Desert Shield

[Zach Wheat]

I've sorted my variations into both the "correct" year end stats & "incorrect" year end stats that were later corrected by Topps. Variations seem to be with both correct & incorrect YE stats - but not both for the same card. Further, while I was digging for information that might help me determine when DS cards were printed I ran across a couple of articles.

The articles were both from Jan 1992 and both articles indicate higher production figures (5.4 million) for this set than has been previously presumed to exist (2,500 sets or approx. 2 million cards). An AP article published in the Sun Sentinel Jan. 1992 indicates Topps produced 5,400,00 cards for overseas delivery - but they arrived too late to be distributed. Accordingly, the Air Force sent back 1,500,00 cards to the Myrtle Beach Air Force Base - a central shipping site during the conflict - and distributed them locally, with each of the base's 3,330 active personnel receiving 30 packs. Collectors would wait outside the gates of the base trying to buy cards, which would sell at a premium as collector's knew this was a "rare" variation. This probably accounts for a lot of the cards seen in the US today.

A 2nd article in the Chicago Tribune Jan 1992 also indicates the same 5,400,00 production figure and includes comments from Timm Boyle - a Topps spokesperson - who estimated that a third to half of the 5.4 million Desert Shield baseball cards produced were returned the US. It is not clear if he is referencing only cards returned by the military due to the late delivery or if his estimate includes total cards returned by the military as well as cards saved & brought back by individual military personnel. However his comments seem to support the contention that DS cards were produced at one time and then distributed en masse. This could account for why - to date - we see only 1 "variation" of the traditional 1991 Topps set.

Just thought I would share this additional information. Comments or thoughts?


Z Wheat