Staying on the World Series

  

Don't worry, not more on the 2025 Series, at least not now.

 

Today I "finished" the 1971 Fleer World Series set, what I like to call the "Fleer Laughlin World Series set" as it was illustrated by artist Robert Laughlin and he was the inspiration for the sets, which he kicked off in 1967, creating and issuing the sets out of his own home.

 

The 1935 World Series card was the last card that I needed, kind of a surprise that it was the final one to arrive at my door.

 

 

 The 1956 card was the second-to-last arrival, more in line with my expectations.

 

 

I figured either the 1956 or 1919 or 1969 card would be the last one I needed. They were all among the final six or seven but nothing proved very difficult to find, which I appreciate, though part of me is a little miffed that these aren't adored by other collectors like they are by me. Still I should be careful what I wish for (see: my increasing difficulty in obtaining '70s Kellogg's and Hostess cards).

 

Technically this set isn't finished. There is an "extended series" with cards that showcase the World Series from the 1970s, 1971-77. But they were only issued through a  Good Humor ice cream promotion (I think you could buy them from ice cream trucks) in the summer of 1978. Laughlin sold some of the leftover stock himself. There is only about 500 cards of each of the extension cards, and the 1971 variation of Roberto Clemente, which was pulled from the set, is even tougher to find at reasonable prices.

 

So I don't have the budget for those cards. But I'm happy where I'm at with this set. Part of the reason is my first look at these cards was when Fleer reissued the 1971 set on the backs of its team stickers in 1980. I bought a lot of those packs in 1980 and quickly found the World Series cards more interesting than the stickers and started collecting those.

 

Today those 1980 sticker "backs" are in the same binder as my complete 1970 and 1971 World Series sets. As you can see the 1980 set includes the same art as the 1971 extended series that's so elusive. So I've got those images already, for the most part.

 

 

This set and the 1970 set sit at the heart of what I loved about non-Topps sets that were around before Donruss and Fleer showed up in the 1980s. I loved the Laughlin sets and TCMA stuff, especially the 1980 SSPC Hall of Fame set.

It means a lot to me that I have those sets complete now and that I was able to write a Beckett article about Robert Laughlin and his creation of the Laughlin sets through the 1970s.

 

So, what's next? Well, I still need a couple of extra 1980 Fleer stickers for my Dodgers collection, so I'll tackle that first. After that, there are other Laughlin '70s sets. They don't mean quite as much as the World Series sets do, but they still have that '70s charm at the same art I enjoy.

 

There's always something odd to collect even after you've finished what you consider the very best.