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What were your favorite 80s oddball cards released in packs?

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zyceoa

Active member
Sep 2, 2012
270
42
Basically, I'm considering oddball cards from the big 3 (D/F/T) from 1981-90 that were released in pack form. I know they're niche today, but they have a certain charm to them and some key players have rookie cards from these products. I'm ONLY considering stuff that was released in packs, and no food issued cards for this topic. Here are some of the key brands.

Donruss: They mainly produced jumbo sized oddball cards similar in design to their base sets, and all-star pop ups too.

Fleer: They mainly had stamps in the early 80s and sticker type cards from 81-88.

Topps: They had a ton of different oddball products. Some of the recurring brands include stickers, supers, 3D jumbos, coins, rub offs, league leader minis, and big.

I know many hate these type of products, but some 80s player collectors probably have favorites among these.
 
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Mighty Bombjack

Active member
Aug 7, 2008
6,115
12
I really liked the Donruss puzzles back in the day. I hung a few of them up in my bedroom with cheap plastic frames from Skaggs Drugs.
 

Gjb70

Member
Aug 1, 2015
661
0
I loved the early 80s Topps stickers, and chasing the foils. Collected Brett as a kid, and just picked up a lot of some of his foil stickers a while back. Used to fill up albums and make loose sets:
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Just picked up a set of these Fleer stickers not too long ago for super cheap:
IMG_5281.JPG

Really loved these, but I don’t remember if they were pack issued:
IMG_5282.JPG

And these scratch offs:
IMG_5283.JPG

And these jumbos:
IMG_5284.JPG


Sent from my iPhone using Freedom Card Board
 
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mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
6,187
4,087
I think when you say it was supposed to be pack produced, that really limits a lot of the better items. Most sold as stand alone sets though, via packs, like the Donruss Action All-stars, Topps Jumbo Photos, rub-offs, Fleer Stickers, Topps stickers, etc and Fleer with their oodles of small boxed sets.

Off the top of my head, the rub-offs were probably the most unique for me.

Gjb70, The Permagraphics were not pack issued, by the way. Sold in set form only and quite expensive for the time in which they were issued.
 

gt2590

Super Moderator
Aug 17, 2008
38,656
3,240
Near Philly
The favorite for me was always the Donruss All-Star Jumbos. Have the '83 and '84 sets.

They came in their own cello packs. 49¢ I believe.

Always thought it'd be cool to get them signed, but haven't. Yet...
 

smapdi

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
4,397
221
Topps Stickers, definitely. I loved stickers as a kid, had millions of them but never stuck them on anything because then you couldn't stick them on something later. Born with the "keep it in factory condition" gene. But I filled up the baseball and football albums each year 80-82, IIRC. Except I never completed a set. There was the deal where you could send them $1 and they'd send you 10 stickers OF YOUR CHOICE to help you complete the set, but I never did it. Knowing my history with mail order in my youth, I never would have gotten my stickers.

Those Permagraphics credit cards were sweet, too. I only ever saw them at the big card show at the motor lodge, but I had a Schmidt and a Rose, I believe. I also don't know how they were issued.

There were the 1981 Topps Giants. I liked them but they were awkward to store. Looking at them now, you could tell it was a different era in men's grooming. And the photos were just really kind of bad. Unnaturally lit, random, candid poses, more like mugshots or tests than things intended for publication.
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Another big thing was all the non-sports sets based on movies and tv shows. Almost any movie with some sort of pop-culture, scifi, superhero, or adventure angle was turned into a card set. The Black Hole, Dark Crystal, Charlie's Angels, Mork & Mindy, Rocky, The Gong Show, on and on. It was awesome. Most places I knew had baseball and football, but one little local mini-market place had no sports but tons of little nickel-and-dime toys and packs of every non-sports card as they came out. That place was great, but hard for me to get to as a 7-10 year old. Then we moved to another town.
 

Pinbreaker

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
10,131
287
Laguna Niguel, CA
Someone mentioned the small insert sets..

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KLARNOLD

Well-known member
Sep 17, 2008
1,409
147
Owensboro, KY
These are pack issued oddball items I remember from the '80s: Topps Super ('84 & '85), Topps 3D ('85 & '86), Topps Big ('88 & '89), Donruss Pop-Up ('85-'89) & Fleer Star Stickers ('81-'88), Donruss Action AllStars ('83-'86), Sportflics ('86-'89)
 
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gracecollector

Well-known member
Aug 7, 2008
6,559
215
Lake in the Hills, IL
I'm confused by your definition of "pack issued." Pack issued to me means it came in a pack along with baseball cards. Most of the items you mentioned were sold individually. I consider those licensed items.

1989 Topps Heads Up Test Issues would be my favorite.

89TOPPSHEADSUPTEST.jpg

89TOPPSHEADSUPWRAPPER.jpg
 

mchenrycards

Featured Contributor, Vintage Corner, Senior Membe
I think when you say it was supposed to be pack produced, that really limits a lot of the better items. Most sold as stand alone sets though, via packs, like the Donruss Action All-stars, Topps Jumbo Photos, rub-offs, Fleer Stickers, Topps stickers, etc and Fleer with their oodles of small boxed sets.

Off the top of my head, the rub-offs were probably the most unique for me.

Gjb70, The Permagraphics were not pack issued, by the way. Sold in set form only and quite expensive for the time in which they were issued.

Permagraphics were indeed sold individually but not in packs. I remember vividly seeing a counter top display at the local dime store with individual cards being sold. I remember thinking they were nothing more than a gimmick and honestly, stupid. I never really liked them but I can see how others would be attracted to them.
 

mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
6,187
4,087
Could those have been resales? I could be wrong now, but seem to remember advertising in the catalogs for sets only and no memory of single sales or packs. Maybe the dime store owner saw a change to profit from buying sets and selling singles?

Permagraphics were indeed sold individually but not in packs. I remember vividly seeing a counter top display at the local dime store with individual cards being sold. I remember thinking they were nothing more than a gimmick and honestly, stupid. I never really liked them but I can see how others would be attracted to them.
 

mrmopar

Member
Jan 19, 2010
6,187
4,087
I doesn't say anything much about the actual distribution per se, but that a limited number of sets were produced and they were definitely sold as sets with advertising through hobby catalogs and periodicals. If they were actually issued direct from the manufacturer as singles, that remains to be proven.

IMG_0004.jpg1982 Perma-Graphics - Cards and Order Form BHN Jan.jpg
 

Gjb70

Member
Aug 1, 2015
661
0
Permagraphics were indeed sold individually but not in packs. I remember vividly seeing a counter top display at the local dime store with individual cards being sold. I remember thinking they were nothing more than a gimmick and honestly, stupid. I never really liked them but I can see how others would be attracted to them.

Now that you mention it, that does ring a bell. Most of the cards I purchased back then were either from QT or the one LCS in town. I seem to remember them on the counter at Qt.


Sent from my iPhone using Freedom Card Board
 

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