different baseball items they produced. One of the more unusual offerings was a set of plastic cards showing 23 MLB team's caps (all teams except the Expos) with the cap rising up off of the card to produce a 3D effect.



The plaques are slightly bigger than a standard card, measuring 3 inches x 3.75 inches. The backs are blank:


But the plaque comes with a card that can be attached to the back that has a small hole if you want to hang up the plaque, and a part of the card that folds out to be used as a stand. You can also write out your team's lineup:

The card has to be glued to the back of the plaque if you want to attach it as the directions indicate. The card has a 1968 copyright, but these were actually issued in 1969 as they include the 4 new expansion teams.

The plaques sold for $0.10 as seen on the front of the pack:


While the back of the pack showed that you can hang 'em up, stand 'em up, or trade 'em!


Here is a the top of the box:

And a look inside:


And finally, the front of the box:



Since you don't see these too often, I thought I'd post the teams for which I have been able to find pictures:

Atlanta Braves
Baltimore Orioles
Boston Red Sox
California Angels - with the halo around the top of the cap

Chicago Cubs



Chicago White Sox:


Cincinnati Reds
Cleveland Indians
Detroit Tigers
Houston Astros
Kansas City Royals - note that the "KC" was originally planned to be Gold instead of White


Los Angeles Dodgers
Minnesota Twins

Montreal Expos - apparently does not exist.

New York Mets
New York Yankees
Oakland A's
Philadelphia Phillies
Pittsburgh Pirates
St. Louis Cardinals
San Diego Padres

San Francisco Giants
Seattle Pilots - just as with the Royals, this plaque has a color (and in this case also a design) that was never used as far as I know. Seattle did not have Orange in their uniforms, yet this trophy shows an Orange "S". Presumably these were created after the expansion teams were announced, but before final decisions were made on uniform colors and designs.

Washington Senators

It would be 16 years until Topps offered a 3D type set with players rising off of the card in 1985 (and then again in 1986):


As with any non-standard card size set, one of the challenges is storing and displaying these 3D cards (assuming you don't glue the backs on and hang them on your wall !). Since they don't really fit well into any of your typical storage items like a card holder or a 9 pocket sheet, and since they aren't flat, they aren't the easiest things to store. In spite of that, I think they are a very nice collectible, especially if you are just looking to have one for your favorite team.