F. R. Woods All-Star Photos Questions

[paul]

I double checked and my cards/pictures do measure 4.25 x 7. There is no copyright date on the envelope. However, Bobby Murcer is in the set and, according to baseballreference.com, his first All Star game was in 1971. And the envelope refers to this set as an "All Star Set." So, if they meant this literally, the set is no earlier than 1971.

Originally Posted by paul

I double checked and my cards/pictures do measure 4.25 x 7. There is no copyright date on the envelope. However, Bobby Murcer is in the set and, according to baseballreference.com, his first All Star game was in 1971. And the envelope refers to this set as an "All Star Set." So, if they meant this literally, the set is no earlier than 1971.

Thanks for checking! 1971 seems to be the most logical date for this issue - any earlier, and the inclusion of Murcer doesn't make much sense; any later, and the inclusion of Banks doesn't make much sense.

I called the F. R. Woods shop in Cooperstown, and a lady working there said she was around when these were issued. Her recollection was that they were issued for one year only, and with just the 12 players we've documented. She thought they were mailed out in 1968 or 1969, but she wasn't at all confident of the date, so IMO 1971 still seems more likely.

Okay, for the 1 or 2 people who might be interested - an eBay seller says these are from 1971, because he bought a pack from an original owner who wrote the date "1971" on the outside of the pack when he received it. That's the last piece of evidence I need to feel certain these are from 1971 and only 1971.

In case this issue is ever deemed worthy of an entry in the Standard Catalog, or just for posterity, here's a final summary:

1971 F. R. Woods All-Star Photos

Issued by F. R. Woods House of Baseball in 1971. Twelve unnumbered, undated blank-back photos on linen stock, each measuring 4.25" by 7". Came as a set of 12 in packs labeled "All-Star Picture Photo Pak set of 12 photos". Individual values (on eBay) have ranged from $5 to $10 for cards in Excellent or better condition. The complete checklist is:

Aaron
Banks
Bench
Killebrew
Mays
McCovey
Murcer
Powell, Boog
Robinson, Brooks
Seaver
Staub
Yastrzemski

[Big Red Machine]

Last week I submitted my 1971 Bench for grading to PSA. I don't believe one has ever been graded before. However, this set is cateloged on the Beckett website so I believe they will grade it since it meets the size specifications for "Supersized" cards.