I am reviving this Milton Bradley thread to get comments on this current Ebay auction with "unknown Milton Bradley examples" and this comment by the seller:

I have concluded that due to the vast rarity of Milton Bradley's that the supposed "uncut sheet depiction" online is not 100% accurate nor is the believed checklist of 1968 Milton cards.

I'm not trying to dog the seller, just looking for feedback from other MB collectors. Personally I feel the set has been documented perfectly by Carlton Miller.

Link: http://www.ebay.com/itm/1968-Milton-...item43d3978695

Randy

Nope, calling BS on that auction. The MB set is well documented because there have been enough unopened games hitting the market. Also well known was Topps' propensity to use the same stock in other series of the baseball set. I have several later series cards that look just like MB cards that are simply not part of the set. Topps did much the same thing in the 1968 FB set, which has distinct card stocks, a very white stock that went into pack products and two cream toned stocks that went into vending.

+1. Carlton is the expert without doubt. Confused sellers or scammers have been trying to sell later series yellow backs as MBs forever. Anyone who collects both the 68 set and the MB set knows better.

Not MBs
 

A few weeks ago the seller and I had a conversation about these cards through eBay messages. He seems like a nice guy and he really feels that he has discovered "new" MBs, but he hasn't. He shows the backs of known MB cards numbers on the left half of his first image of the backs of the cards. The cards that he feels are previously unknown MBs are on the right. Given the light source from the left, the cards on the left are more brightly lit than the cards on the right side, giving the appearance of MBs with more yellow card backs. I am not sure the cards on the left are MBs at all. They are most likely regular issue cards which just appear more yellow because of the lighting. If you look at his other photos of the card backs where the cards are rearranged, you'll notice that correct MB card numbers are actually more gold (not yellow at all) than his "new discovery" cards. Probably no MBs in entire lot. I politely suggested that he pull the auction, but he must have missed that part of my message. ;)

MB Set
 

Curt--I also had an offline conversation with him. Maybe he is just another confused seller. He is certainly not the first to try selling later series 68 cards as MBs. Although you would think if you were going to announce a new previously unknown group of MBs you would first research the set . I sent him a link to this article

http://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0LEV...CBFtSyRiouMV0-

If he leaves them up as is, he is something other than confused

132 card MB sheet
 

That's all there is, folks. Took me about two years to fully piece all the unique ends together. Each of the borders has a unique pattern. The BB mesh are very difficult to tell apart. It took an awful lot of off centered cards with borders to do this.

Later this week I am shipping close to 800 cards to PSA, both MBs and regular 67 FB and 68 BB for permament/temporary loan for their research purposes. Most of what I am sending MB wise are cards with considerable borders. I am sending them my more spectacular miscuts as well.

Some of my fellow MB collectors are having difficulty getting MBs graded as such. This should help that out. PSA is balking at some of the darker yellow MBs.

I have noted before that about 60% of MBs look a little darker than the 40% that are a brighter yellow. All are clearly distinct from the regular issue. It has taken a while, but PSA has seemed receptive to my input.

I also let them know that Probstein's current auction with a signed Cleon Jones autograph is not an MB.

There has been enough data on this board to note that only 132 MBs exist. I have personally opened six games (not counting the one I had as a kid) and out of the 600 or so cards from that one would expect 4.58 of each card (600/132). I have a few cards with 3, a couple with 7, mostly though 4 or 5 of each card.

Carlton

Carlton, I have been a fan of Milton Bradleys since 1968 when my Dad bought the game for me. Bob Gibson was my favorite player and I was a thrilled 7 year old when I found him in the Win-a-card game.

I was a fan of MBs long before they showed up in the price guides. Thanks for your research and "legitimizing" this important issue.

Randy Trierweiler

I was looking through my cards today and realized that I had a Flood MB sitting there. Gotta pay attention!

Just read the whole thread, found it all super cool. Went and checked on my complete 68 set and only found one with a completely different colored back, and I see this card on the sheet example. Is this a MB card? I am hoping I have at least one to represent in my set...:)


http://i.onfinite.com/wVzjb17Hd.jpg


http://i.onfinite.com/8R6lb17Hd.jpg


Thanks for any comments. Again, the back completely stands out as a different color of yellow...

Well the top border is consistent with the sheet shown on the first page.

Whenever you post a possible MB card, it's a must that you post a 'regular' 1968 Topps card beside it, so the back color differences will jump out and be easily seen by whoever is viewing the thread. That is the clearest indicator for this set. When a card is posted by its lonesome, the yellow/gold/orange aspects of it are hard to determine for sure.

But with the white border at top and your comments on the obvious color differences, it definitely looks like you have an MB.

