Sports Collectors Digest – August 16, 2019

http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.com August 16, 2019 / Sports Collectors Digest 37

color variation and, since he lives in the

Houston area, the Houston Colt 45s. He

said when he sent many of those in for en-

capsulating he had “a strong feeling they

would achieve the ultimate grade.” Like

one’s favorite combo of chips and dip, it

all came together for him as those pins

earned PSA 10s.

Pin poppin’ particulars

With respect to PSA Population num-

bers, Guy’s pins do not make much of a

splash, which could be part of the appeal

to certain collectors.

The 1964 set mentions only 225 samples with a dozen

PSA 9s and a quartet of 10s. The leastavailable

non-variation ’64: the Detroit

Tigers, with 8 samples. The

1965 and 1966 issues both

have around 330 in PSA slabs,

with several 9s. The PSA 10s

tick up to seven examples in ’65

and jump to 25 in Gem Mint the

year after. In both ’65 and ’66 the

most challenging team to locate

spotlighted the Baltimore Orioles,

who won their fi rst pennant and

World Series in ’66.

Chips all in

Prices for raw Guy’s pins in Ex-

cellent shape often range from three

or four dollars each, but can sell for

several dollars apiece—and are regu-

larly sold in lots. But when it comes to rare

pins in top grade, the price guide makes a

good doorstop.

“I’ve seen a raw pin go as high as

$50-$60,” Lederer said. “A good condition

(raw) pin should go in the $20-$50 range,

depending on rarity and grade.

PSA 8s commonly trade for $8-$15

each for the average pin, to $80 and up for

scarce samples.

“PSA 9s typically sell for $100-$200

each, while PSA 10s can go anywhere from

$250 to the sky’s the limit,” Lederer empha-

sized. “I’ve seen some go as high as $600-$700.”

Again, under certain circumstances.

And the pins promotion did not stop with just the bonus in

the bag as Guy’s urged collectors to complete the entire run of

the collectibles. A 1965 “saver sheet” recently spotted online

showed spaces for all 20 teams and, when full, redeemed for “a

Little League baseball or softball.” The sheet included the line

“One button in each 59 cents Guy’s bag.”

“The saver sheets sell for $20-$30 in mid-range condition,”

Lederer said.

But he added interest in them remains marginal. Even so,

just as a display piece these saver sheets might just be an item to

track down and frame. Like with any redemption offer, one

canonly speculate how many complete sets of pins likely

ended up trashed.

Also during certain years in the ’60s, Crane’s Potato

Chips of Decatur, Illinois marketed their product with

baseball pins. At fi rst glance, from the

front anyway, Crane’s and Guy’s pins

look the same. The backs provide the

easiest way to differentiate the two

brands, where, normally, the logo/

name of each clearly stands out.

Keep’em comin’

Lederer sees the future popularity of 1960s Guy’s

Potato Chip baseball pins kind of like the steady

appeal of one’s favorite fl avor of thinly-sliced and

cooked spuds.

“I think it remains

the same,” he said.

“I think you have a

group of collectors that

collect ’60s type stuff,

things that aren’t sports

cards—and collect dif-

ferent types of memo-

rabilia, something rare

and different.”

Even though only

a few Guy’s collectors

pop up on the PSA Set

Registry, the seasoned

hobbyist thinks the

potato chip promotion’s charm ranks highly with team collectors

in private collections, which seems realistic.

And whether one goes “all-you-can-eat” on the Guy’s pins

like Lederer, or takes more of a “snack-on-the-run” approach,

lightly paraphrasing a famous Lay’s Potato Chip ad slogan

seems appropriate: “Betcha can’t collect just one.” ◆

Doug Koztoski is a frequent contributor to Sports Collectors

Digest. He can be reached at [email protected].

The Baltimore Orioles pins from 1965 are challenging to locate.

This “A Yankee

Fan” pin generally

attracts the most

attention among

“fan” pins.

Drawing a blank

Like a few urban legends, there may be some truth to the existence of 1962 Guy’s pins,

but like supposed pics of Big Foot and the Loch Ness Monster, the evidence seems fuzzy.

Although the ’62s are usually mentioned as blank-backed, PSA does not have a

single ’62 Guy’s pin on their Set Registry—even though the grading company’s website

includes a listing for them.

“I believe the 1962 (Guy’s) set listing they put on the Registry is a mistake,” Lederer

said. Yet, he added he has seen ’64 Guy’s pins with the year “1962” on the PSA fl ip (la-

bel). “I think they were originally mislabeled. They mirror the ‘64s on the front and back.”

Lederer contends they could be a ’64 blank-back. Who knows, maybe something

happened in the printing process, or a few blank-backed sheets were made into pins as a

test run and the results made their way into the hobby. ◆