1976 Hostess question

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Posted By: Mark

Depending on who you source, you come up with a number of answers......... Gilkeson's Errors / Variations book from '89 says "Cards were issued in both the normal black print, and in brown print" ; Sports West (in 1977) says most numbers from 70-150 are issued in both colors. From my recollection, and my collection, Sports West is probably closer to being accurate. I also have a number of complete boxes and the only brown printed backs are found on the Ding Dong products, at least in my collection. Back in '76 it was very challenging to assemble complete sets of Hostess panels. First off, there were several hostess boxed products that had card panels printed on the bottoms of the boxes (Ding Dongs, King Dons, Suzy Q's, Twinkies, Crumb Cakes, Cupcakes, Ho Ho's...I may have missed one or two). Not all numbers were issued on each product, so a collector had to purchase numerous products in order to finish off a set. The sizes of the boxes were different as well. The card panel on boxes of Ho Ho's had a very slim border, and those boxes were often found crimped at the corners , as a result of transportation and handling...... I can verify that the following numbers exist in BROWN ink from the '76 set (94-120, 127-129, 139-144,148-150). I collected this set originally in the San Francisco Bay Area, and most of my experiences with this set are from West Coast sources. Itt-Continental Baking, at the time, had numerous bakeries, packaging, and distribution centers around the United States and some products / numbers may have been produced or marketed slightly different depending on location. I remember seeing a "square" panel that was marketed in New England, and of course, the singles (with black stripe on back) were available regionally (Southern California was the closest market to me...I bought them at Ralph's Market in Laguna Hills when I was visiting my grandmother)... Another thing that original collectors have in common...They will probably NEVER consume Hostess products again !!)