Fascinating subject! I just had to go thru my '68's & found just 5 that I'm sure are MB's

Here is what I have that I didn't know I had!

Milton Bradley
 

Oh my gosh Fred, you and Adam are closet MBs :)

Does anyone have scans of uncut sheets of 1968 Topps series 1 and 2 baseball? That might help answer questions about whether or not a card is an MB card when it shows white on a top or bottom edge. If it is not a border or gutter card on a regular sheet it should not have any white edges.

MB's for sale
 

Check the Buy/Sell section if you are looking to purchase any 1968 Topps Milton Bradley cards. Thank You.

1968 Topps MILTON BRADLEY Cards
 

Please check the B/S/T section as I'm selling 1968 Topps Milton Bradley PSA and raw Baseball and Football Cards.

Are these Milton Bradleys?
 

Hi All. I am new to this site, and came here looking for info/confirmation on Milton Bradley cards.

I guess that I had always known about the 1967 Milton Bradley football cards, but I'd never really learned anything about them. I recall reading that you could tell the difference between '67 Topps and '67 Milton Bradley by a strip of brown on the card front top or bottom, which denoted that it was a Milton Bradley.

I am a collector of autographed AFL cards, and yesterday I was scrolling through ebay and saw an autographed '67 Paul Lowe with the brown strip on the bottom. The guy only wanted $7, so I bought it without really thinking about it. Then I get home and do a bit of reading about '67 Milton Bradley, and I see that the real way to tell the difference between the sets is that the Milton Bradleys have a stronger yellow color on the card back.

I went and looked through my signed '67 set, and lo and behold, I think I have 8 Milton Bradleys that I thought were Topps. Now it looks like I have to replace the Milton Bradleys in my set with Topps cards. I've already got dupes of a few of them, so those slots are already full, but replacing a signed '67 Joe Namath is a bummer.

But can someone with more knowledge than I confirm that these cards are Milton Bradleys and not Topps? Thank you.

I guess on a positive note I'm nearly a third of the way through a signed '67 Milton Bradley set.

Milton Bradley FB Autographs
 

Those are all MB cards, for sure. The autographs look great!

MB
 

I think you are good to go ALFfan. No one knows more about these than Carlton

Thank you! Carlton and I have already been sending messages back and forth. It's kind of funny (or sad, depending) that the crappy $7 purchase I made yesterday just made my signed 1967 Topps set incomplete, and started a tough new project (signed Milton Bradley football). I should stay away from ebay. :(

I picked these up at the National for less than $1 / card out of a 5000 count box of '67s-'69s. 80 cards in all. Many of these are EXMT and better.

Carlton, I'm in Durham as well. I wonder where that falls in the list of "most MB collectors per capita"?

MBs in North Carolina
 

My second son is a pretty ravenous collector. That makes now at least 3 in the Bull City.

There were a decent number of games that found their way to the Old North State. Some of my childhood buddies from Charlotte still have their game boards. I bought out a very nice collection a few months ago from a long time collector in central NC.

Nice cards from the National. Those white letter 69s are screamers.

Nothing like being at a card show with time to kill, and thumbing through stacks of 1968 Topps baseball cards and 1967 Topps football cards, and finding MBs. Of course I've never come across a hoard like Taylor picked up, but thanks to his generosity, a couple of these now reside in my collection:)
I usually have a difficult time picking out the baseball cards, and I like to see the white stripe on the border to confirm. The football cards almost always show some of the "burlap" from the baseball cards. Thankfully there is no doubt when you come across MB Hot Rod cards, compared to the 1968 regular issue Hot Rod cards
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...on/Scan_8.jpeg

Most of my MB Hot Rod cards show some of the "burlap" from the baseball cards
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...on/Scan_20.jpg

MB
 

You MB guys posting cars and football guys in here need to be reported ;)

Before you know it Carlton will be posting scans of the game boxes themselves

Duly noted....carry on :)

Larry-you have the 1964 (gray/pink) and 1968 Hot Rods (white/pink) both showing in case you didn't notice.

Hi Dave I did not know this information. All the "Sport Americana Price Guide #4" says is "the backs are printed in a variety of colors (pink, yellow, brown etc.)

At one time I did not even know what the yellow backs were:D I have a pretty good pile of these, most are the (gray/pink).

They must be "late" '64 because some of the cards mention 1965 events/models?

Larry
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...on/Scan_21.jpg
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...can%201_17.jpg

Hot rod differentiation
 

I know this isn't a non-sport board, but I do want to correct the above. There were 4 hot rod sets issued, according to the Wrapper, a non sport newsletter I used to get. The 1964 hot rods were pink on gray stock, 66 cards. They were repeated in 1966 or so, with 44 cards that were pink on white stock. A third series was 1967 with orange backs, I don't have any but I have seen them. Finally, the 22 cards that came with the 1968 MB set were all yellow backs.

