More About Triptychs

I was told that the Triptych's began with Series 5.  They were then issued during every third set so the next ones were series 8, then 11, etc.  That makes sense based on the large number of these that I have acquired.  The highest numbers I have are 77 and 101.  

If that pattern is correct I am missing #68, #80, #83 and #86.  

Does anyone know why the series numbers go from 88 to 101?  What happened to 89 - 100? 

Sportscaster Promo Cards - Numbering System?

I've seen that the promotional cards have the numbering system 993-xx.  This has been found in a few of the different sets.  Has anyone seen anything else?

I found a few oddities with the set from Finland.  The cards below have no numbering at all.  I have more of these cards than others, so I am guessing they might have been promotional cards as well.

Does anyone know much about these cards?

Martti Vainio and Pekka Vasala were both Finnish athletes.  I imagine that this factors into the distribution of these cards. 

Sportscaster Triptych Anyone?

These three-fold pamphlets were included in some of the decks.  They are numbered with the same number as the deck/pack/series.  

I have the unopened pack above that doesn't contain a triptych.  Does that mean that there is not a #21 which would mean they are skip numbered.

Here is a pack with a triptych included.  It is deck #23 and the triptych is numbered 23.  Without getting all of the unopened packs, how do I know if I have all of the triptych pamphlets issued?

This is why I love Sportscaster cards.  They are a challenge since no one really seems to care about them. 

Belgian / Dutch Cards - What is the Difference?

I just finished sorting the cards from the Belgian set of Sportscaster cards.  Even though I don't have anywhere near the complete set, I did find a variation.  Two different cards are listed with the card number 33-773.

Both cards seem to be French athletes, so that doesn't help me at all.

Since Belgium has three official languages, which language is used on these cards?  It appears to be in Dutch.  So, what makes the Dutch cards different?  I haven't seen the country code on the back of any Dutch cards.  Can someone provide that number?

There are a few cards on ebay now, but I am guessing that their country code is the same as the one from Belgium.  I am inclined to believe that there is only one combined Dutch/Belgian set, but finding the two different cards with the same number makes me wonder if there are two different sets.

Graded Sportscaster Cards

I don't own any graded Sportscaster cards.  I own a few graded cards just from group purchases or good deals at card shows.

I checked SCG's population report and found that they haven't graded many Sportscaster cards.  I didn't check BGS because I don't have a login that I can remember. 

PSA had the following totals by country -

North American - 6080 graded cards
Finland - 728
France - 391
Sweden - 258
United Kingdom - 226
Germany - 190
Italy - 80
Belgium - 58
The Netherlands (Dutch set) - 47

With over 2,000 cards in the set the North American version has only an average of three of each card graded.  I was surprised to see that 13 cards had more than 50 graded versions.  That's over 14% of all of the graded cards.

11 of the 13 cards made sense - Orr, Ali, Nicklaus, Howe, 1969 Mets (Ryan), Dr. J., Rose Ryan, Bird, Gretzky, Magic.  I was surprised at the last two on the list - Pete Maravich and Jim Rice.  Great players, but not really on par with the first 11 names. 

I still don't know the numeric country code for the Dutch cards.  A few are for sale online, but when I zoom it becomes a bit too blurry.  Can anyone help with that? 

French Sportscaster Cards - I Know Less About Them Each Day

I read that there are sets up to 124 in the French set.  That makes sense since I've got one card from set 121 in my small sample of these cards.

I thought that the numbering system made sense until I sorted these cards today.  List most of the sets, this set is numbered with the series (deck) number and then a number from 01 to 24.  I found two cards that don't follow that pattern.

Below is a larger version of the backs.  They all have the code for French cards - 16 265.  Notice that these are labeled 04-75 and 04-87.  I have no other cards from this series to use as a comparison.

Only the set from Finland numbers this way.  I don't have these cards in the Finnish version. 

04-75 should be 04-03 if following the French pattern.  Menetrey is card 04-03 in the North American set.  04-87 should be 04-15.  04-15 in the North American set is Rick Barry. 

The card with Bouttier and Monzon is listed on ebay at being card 04-15, but there is no photo of the back of the card to confirm the numbering.  Does anyone have this card?

Does anyone know more about issues like this in the French set, or specifically in series 04?

Variations and/or Different Print Runs in Foreign Sportscaster Sets

Are there different print runs in with the Sportscaster cards from Finland?  I am sorting my small collection and I came across what seem to be two cards with the same number.  There is no note of a different print run on the backs.

Does anyone know more about this?  Are there more variations like this? 

German Sportscaster Promo Cards

It was great to get a comment from someone who is working on the German Sportscaster checklist.  That motivated me to look through the stack of German cards that I purchased a while back.  I did find two of the promo cards with the 993 numbering.

