1975 SSPC Puzzle back All Stars

 

Do you ever get writer’s block when trying to start out a blog post?  That’s what I’m dealing with as I type this, but maybe showing off a few of these 1975 SSPC Puzzle Backs will help.  I mean, what can be written about an oversized SSPC set other than it’s really, really cool?

As a collector of the standard 1975 SSPC set—a series famous for its 'illegal' status after Topps took legal action to stop its commercial sale—I was more than happy to acquire this mail-order oddball set. It’s a concentrated hit of mid-70s greatness, featuring heavy hitters like Hank Aaron, Reggie Jackson, Pete Rose, and Johnny Bench.

Measuring a substantial 3 1/2" x 4 1/4", these unnumbered cards feel more like mini-photographs than traditional trading cards.

Each of these photos have interesting backgrounds though in the Chris Speier photo the photographer could have turned down the flash a bit.  And if I'm not mistaken, it looks like all of these photos were taken during the 1975 All Star game at County Stadium in Milwaukee.

Beyond their large size, the real draw is hidden on the reverse: when you assemble the full 24-card set, the backs form a massive black-and-white puzzle featuring pitching legends Nolan Ryan and Jim 'Catfish' Hunter.  I wonder why cards of these two pitchers weren't included?

  

Here's a photo of the assembled set, front side.  Of course, these oversized cards present a storage problem for me, I'll have to find some pocket pages to store these in.  

And here's a great piece of baseball history tied to this set: the 1975 All-Star Game was Hank Aaron's 25th and final All-Star Game. It was his first and only appearance for the American League squad, and, fittingly, it was played at Milwaukee County Stadium, the former home of the Milwaukee Braves, the first Major League team for which he had played.

So there you have it, another affordable - and in my opinion underappreciated - oddball set that's loaded with great players and a final card of Hank Aaron.