A few weeks ago, I was the lone bidder for a complete set of 1976 Isaly's Discs and as you may have guessed... the opening bid was the price of a blaster box. After shipping and taxes were factored in, I ended up dishing out almost $26, but in my humble opinion, the few extra bucks were worth it.
According to baseballcardpedia, these discs are a regional issue distributed in the Pittsburgh area by Isaly's Dairy and Sweet William Restaurants. They are readily available in our hobby, which is why they aren't very valuable.
However, they're still over forty years old and are beautiful looking cards. I'll shut up and let the pictures speak for themselves...
Henry Aaron, Johnny Bench, Vida Blue, Larry Bowa,
Lou Brock, Jeff Burroughs, and John Candelaria
Jose Cardenal, Rod Carew, Steve Carlton, Dave Cash,
Cesar Cedeno, Ron Cey, and Carlton Fisk
Tito Fuentes, Steve Garvey, Ken Griffey, Don Gullet,
Willie Horton, Al Hrabosky, and Catfish Hunter
Reggie Jackson, Randy Jones, Jim Kaat, Don Kessinger,
Dave Kingman, Jerry Koosman, and Mickey Lolich
Greg Luzinski, Fred Lynn, Bill Madlock, Carlos May,
John Mayberry, Bake McBride, and Doc Medich
Andy Messersmith, Rick Monday, John Montefusco, Jerry Morales,
Joe Morgan, Thurman Munson, and Bobby Murcer
Al Oliver, Jim Palmer, Dave Parker, Tony Perez,
Jerry Reuss, Brooks Robinson, and Frank Robinson
Steve Rogers, Pete Rose, Nolan Ryan, Manny Sanguillen,
Mike Schmidt, Tom Seaver, and Ted Simmons
Reggie Smith, Willie Stargell, Rusty Staub, Rennie Stennett,
Don Sutton, Andy Thornton, and Luis Tiant
Joe Torre, Mike Tyson, Bob Watson, Wilbur Wood,
Jimmy Wynn, Carl Yastrzemski, and Richie Zisk
Here's a closer look at the front and back of the Hank Aaron disc:
Sadly these cards lack MLB logos and the odd size (3 3/8" diameter) makes these a pain in the butt to store. But anytime I'm able a forty-four year old card set loaded with hall of famers and fan favorites for about 33¢ each, I'm not going to complain.
However we all have our own tastes and interests. If you're the kind of collector who would rather bust a blaster, I'm cool with that too. But you might want to hurry up, because if your card aisles look anything like the one I saw over at The Collective Mind this morning... you won't have a lot to choose from.
Happy Tuesday and sayonara!
Extra Innings - Postage Update
This afternoon I went to my local post office and shipped out a pair of padded envelopes and a boatload of PWE's. Walked away with a pair of thoughts:
#1: I hope I used put enough postage on the PWE's. I used one 70¢ Non-Machinable (just realized I misspelled that word on everyone's envelope) stamp on 90% of the PWE's (if it weighed less than 2 ounces). If it weighed more than 2 ounces, I added extra postage. Please let me know if there are any issues, because I would like to use this method from this point moving forward.
#2: I am going to avoid the post office as much as possible until this COVID-19 thing ends. I realize that some people don't worry about this virus, but it's important to remember that some people do. There were multiple people wearing masks, but not over their mouth and nose. Two people walked in quickly without masks. And there were a few people who don't respect the six feet apart rule. The person behind me was right up on me and continued to ride my tail even after there were markings on the ground. This wasn't an isolated issue. Some people are either oblivious or just don't care. Either way, it's not cool.
18 comments:
Not sure if I was included in your PWE blitz but regardless sending a bubble mailer is super expensive and PWEs are always great. One thing I've always liked to do is wrap the enclosed cards in a piece of paper for extra protection.
That is not cool, I speak up when I am out which is only once a month except for "emergency" run for fresh fruit. I have yet to go to the PO, but I must before the month ends. I'll be masked and gloved up. I busted up my set of Isaly's discs several years back.
The only reason you were the only bidder is because I didn't see it!
There are dozens and dozens of different issues of those discs with various stores and businesses advertised on the back but the fronts basically the same. It's why I've never really pursued them. But I enjoy the ones I have.
I'm back to the post office about once a week. People have been pretty cool so far. No complaints.
You should be fine with the postage you put on the pwe. Super frustrating that people aren't following recommendations. Just because you can go out without a mask doesn't mean you should. Some people just suck.
We're headed for a second lock down. Too many being to cavalier about the whole thing. Sigh...
I use my postage scale at home (and PayPal shipping) so I can mail bubble mailers from my house (my local postal worker picks them up in my mailbox with the rest of the outgoing mail).
Oh wow, I love oddball sets like that from the 1970s and totally agree those are way better than buying a blaster. Actually I've been out of the American hobby so long I don't even know what a blaster is, but whatever it can't be as cool as those.
