Team Issued Cubs Sets

One of my goals for 2010 is to add some odd-ball type Cubs team sets to the collection. First up on my list are Cubs sets that were given away at Wrigley Field.

In 1984 the Cubs held their first Baseball Card Day, on August 8th. Sponsored by 7Up, each fan that entered the park was given a 28 card set. The cards featured a full player picture on the front and some very bare bones information on the back. They were also a 1/4 inch narrower than the standard size 2 1/2 x 3 1/2 card.



This is what the '84 fronts looked like.



And here is the back; pretty plain looking.

There are a couple things about the set that intrigue me. First, you know the print run of these. They had to have enough for the fans at the game, and that would be it. So, that would make these a bit scarcer than any Topps, Donruss, or Fleer cards from 1984.

1984 was a great year for the Cubs as they made the post-season for the first time since 1945 (though lets not talk about what happened.....I hate Steve Garvey!). There were several trades made in the spring and during the early part of the season that brought key players like Bob Dernier, Gary Matthews, and Rick Sutcliffe to the team,. These cards feature all of them, something Topps and Fleer didn't do until their update sets were released. So the Cubs had them beat by a couple months.

The Cubs continued having a baseball card day through 1997. There were several different sponsors and the card sized changed a couple times. I plan to add each of these sets to the collection and I'll show them as I get them.

I got a good head start over Christmas break while visiting my parents in Oak Lawn. A search of the Beckett Marketplace showed that AU Sports had several of the sets at a reasonable price. Their brick and mortar store was about a 35 minute ride away, so on a snowy Saturday afternoon, my day and I took a ride north to Niles to get several of the sets. And the price in the store was either the same or cheaper than at Beckett.

I've also been able to knock a few off the list through ebay, and there are several I am still searching around for. When completed, this will add nearly 400 more cards to my Cubs collection.

Thanks to my Cubs media guides and the Standard catalog, I've put together the following list of Cubs team issued baseball cards:

Year	Date	Sponsor
1984	August 8	7Up
1985	Aug 14	7 Up
1986	July 17	Gatorade
1987	July 29	David Berg Hot Dogs
1988	August 24	David Berg Hot Dogs
1989	August 10	Marathon Gas
1990	August 17	Marathon Gas
1991	August 14	Marathon Gas
1992	July 10	Marathon Gas - Team Set
1992	August 28	Old Style - Players from the past
1993	July 28	Marathon Gas
1993	August 17	Old Style - Billy Williams Commemorative
1993	September 24	Rolaids Relief Pitchers
1994	August 24	Game Cancelled - Strike
1995	August 24	Gatorade
1996	??	Gatorade
1997	??	Gatorade
1999	3 games	Old Style - All Century Cubs Team