3. Columbia Records "Talking Baseball Cards"

Columbia Records Jacket (Front)	Columbia Records Jacket (Back)
(displayed at approximately 40% of actual size)

The "Talking Record" baseball cards distributed in 1964 by the Auravision brand of Columbia Records are quite unique.

Each of the sixteen records in the set contains a four-to-six-minute interview of the player by one of three period sports casters: Marty Glickman (14 interviews), Ernie Harwell (1 interview) or Chuck Thompson (1 interview).

By using what was then a brand new technology, an audio track for each card was etched into a laminate of cardstock with a transparent vinyl overlay. Before lamination, however, the card stock was printed with colorful images of the subject player.

Adding to the set's appeal (aside from the unique audio interviews) are the quality of the oversized player photos and the fact that ten of the sixteen featured players are now in the baseball Hall of Fame.

The Mays example from the set (see above) is believed to have been short printed and is now considered to be the set key. Other popular cards include those of Mickey Mantle and Sandy Koufax.

In addition to the player images, the fronts of the 6-1/2 inch square records include a facsimile autograph next to the player and a "Sports Record" emblem in the upper right corner.

Finally, the record recording speed is printed at the upper left corner. Curiously, about half of the records in the set state a recording speed of 33 RPM while the other half read 33-1/3 RPM.

The record backs include an additional black and white photo along with a brief player bio and a complete listing of his batting statistics through 1963. In addition, instructions for playing the record are provided in the upper left corner.

All backs are printed inside a red border. Within the border at the bottom is a 1962 copyright for "Sports Champions, Inc." The 1962 copyright appears to indicate when the player interviews were recorded (see description below for test set distributed in 1962).

The records were no doubt produced in 1964 as the player stats on the card backs are provided through the 1963 season.

Meadow Gold Milk Record Promotion (back of carton)

Meadows Gold 1964 Set of Four (front of carton)

The records were distributed through special promotions by Meadow Gold Milk, Milk Duds Candy and perhaps others.

Each record was distributed via mail after the customer sent 25 cents in coin plus a required proof of purchase, recipient's name and address and, of course, the name of the requested player on the record.

The "proof of purchase" for Meadow Gold Milk customers was a "Sports Record" emblem cut from the side of a 1/2-gallon carton of Meadow Gold milk. Mild Duds Candy required its customers to send both end flaps from boxes of candy.

Interestingly, many vintage collectors today are familiar with both of these sponsors for their other baseball card "sets."

As it turns out, the opposite side of the same Meadow Gold milk carton (see image at right) displays a four player panel that includes Mantle, Koufax, Mays and Mazeroski.

4. 1933 Goudey Premiums: Photos That Stand Up & Stand Out

Only four premium cards make up this appealing set of self-standing oversized cards.

The cards are printed on heavy cardboard stock and measure 5-1/2 by 8-3/4 inches. They are designated in the hobby as set R309-1.

The first card (in the order they were numbered Goudey's redemption promotion) pictures Babe Ruth in a familiar batting pose (see example below).

The other premiums include the 1933 All-Star Teams for both the National and American Leagues, and the 1933 World Champion New York Giants. The premiums were issued as part of a mail-in redemption program by the Goudey Gum Company.

Each of the four black-and-white images in the set are surrounded by a gold picture-frame style border, with the card title displayed in an oval panel at the bottom. A built-in easel attached to the card back allows the cards to be used in a free-standing display. Each of the three team cards has a brief write up on the back that describes the card image and identifies the players by last name.

Each premium was distributed by mail as part of a promotional redemption program related to the 1933 Goudey regular issue set (described in more detail below).

An example of the mailer used to distribute the R309-1 premiums is shown at right. As seen, the content is described as a "photographic print" with a return address of Goudey's Boston offices.

The all-star team cards (which make up one half of the four-card set) are especially significant since this was the first of a long and ongoing series of the annual event--and many baseball fans consider one of the best all star games ever played. In some ways, it was a match between managers, with legendary Connie Mack as manager of the American League team pitted against the equally-acclaimed John McGraw who managed the National League team. The nearly 50,000 fans at Comiskey Park in Chicago watched Babe Ruth slam a two-run homer in the third inning on the way to a 4-2 American League victory.

The R309-1 photo of the 1933 American League All Stars (see example above) captures one of the most powerful and most famous baseball lineups of all time. In a single team photo there are more than a dozen Hall of Famers--including Babe Ruth (standing, fourth from left), Lou Gehrig (standing, third from left) and manager Connie Mack (in dark suit).

Although there are no numbers printed on the R309-1 cards, each card's number was prominently printed on the 1933 Goudey wrappers used to distribute the regular issue cards and to promote and order the premiums (see example wrapper at left).

According to the directions on the wrapper, 50 of them could be mailed-in for "ONE" of the four pictures. A large number corresponding to each picture was printed prominently on each corner of the wrapper.

To prepare the wrappers, the collector was instructed to "Cut off every corner EXCEPT the corner showing the number and name of the picture you want."

The collector apparently had precious little time to collect and redeem the wrappers. According to a statement found on some of the wrappers, the premium offer expired November 1, 1933. That was only three and a half weeks past October 7, the day that the Giants won the Series in the fifth game.

Because of the November 1 deadline for ordering the cards in the premium set, it is most likely that at least some (if not all four) of the premiums were distributed in 1933. Nevertheless, the set is traditionally referenced in vintage hobby checklists (and by grading companies) as a 1934 issue.

It is also interesting to note that the Ruth premium card is based on the same 1927 Charles Conlon photograph used in three of the four Ruth cards in the regular 1933 Goudey set. Thus, regular set card numbers 53, 144 and 149 use the same image (differently cropped), while card number 181 from the regular set is based on a different photo (see comparison images below).

1933 Ruth Premium	Regular Set Card #53	Regular Set Card #144
	Regular Set Card #149	Regular Set Card #181

It is the Goudey regular issue Ruth cards, not the premium, that command the highest prices among today's collectors. On average, Goudey's regular issue Ruth cards are valued five to ten times higher (or more) than the Ruth "premium" in similar condition.

Beware of Reprints: Collectors should be aware that reprints of the R309-1 premiums are sometimes seen on eBay and elsewhere.