The backs of the 68 hot rod cards are very relevant to the 68 MB baseball cards. All yellow back hot rod cards are MB cards, period. I have about 500 total hot rod cards, and I would guess that 300 are the darker yellow (think French's mustard) and 200 are lighter yellow (lemon yellow). You can see that in some of the cards posted above. The same 60/40 percentage holds of course for the football and baseball cards as you would expect since The FB cards are also very obvious, since the regular 68 FB stock is more orange than the 68 BB stock in the first 2 series.

PSA has gotten stuck on the lighter yellow vs the darker yellow cards, to an extent. They have begun grading the darker yellow again.

Thanks for the reply Carlton but it looks like there might have been at least one additional hot rod set issued "pink on cream stock"? All of my "pink on white" or "pink on cream" cards are numbered 44 and below with the exception of this "pink on cream" numbered #61?

After further review:
1964 Topps Hot-Rods "pink on gray" numbered 1-66
1966-1970 (?) Topps Hot-Rods re-issued "pink on white" or "pink on cream" 44 cards issued and skip numbered
1968 Topps Hot-Rods (Milton Bradley) "yellow on cream" 22 cards and skip-numbered
http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w...n/Scan_10.jpeg

Set of 44
 

I think (could be mistaken) that the pink on cream and pink on white are the same series. I can't find the Wrapper Issue #117 that documented this. The numbers in that second HR set are 1-33 plus 11 more skip numbered.

In the pink on white/cream I have all #1-33 except for #29.

I have #36, 38, 41, 43, 50, 58, 60, 61, 63--that's 9 of the 11 that would be in the production row.

Looks like I have 3 to go.:)

Pink/cream and pink/white should be the same issue, just different stock. For some reason Topps often had a brilliant white stock they used for some runs that never fades and others used less stable stock that fades a little over time.

When in doubt about MB's just ask BobbiW. I think he's a member here.

Trouble maker :)

I have that Wrapper issue. The article was by Ron Wilson:

Pink/gray is the only back all 66 cards appear with

Pin/white and Pink/tan=44 cards. As noted above I believe these are the same issue.

His information on Win A Card is inaccurate, he's short cards in his counts and states there were two games, one in 1969, one in 1970.

Email me at dsh46 at aol dot com for a scan of the article.

Win a Card game came out in 1968
 

In my SCD article somewhere in this thread is a picture of the game from the Milton Bradley "playbook" for 1968--a catalog of all their toys for the year. This catalog was published prior to the International Toy Fair in February 1968. I obtained this from Milton Bradley headquarters many, many years ago. MB salesmen carried this catalog when they went to five and dime stores trying to get orders for toys. Merchants ordered directly from the salesmen, not MB headquarters.

The side of the Win a Card game box says copyright applied for; inside the lid it states copyright 1968. The actual copyright was finally approved a year later, in April 1969. I checked all 5 of my game boxes, they all say the same thing. I will check with my brothers and buddies in Charlotte on their game boxes but I don't think I will find a different date. Recall that production was very limited, and the game was a bust in terms of sales.

More memorably, I remember how I felt in the summer of 1968 when I finally got three Hank Aarons. There is absolutely no evidence that this game came out in 1969 or 1970.

MB game boxes
 

I checked the copyright dates on my MB game boxes. They read copyright 1968 both on the inside (beneath rules print) and outside (side) of the top covers. It is interesting that I have one game box cover which does not read "Patent Applied For" on the outside side. I would think that they would all be exactly the same. I can only assume the printing of (or lack of) the patent text varied between production runs. Thanks for prompting me to check them out Carlton.
Love the MBs!

MB's
 

You mention your brothers and buddies in Charlotte, an aunt bought me a MB game as a gift in 1968. I can not recall if it was a birthday or Christmas present. Were sales of these games more prevalent in the Charlotte area than other parts of the country?

Geography
 

New England had the most games for sure. In North Carolina there were games at Mack's and Clark's five and dime stores. I think they were regional and not national stores. There were a lot of cards around Tidewater. I lived there a few years as a young Navy doc and bought a lot of MBs in the late 80s from guys selling cards out of their garage. Lots of games across the Midwest--Missouri, lower Illinois, Iowa--nicest single game I ever got was from Iowa. This game was nationally distributed and I know of games from the western Canadian provinces.

I have personally seen MBs in card shops in at least 20 states. Hard to find vintage card shops these days--sigh.

Games
 

I still have my Sonar Sub Hunt game

With cards of submariners Ted Abernathy and Dan Quisenberry?