The 1961 Topps baseball card set is widely considered one of the most iconic issues in the history of the hobby. Nestled within the larger 482-card regular release were a subset of 19 cards that gained significant attention all their own – the 1961 Post cereal Roberto Clemente baseball cards.
With Post’s Fruity and Cocoa Pebbles cereals reaching the height of their popularity amongst children in the 1960s, the company sought novel ways to leverage the cardboard cards found in every box as a promotional vehicle. Post decided to produce a special series focused solely on Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Roberto Clemente as the face of the brand from 1961 through 1964.
Clemente was the ideal ambassador. Still relatively new to the majors at the time after debuting in 1955 at age 20, he was an All-Star and coming into his own as a perennial Gold Glover in right. His charm and personality translated strongly to kids. His humble origins rising from poverty in Puerto Rico to baseball stardom also resonated with many immigrant and minority families buying Post cereals.
For 1961, Post created 19 unique cards showing action shots of Clemente from various angles both at the plate and in the outfield. The cards featured no other players and included no standard statistical information or team logos found on contemporary baseball cards of the time. Instead, the graphics emphasized Clemente’s name with a caption promoting Post cereals underneath.
While mass produced like Topps cards, the Clemente Post cards stand out for featuring high quality, vivid color photography without borders. This was a stark difference compared to the simple spotted line drawings that dominated most early 1960s baseball cards. Clemente truly popped off the pages thanks to Post’s production values.
The cards also pioneered the concept ofExtended Backs before Toppsadopted the innovative design element years later. Rather than blank backs, Post utilized the entire reverse side for biographical text on Clemente in English and Spanish. It provided key career highlights and stats to that point to further educate children about their cereal box hero.
The 1961 Post Roberto Clemente set is also unique in that it was distributed over two separate series within the same calendar year. The first 11 cards were inserted randomly into cereal boxes from March through June. Then in August, Post issued another mini-run of the final 8 cards to complete the story of Clemente’s 1960 season.
While not truly “rare” in the strictest sense, the 1961 Clemente Post cards hold considerable appeal to collectors for their innovativeness, high production value, and representation of Clemente during one of his best seasons. He finished 3rd in the NL MVP voting that year while batting .351 with 16 HR and 95 RBI. Naturally, the cards helped boost his growing popularity.
Grading and preservation has become more important over the decades given the fragile cardboard stock used by Post compared to the thicker paper stock of contemporary baseball issues. While most examples survive in worn, played-with condition, high grade specimens with vivid color and cleansurfaces command strong premiums when they surface on the hobby market.
Perhaps most impressive of all is how the Clemente Post cards managed to stand the test of time. Post continued the promotional subset through 1964 before bowing out. But the cards helped cement Clemente’s status as a pioneer, role model and Pittsburgh icon whose legacy continues inspiring new generations decades after his tragic death in a 1972 plane crash at age 38. Few players in history have been as revered and remembered through such a unique promotional baseball card tie-in.
In the over 50 years since, collectors still seek out the complete runs not just for the showcase of Clemente’s talent, but for the novelty of how cereal companies once leveraged the cardboard craze. The 1961 Post cards truly broke new ground by zooming in on a single superstar rather than mixing players like rival issues. Their extended backs and vibrant images set a high water mark that shaped the entire baseball card experience thereafter. For these reasons, the 1961 Roberto Clemente Post cereal cards remain one of the most noteworthy and coveted specialty releases in the history of the hobby.
