1968 Topps Baseball Cards

The Topps Baseball Card set from 1968 consists of 598 cards. Here is a wrapper the cards were packed in.


The cards have a tan mesh border. Here is a group of New York Yankee cards.


One of my favorite cards in the set is this card of Roger Maris. It was odd seeing him in a St. Louis Cardinal uniform as I only remembered him as a New York Yankee. But the picture of him is a classic pose.



There were some variations of cards issued in the set. Here is the card of Ed Brinkman. If you notice, the card on the left has his team name, Senators, in yellow while the card on the right has it in white.



I was 11 years old in 1968 and couldn't wait to watch the World Series between the St. Louis Cardinals and the Boston Red Sox. Boston won the American League pennant on the last day of the season in a multi team race. I did not like the teams in the 1965 or 1966 World Series so this was going to be exciting. For Game #2, I was in school as a fifth grader and the Boston pitcher, Jim Longborg, was pitching a no hitter in the game. Usually someone had a radio (maybe even one of the teachers!) so we would get a recap of the game now and then.

While I wanted to rush home to watch the end of the game, I couldn't because I had Patrol Duty outside Whittier School in Dunellen, NJ. But luck was with me that day as I was right outside Harneds, a small mom and pop grocery store and whoever was running the store had a radio on listening to the game and it was loud enough for me to hear! Longborg won the game but he lost his no hitter with one out to go. Here is the card regarding that game.



I remember it like it was yesterday!

GOT MILK?

As a boy, we never had a Milkman deliver milk to the house. Luckily, there was a small store withing walking distance so every time my mom got milk, bread, etc., she also picked a a pack or tow of baseball cards!

However, my grandmother did get milk delivered. Her milk truck, when I was a child, was similar to this model made by the Danbury Mint.

Matchbox has also issued various milk delivery vehicles. Here is the #7A Horse Drawn Milk Float, first issued in 1954.

Here is the #29A Bedford Milk Delivery Van, issued in 1956.

Here are two variations of the #21C Commer Milk Float, issued in 1961. The one on the left has silver wheels, cream load, bottle decal and clear windows. The one on the right has black wheels, white load, cow decal and green windows. You can also see the sign on top is different too.

My favorite thing to go with milk? That's easy!

Baseball Card Packs

Topps has packaged their baseball cards in many different ways over the years.

There is the traditional pack of cards. The pack on the left is a Wax Pack from 1979 and on the right a more recent pack, from 2005, made of heavier paper or foil to prevent tampering.


Topps actually experimented with a tamper proof pack over 25 years ago. Here is a “Michigan” Test Pack from 1983. These packs were tested in the state of Michigan.


Topps also packaged 3 packs in a card trays, know as Tray Packs. Here is one from 1980.


They also used Rack Packs, a group of three packs of cards without wrappers, covered with cellophane with a cardboard or cellophane header than was hung from a pegboard display. Here is one from 1983.


Cards were also sold in cellophane wrapped around the cards. These Cello Packs were great as you could see the top and bottom cards. Here is a Cello Pack from 1984.


Again, Topps had experimented with cello packs years before. From 1970 to 1972 they released cards packed in cellophane in their own little box. Here are the packs from 1970, 1971 and 1972.