Just like the North American set, they are not numbered 1 and 2.  Does anyone have a list of the promo cards used for each set?

Sportscaster Card Backs - Series #01 Highlights

I really like the text on the back of the Sportscaster cards.  I plan to read all of them that I have, which is most.  Will I retain most of it?  Not likely.  I will mention some of the more interesting things that I find on the backs.

Here are some of the comments on the backs of cards in Series 01. My comments are in bold.

Despite eye injuries, mononucleosis and a variety of arm and leg pains he the NBA All-Rookie Team.

...a basketball player and a Johny-come-lately runner

...allows sudden increases in his naturally long stride, and makes him look as if he's wearing seven-league boots.

What are seven-league boots?

Rumors circulated that the Finns were using secret training methods, including blood transfusion,

There is even a Sportscaster card dedicated to blood transfusions.

...toiling on the mound for New York Mets teams that produced more bone-head plays than runs per game.

A hip injury hampered Tom's 1974 efforts, lowering his usual effectiveness and lowering the Mets out of sight.

It's great to hear that Mets being dissed.  It reminded me of a chant in the bleachers at Wrigley Field.  Late in the season the Cubs played the Cardinals and both teams were out of the playoff race.  A Mets score was posted and the entire bleacher crowd, Cubs and Cardinals fans alike, started chanting - "we all hate the Mets".

The Colts, in turn, had vowed that their roek-hard defense would make Joe eat his words - and the football.

Two-Fisted Champion - that is a sub-title

The 5'10" American with the Prince Valiant haircut...

Whatever that is.

...he outdid himself, directing a dazzling ballet on the field.

That is for a soccer player.

...the debonaire giant...

...leading the boys from Baltimore to 3 championships.

...kept his track shoes eating up thousands of miles a year.

He was a very skinny teenager, ashamed of his 132-pound body.

I think they mention stuff like this on lots of these cards.

It took a mother of two from the Netherlands to match Jessie Owens' amazing exploits at the 1936 Olympics.

Unlike most champions, he chafed at hard and regular training.

Sport fans who resented his outspoken manner were happy to see the unpopular champion get his comeuppance, and Mark received little sympathy when he returned to the USA.

Blonde hair flying, eyes glittering...

That is how the text begins on one card.

Storing Sportscaster Cards

I am almost finished sorting all of these cards.  I plan to do so when I am on break from teaching soon.

I have been storing these cards in shoe boxes.  I don't like it.  Does anyone have any good ways to securely store these cards?  Cheaply?  I'd like the boxes to be sturdy enough to travel.  The shoe boxes are not secure and they are not easy to move around.

UPDATE - I finished sorting all of my North American Sportscaster cards.  Now I need to confirm the variations and finish the checklist.  After that I can work on some of the foreign Sportscaster cards.

Print Runs and Decks - What is Possible?

I've heard that only decks 1 - 7 are available from Japan with North American Sportscaster cards.  As I mentioned in the last post, I wonder about the Nadia Comaneci from series 10 since it is labeled as printed in Japan.

What about print runs 'C' and 'D'.  I can confirm that some of these were printed based on my collection, not what I've seen online.

Here is what I have -

'C' print run - decks, 05, 06, 07, 20, 21, 22, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 53, 54, 55

'D' print run - decks - I thought I had a few but I didn't see them on my checklist

Can anyone add to this list?

Sportscaster Card from Japan - Nadia Comaneci in Deck 10

I read that the North American version of Sportscaster cards were printed in Italy and Japan for the first seven series (decks) only.  My cards follow that pattern except for one.  I have a Nadia Comaneci (10-03) from Italy and Japan.   The ones from Japan are from the blank print run.

I've been trying to only focus on back variations so far but for this card I need to consider the front as well.

Here is what I have.  Can anyone provide more information on this?

I have two versions from the blank print run.  One is from Japan and one is from Italy.  Both have an icon on the front that lists gymnastics as an indoor and outdoor sport.   FYI - I didn't know what that icon meant until I looked it up today.

I have two different versions of the print run 'A' card.  Both are from Italy.  There are updated statistics from 1977.

These cards only differ on the front.  Notice that the icons to the left of the gymnastic icon have changed.  The top icon designates gymnastics as being an indoor sport.  The lower one listed it as indoor and outdoor.  

Even if the Japanese printing of this card is a promo card or something I find it odd that the print run 'A' card has variations on the front.  Will there be others within a print run that have changes?  Does anyone know more about this before I plow through all of my cards?

UPDATE - I forgot that I have a 'B' print run card too. 

This card has additional results from 1978 and 1979. 

