The 1975 SSPC baseball card set is one of the more unique issues from the 1970s due to its uncommon small collector’s club origins. Sport Stars Publications Company (SSPC) was a small Chicago-based company that produced hobby magazines and oddball baseball cards sets from the early 1970s until around 1980 when they went out of business. Their 1975 offering is among the more famous SSPC sets and remains highly collectible today due its scarcity and the inclusion of several star players.
SSPC sent packets of cards to members that included application forms to join their collector’s club. The 1975 set contained 100 total cards with most players pictured in uniform from the previous 1974 season. Some key stars included on cards in the set were Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Rod Carew, Catfish Hunter, Tom Seaver, and Nolan Ryan. Standout rookies featured were Don Gullett, Bake McBride, and Ron Cey. The photography and design of the cards was much higher quality than typical sets from the 1970s with bright, colorful player images and generic team logo borders around each.
While standard glossy cardboard stock was used, the cards were smaller than typical baseball cards of the era at about 2 1⁄2 inches by 3 1⁄2 inches. This non-standard size along with their limited club distribution is a big reason SSPC sets like 1975 remain very scarce today. Their exclusive collector’s club method meant a very small print run compared to mainstream issues from Topps, TCMA, or Kellogg’s. Finding a complete set with all 100 cards in good condition is extremely difficult. According to the Beckett Almanac, it’s estimated only a few thousand sets were produced total.
In addition to stars, the 1975 SSPC set also highlighted several obscure and backup players that don’t appear in many other issues from that time like Danny Frisella, Jerry Terrell, and Juan Pizarro. They provided collectors with a more complete representation of the whole league beyond just standout superstars. Minor leaguers and internationals also made appearances with future Major Leaguers like Ted Simmons and Dave Cash as well as players plying their trade in Mexico and Japan included despite not yet reaching the Big Leagues themselves.
Organization of the cards did not follow a true alphabetical or numerical format. Players seemed to be randomly arranged without teams always being kept together which was unusual compared to standardized sets. The rear of each card did contain basic career statistics along with the player’s current team and position but no additional written information or fun facts. Still, the detailed stats section was an improvement over basic Topps and TCMA issues of the same era.
While no checklist or set numbering was present on the front of cards, keen collectors and experts have been able to determine the proper order over the decades. Top stars appear scattered throughout with the majority of true “stars” concentrated in the middle part of the set between cards 40-70. Rookies and fringe players dominate the starts and ends of the set. Condition of surviving 1975 SSPC cards runs the full spectrum with anything graded above EX considered rare and valuables. Pricing has risen sharply in recent years thanks to increased recognition and demand from nostalgic 1970s collectors.
SSPC remained active over the next five seasons producing smaller sets highlighting individual teams or players in 1980. Distribution was never widespread and production stayed extremely limited. Today, their 1970s club issues like the 1975 remain among the most elusive oddball releases for collectors to find with all 100 cards in high grades. Prices have skyrocketed for choice examples as the collector population grows for 1970s memorabilia. The unique smaller size and exclusive nature of their club distribution ensures the 1975 SSPC baseball card set retains an almost mythical status among aficionados of oddball issues over 45 years later. Condition sensitive collectors continue hunting to assemble this true “needle in a haystack” set with available opportunities becoming fewer and further between each year.
While humble in their era, the success and popularity of modern online auction sites like eBay has allowed SSPC cards sets to achieve greater recognition among specialty collectors than they may have otherwise obtained given the extremely tight club distribution from the publishing company. Resources like the Sport Americana Auctions and Beckett publications played a role in cataloging information and demand has followed as researching from the 1960s and 1970s has grown more accessible online. The 1975 SSPC baseball card set remains one of the most historically obscure, condition sensitive, and valuable examples of the unique niche of club oddities and their allure may only increase for dedicated collectors as surviving high quality examples continue to diminish with time. Their very limited size and availability ensured this early collector’s club release a lasting spot among the rarest and most desirable sets to find complete from the 1970s era of our national pastime.
