1962 Post Cereal

[oddball]

Originally Posted by Footballdude

Oh, wow. This is a tough one. To me, the everything on the front seems spot on, unless I'm missing something. So I can see where the difference in thickness would be your concern. I'm going to "have a little faith baby" and hope for you that it was just a box manufacturing mishap, but if anybody has come across any counterfeits of these cards or can provide any more insight, please chime in. If you have a magnifier, compare the printing layout of your Unitas to the others that you have.

[Footballdude]

I've checked it out using a 16x jewelers loupe and the dot pattern looks similar to the others I have. I can also look at it on edge, next to any other card, and it seems to be a little over half the thickness of the others.

I had a chance 2 weeks ago, at a local card show, to examine an uncut panel with Unitas on it, but didn't even think about it then. Oh well.

[Footballdude]

Did a little un-scientific investigating. Right now, I'm wishing I had a paper thickness gauge, but I don't. However, I do have a cheap digital caliper, so I thought I'd give it a try. Measuring the Unitas and another random card (Bill Pellington was handy) in several places around the card, the Unitas averaged .34mm (about .013") and the Pellington averaged .46mm (about .018"). that seems like a significant difference to me, but maybe I'm just being hypercritical and trying to find an excuse to buy another Unitas.

[mojorob]

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[Footballdude]

That's awesome news and great information, thanks!

I do have other questions about the set. Since I've been looking on ebay at other Unitas cards for comparison, I started to look at the cards in the set in general and have started to see "differences" in printing (variations?) on most cards.
Here is an example (scans borrowed)




@ cards of Ed Khayat, from the Eagles. At first glance they are just the same card, until you start to study and compare the pictures. The card on top has the photo section "shifted" slightly upward leaving a smaller gap between the tower in the background and the upper border of the photo, compared to the card on the bottom. There is more grass showing between his shoes and the bottom border of the picture as well. But the ting that intrigues me the most is the 2 white flagpoles you can see in the bottom card, on the building behind the player (I'm assuming this may be part of Municipal Stadium?) have been removed from the top card. I see this same phenomenon on a majority of the Eagles cards as well.

Do you know if there were multuiple printings of these? Maybe using different plates/screens? maybe printed in 2 different locations?

I've seen subtle differences like these in a majority of the cards I look at from this set.

[mojorob]

1

[mojorob]

1

[CowboysGuide]

Originally Posted by mojorob

Very cool booklet! Was this an insert in boxes of cereal that the cards were on?

[mojorob]

1

[nearmint]

I don't have anything to add; I just wanted to thank you guys for a fascinating thread. I had no idea about all of the variations, but it's no surprise at all that Kirk is the expert. Like Jeff, I think I'll dig out my set and look at them more closely.

Post had CFL issues in 1962 and 1963, also. I've sometimes wondered why they did a CFL set in 1963, but not an NFL set.

[CowboysGuide]

Originally Posted by mojorob

This Booklet was part of a Promotional Point Of Purchase Display Package
sent to retail grocery stores.
If you look at the right hand side of the opened book, you can see a line drawing of the in store set display set up.
I have some pictures some where of what one actually looked like.
I'll try and hunt around a little and if I run across them, I'll post them up here for you guys to check out.

Thanks for the info on the booklet. Yet another interesting part of this set I'd like to find for myself.
In regard to the different variations, and me being primarily a Dallas Cowboys vintage collector, I noticed a variation in the Glynn Gregory photo. There is a version of that card that shows more of the antenna tower on the right. Never thought much about it, and never knew there were a ton of other variations in the set. Thanks again for your insight!

[finalscore]

Originally Posted by mojorob

I remember the three large cards at the top of the display were Johnny Unitas, Paul Hornung & Billy Kilmer who was an Up & Comer at the time.
I'll try and hunt around a little and if I run across them, I'll post them up here for you guys to check out.

This is really a great thread. Below is the large point-of-sale display that Kirk referenced. ~ Mike