The 'B' print run also has gymnastics listed as an indoor sport based on the icon on the front.  Do print runs 'C' or 'D' exist for series 10?

Foreign Sportscaster Cards

I've not gotten around to sorting these cards since I haven't even finished the North American Sportscaster cards.  Here is what I have.

The picture above shows my Sportscaster cards from Germany (left), Belgium (middle) and Sweden (right). 

The second picture shows my Sportscaster cards from France (front, left), the UK (front, rigtht) and Finland (box in back).

I still have no checklists for these cards.  I could probably only start a checklist for the set from Finland since I have a lot of them.

I don't have any from Italy or the Netherlands.  Does anyone have any of these?  Does anyone even know the numbering system used in the Dutch set?

Sportscaster Checklist is Getting Closer to Being Done

Maybe I can finish it over the holiday break from school.  I am just about done sorting the Sportscaster cards that I added to my collection over the past few months.  Most of them were from the first ten series so I probably don't need many variations in that stack.

I need exactly 100 cards now, not counting variations.  I am chasing the variations but I am focused on getting these 100 cards, or at least 97 of them.  I don't know if I will ever get the Gretzky, Bird or Magic Johnson and that is okay.

I updated a list of the 25 lowest numbers that I need to complete this set.  It can be seen on the right side of this blog.

I am still looking for checklists for the foreign sets since I have a decent number from about five different countries.  Does anyone have information on that?

Sportscaster Series #16 Variations That I Have Found

I've got a few more piles of cards to sort, but I need to continue listing variations that I've found. 

Here is what I found for the 24 cards in Series #16 so far.   It looks like the first print run has no letter.  I've only found those from Italy.   In addition, I am finding print run "A" and print run "B".  So I'm working on getting all three versions for Series #16.

Is there a first print run from Japan?  I read yesterday that only the first seven decks were printed in both Japan and Italy.  It was also mentioned that only decks 1 - 7 were printed in Japan.  My data confirms that.

I have every card from print run 'A' and 'B'.  I am missing eight cards from the first print run.

Here are the back variations I've seen.  I have yet to check for variations on the front of the cards.

16-10  Track and Field History - Guy Drut - 'A' is formatted differently than the blank version
16-11  Albert Zweifel - The Awards and Records are updated in 'B'

Rosemont, IL Card Show

I went to the show at Rosemont yesterday.  It was great to have time to look through everything on display.  I stayed for over 2 1/2 hours and I saw a total of two Sportscaster cards.  The Johnny Bench was $5.00 so I didn't even bother to look at the card that was beneath it. 

Quite a disappointment since I haven't really been to shows or flea markets this year. 

Any National Updates?

Even though the National was within 30 minutes of my house, this was the first time I missed the show in many years.  Did anyone notice any Sportscaster cards?  Please send along any updates.

Someone Wishes They Had Bought Sportscaster Cards

https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/columnists/ken-karrson/ken-karrson-paying-homage-to-a-true-trading-card-original/article_d9a93f8d-3bf9-5757-8100-6c13c4deb55d.html

It's a bit old, but a nice comment on the cards.

Information Pulled From AtlasCards Site That No Longer Exists

Here is the numbering for the different Sportscaster sets.  The cards I got this week were from sets 17-033 and 0086-1030.  I confirmed with my daughter that the set numbered 17-033 is indeed the German set as mentioned below.  Set 0086-1030 is written in Dutch language.  That must be the Belgian set which matches the numbers below.  

PSA slabbed some of the cards in set 0086-1030 as being "Dutch" since they are written in that language.  Are they part of the Belgian set or a Dutch set if there is such a thing?  Can anyone confirm this since one of the official languages of Belgium is Dutch?

Is there a Danish (Denmark) set?

Everything below is from their site - these are not my thoughts.  


USA / NORTH AMERICA SET: 

Set: # 03 005 --- 1977-1979 Editions Rencontre (DECKS 01-88, 101-103)

UNITED KINGDOM / GREAT BRITAIN 

SET: # 13 064 --- 1977-1980 Editions Rencontre (DECKS 01-88, 101-103 
BUT MANY DIFFERENT CARDS FROM THE USA SET)

FRANCE / FRENCH 

SET: # 16-265 --- 1976-1980 Editions Rencontre (DECKS 01-88 and 101-124)

SWEDEN / SWEDISH 

SET: # 47-021 --- 1977-1982 Editions Rencontre (DECKS 01-76)

FINLAND / FINNISH 

SET: No set number cards are numbered accumulatively with deck numbers so 1-1 to 1-24, then 2-25 to 2-48 and so on up to at least 115 decks and 2,760 cards)

GERMANY / GERMAN 

SET: # 17-033 --- 1977-1979 Editions Rencontre (DECKS 01-88, 101-106)

ITALY / ITALIAN 

SET: # 833 1976-1978 maybe longer, very rare set. Also an accumulative set from card 1-1 up to at least deck 37 and card 888.

