1983 AJAX Dog Food

[4reals]

After further inspection it appears as though the word AJAX faintly appears (very faintly - can barely make it out) in the bottom left black border. I looked at the other examples in the FCB forum and they have the same...still wondering if they were actually distributed in product. If so, I wonder if unopened packs of any of these exist?

[sdkammeyer]

Yes, they were inserted as singles in a cellophane wrapper inside the dog food. I believe (if my memory is correct) the card/wrapper was attached with some glue on the inside of the bag towards the bottom on the side.

I think I still own a few of these, and I can VIVIDLY remember begging my parents to buy that specific type of dog food just for the card.

I can also remember getting bitched at for opening/dumping the entire bag as soon as we got home

[moeson]

Maybe you are thinking of the Milk Bone cards. As Bob has stated, the AJAX cards were Broder type collector issues not associated with an actual dog food company.

[Bob Lemke]

I'm not sure what you mean about "authorized" collectors' issue. I believe they were always cataloged as unauthorized in the SCBC.

I also think Steve is thinking about the Milk Bone cards. "Ajax" cards were never associated with any product.

I believe that when they first came to market they were advertised with the Ajax name in one or more of the hobby periodicals, maybe even SCD.

[sdkammeyer]

Actually, now that you guys mention it .... I believe it was purina dog food. Not ajax or milk bone.

Now you got me wanting to sift through the mountain of 30 year old stuff in the closet

[4reals]

Originally Posted by Bob Lemke

I believe they were always cataloged as unauthorized

So, they were never associated with product, which means I don't have to look in vain for an unopened Guerrero pack.

But I'm still stuck on this unauthorized thing. Who has the authority to categorize something as authorized or unauthorized? What is the criteria for determining such a thing? Does unauthorized mean they were made without compensation to the players? Or does it mean there is a secret society of ancient card collectors in a smoke filled room who put a large red DECLINED stamp on the AJAX baseball card submission form?

[aelefson]

Joe-
I believe a Broders type issue, or an unauthorized issue, means that a collector/dealer made the set on their own, with no MLB license. Further, these sets were made to sell to unsuspecting collectors as legitimate product (hence the Ajax label on your card). Personally, I have several of these from Ball Street and a few other "companies" in my Don Mattingly collection. I buy them if I do not have them and if I can find them for less than a dollar. Some collectors will never touch them, especially those who were burned speculating on them in the 80s. Others will never touch them because there are so many legitimate issues out there. Even collector issues such as TCMA are considered legitimate, because there was never an intent to defraud buyers. As awlays, collect what you like but keep in mind there are hundreds of these sets produced in the 80s, and very little of it is catalogued in any standard hobby publication.
Alan

[4reals]

Thank you for your response Alan. I've heard the term Broder-type used for years but incorrectly assumed it was a name brand like "Jay Publishing" or "Score" or whatever. I didn't realize the term Broder had a specific meaning. Damn, I missed the bus on that one! That's why when Bob said it was a bad looking Broder it didn't register as a negative to me (shaking my head at myself). I guess in the end it doesn't really matter if something is authorized or not, all that matters is whether the card has perceived value and what a collector is willing to pay for it. If a set of these sold for over $100 like the FCB thread said then who cares if it's unauthorized, there's buyers out there for them...kinda like those Helmar hand painted replica cards that keep popping up on ebay. Seems to me those would be a great present day example of an unauthorized Broder card, but hey, people are paying money for those too, probably as a cheap secondary option to owning the real thing.

Bob, I just read your excellent description of legitimate issues and collector's issues on pg. 5 of the SCBC under the Major League Issues sub-title. That explained everything perfectly.

Feb. 20, 2013 - the day 4reals finally understood the true meaning of "Broder". I just looked up the definition...it's French and means - to enlarge beyond bounds or the truth.