I can sympathize about the non-standard dimensions though, half the cards in my collection are like that.
Its too bad people aren't respecting the practice of wearing masks and keeping their distance. I've become thoroughly convinced that a major reason Japan has avoided getting hit badly with the virus is that almost everybody started wearing masks from day 1 (though due to how crowded it is the same can't be said for keeping 2 metres apart, though it doesn't seem to have mattered to much since everyone was wearing a mask).
FWIW four-pocket pages hold those discs just fine. I wish 6-pocket pages of 3.5" square pockets existed but alas they do not.
I'm not going whole hog on those discs but I'm gabbing cheap Giants as I come across them. Especially if I can find a new back. One fun thing wiht them is that without the team logos they end up reflecting player movement much faster than Topps cards do. So player like Messersmith shows up in this set as a Dodger but in other sets from 1976 shows up as a Brave.
adam - shoot me an email with your mailing address and a team you collect... and there'll be a pwe with your name on it tomorrow.
johnnys trading spot - you one upped me. i don't have gloves, but i have hand sanitizer. as for fruit... i need my fresh fix too. i usually hit up the farmer's market on wednesdays or saturdays
night owl - i saw another one listed, so if you want one they're out there. heck... you might even score a set cheaper than me.
gcrl - i hope so. there's one headed your way. let me know if there were any issues. as for the mask thing... santa clara county requires people to wear masks in all businesses. if it wasn't a law... i probably wouldn't have ranted and kept my crazy thoughts to myself ;D
p-town tom - oh man. sorry to hear that. i figure at some point we'll all be locked down again when flu season starts. keep your head up buddy.
nachos grande - one of these days i'll learn the whole paypal shipping thing. for now... i'm gonna master the pwe and focus on those. btw... if you email me your address, i'll ship you a pwe of reds for you to entertain yourself with for a few minutes :)
sean - lol. a blaster is just a retail box that is usually around $20 for 5 to 10 packs. as for the oddball size, i'm not usually that bothered by it, but it is an issue for some. i think the whole post office thing triggered me, because of the lady behind me. i've always valued my personal space... even before the pandemic. so having her tail me annoyed the heck out of me.
nick vossbrink - thanks for the heads up. i probably have some four pocket pages. the only issue is i don't have the space for binders. well... i do... but i save it for very special projects. i like the idea of picking a player and buying up as many different backs as possible. i just need to pick a player.
I don't specifically chase these discs but I'm happy with the ones I've accumulated over the years. Seems like most purchases would be more worthwhile than a blaster...but I still buy blasters, for some reason.
I think I've been to the post office twice since the whole Covid thing started, and it was mostly empty both times. I've actually started printing shipping labels from home, which has been way easier than I thought it'd be. I don't like public spaces much in general, much less people standing three inches away from me, MUCH LESS all of the above during a pandemic.
Very nice oddball set, congrats! I agree with P-town Tom that we're headed for a second lockdown. Coronavirus is still trending upward or at least not going away in many places, including California. That's why I'm still quarantining and wearing a mask & gloves whenever I need to buy essentials. It's too bad many fellow Americans don't have what it takes to do the same, otherwise we'd be in much better shape like Japan as Sean mentioned.
I've been using the more generic 70 cent stamps on PWEs and have not had an issue. They seem to be arriving just fine. Unfortunately larger packages (like one I have planned for you) will just have to wait, who knows when I will go to the PO next.
These cards are ace!
I like oddballs but no logos,no stats,and no standard size shape = no interest from me.
I have never seen those but they are so eye appealing I can’t look away!
I received mine today, thanks so much!! No problems with the postage or packaging.
Thank you for the PWE which arrived today. A very fine, fun Kirby Puckett!! Thanks Mark!
nick - i understand the desire to buy blasters. who doesn't enjoy opening up a few packs from time to time? but if i had to pick a complete set of 70's oddballs or a 2020 topps series 2 blaster, i'm gonna go with the set. as for printing shipping labels... it's on my to do list.
bbcardz - yeah... i could see a second lockdown hitting my area soon. if not... then when flu season starts. starting monday we're required to wear masks whenever we go outside.
bo - no rush. i'm finding plenty of cards to sift and sort through... and i feel like i receive at least one or two blogger care packages a week to fill in the time.
jongudmund - thanks. shame there aren't any 70's looking msa discs of our boy.
sg488 - i hear ya. they're not for everyone. and normally no logo and no stats would be a turnoff for me as well. but i'm weirdly drawn to these 70's msa discs
sport card collectors - there are plenty of variations out there and some are reasonably priced
the diamond king - thanks for the feedback. glad to hear they arrived safe and sound.
peter k steinberg - i actually found some more cards for you. i'll ship them out this week.
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