BELGIUM / BELGIAN 

SET: # 0086/1030 --- 1977-1978 or longer, runs accumulative from 1-1 up to at least deck 70 and card 1680.

DENMARK / DANISH 

SET: Not much is known at this time about this rarest of Sportscaster sets.

Sportscaster Cards from Germany

UPDATE - I screwed up these two sets. 

It's been a good week for me with Sportscaster cards.   Today I picked up a bunch of cards from the German set.  This set is numbered 17-033 followed by the deck and pack (i.e. 22-13).  I like that it works like the USA set with card numbers in each deck starting at 01.

I was surprised to see two cards of Rosi Mittermaier.  I rarely see doubles in any Sportscaster lot so I immediately turned it over expecting one of them to maybe be a promo card.  Sure enough, it was number 17 993 08.  This 993 code has been found on the promos from each set that I've seen so far.  

Does it make sense for Mittermaier to be on a promo card?  She did win gold medals in the 1976 and she's from Germany.

Who else was used as promo cards in this set?  I didn't check all of the cards, but maybe I have more than just this one.

An Oddity With the Belgian Sportscaster Cards

Update - these are from Belgium and/or The Netherlands.

When I was collecting baseball cards in the 1970s there were cards attached in Dynamite magazine, which I didn't ever get.  A few friends read it so eventually I ended up with these panels of cards.  They are easy to distinguish from regular cards from the late 1970s due to the obvious perforation used to attach them into the magazine.

I found a bunch of Belgian Sportscaster cards with the squared-off corners and perforations.  The card stock actually seemed a bit thinner than the normal Sportscaster cards.  Yes, I said thinner.  I guess that is possible.

The numbering is the same so they are not promos like I've seen with some of the USA version of these cards.  Here are some photos.

In the photo above the cards on the left all have the perforations and squared-off corners.  The card on the right was also included in the pile of normal cards.

Above is a poorly-done closeup picture of the same cards.  

The front of the cards have a different color for the top portion.

Maybe I missed a few of these in the box, but these cards above also have perforations.  Sportscaster lots seem to rarely have duplicates since they were sold one pack at a time.  This lot didn't seem to have duplicates either, other than these cards with the perforations.  

Does anyone have any idea about these insert cards?  

Did the USA version or other Sportscaster versions do this?  I've gotten a lot of Sportscaster cards and I've never seen one like this before.  

Belgian Sportscaster Cards Finally Found Their Way to Me

UPDATE - these cards are written in Dutch and they are likely a part of the Belgian set.

These are my first cards from the Belgian set.  I am quite pleased because I ended up with a good number of track and field cards from this set.

Below is the front of one card and the back of another one.

The numbering system is 0086 1030 followed by the pack/deck number and the card number.  Like some of the other sets, the numbering doesn't restart for each pack/deck, so pack 2's first card is number 25 instead of being 02-01 in the USA set.

I picked up over 500 of these cards but there weren't any of the main sports from the USA included.  My next task is to determine if there are any cards in the Belgian set that are not in the USA set.

Counterfeit Sportscaster Cards?

https://www.sportscollectorsdigest.com/taft_counterfeit_scam_might_have_reached_1_milli/

I didn't know about this but that makes sense since I still don't have Bird, Gretzky and Magic Johnson. 

I knew about the Star Cards but I hadn't heard about the Starting Lineup cards, of which I have thousands.  I imagine that at least two of mine are fakes. 

At least it told me how to spot a fake SLU card.  The article didn't mention how to check a Sportscaster card to see if it is real.  Does anyone know what to look for with Sportscaster cards?

Where Are the Sportscaster Foreign Cards?

I purchased some German version Sportscaster cards today.  That's great since I have none from this set.  Has anyone seen lots of foreign Sportscaster cards anywhere?  I will be putting all of the tradingcarddb.com lists into one spreadsheet.

I am almost done with a checklist of the USA version of Sportscaster cards.  I don't even know where to start with the foreign sets.  Does anyone have an idea?

Chariots of Fire Characters in Cards

Has anyone tracked cards of the main runners in the movie Chariots of Fire?  I'm talking about cards created from before WWII since the movie centers on the 1924 Olympics.  I finally got a Harold Abrahams.  I now have two different Lord Burghley cards.

I already had a card of Eric Liddell.  I've also got one of Douglass Lowe who won the 800 meters for Great Britain.

I'm not extremely knowledgeable about old running cards, but I am interested, especially when they are affordable.  If anyone knows of others from the movie that have cards please let me know.