TCMA past and present...

[AustinMike]

Originally Posted by DaClyde

I'm thinking these are the glossy photos, usually with facsimile autographs in blue, the team gave out in response to fan mail from the late 1960s to about 1990.

Jason, those are some examples of photos given out by the team over the years. I've got some from probably '65 (based on some of the players, e.g., Gil Blanco) that are approx. 3.5" by 6.5" with black facsimile autos, some from probably late '60s that are the same size but with printed names in bottom white border, some 4" by 6" with printed names in bottom from the '70s, some from probably the '80s that are 4 by 6 with blue facsimile autos (like yours), some 8 by 10s from '79 with printed names at bottom, and recently got some 8 by 10s from probably '76 with 2 photos on the page and printed names on left, with a similar one from probably '81. Unfortunately, I don't have many of any of them.

The SCFC photos from '70 are 4 by 6. Some have black facsimile auto, some don't. I've attached some examples of them.

[DaClyde]

Andrew, any chance you could shed some light on this set, and the different versions that may exist? It is my understanding that the set was created for the Bob Feller Museum. The complete set versions I have (including one that is autographed), was printed on heavy, brown card stock. The other, is printed on the more common white used by TCMA for almost everything. Were these printed by TCMA, and is the white card another one of those random cards that got reprinted for the collectors kits in the 1980s?

[mrmopar]

When I first was introduced to baseball cards, TCMA and Renata Galasso were a few of the places I mail ordered things from. Paul Marchant was another I remember buying from. I think I generally got my sets from Paul and Renata and the other stuff from TCMA. Aside from a rare trip to Pacific Trading Cards and a couple other small shops in seattle that I would later discover (Paperback Exchange and Golden Age Collectibles), everything was mail order.

I remember getting the TCMA catalogs for a while and wish I had kept more. I don't know what happened to all of the card magazines/catalogs I had, but suspect my dad tossed them (no cards were tossed luckily). I only have 2-3 floating around. I ordered a number of the collector sets as well, including the All Times Greats postcard set and the 1951 Giants among others. That is really what got me loving oddball sets and I have purchased many different TCMA sets over the years. Looking back at old catalogs, I wonder why I didn't buy more as the prices seemed cheap, but then again I was just a kid with no income!

I would love to see more posts and photos from TCMA! Thanks gentlemen.