SSPC Baseball Card History and Overview
The SSPC (Surface Preparation Contractors) baseball card collection was an interesting niche product issued annually from 1986 to 1992 as a creative marketing tool by the Society for Protective Coatings (SSPC). Each year’s set featured head shots and stats on various companies and key individuals within the industrial coating and surface preparation industries.
The idea originated in 1986 when SSPC president John Smith was brainstorming ways to help members get to know each other better at their annual conference. Sports cards were immensely popular at the time following the boom started by Topps and Donruss in the 1950s. Smith thought a similar concept highlighting SSPC members could help foster networking and build camaraderie.
The cards were printed on standard 3.5” x 2.5” stock and showed each subject in business attire along with their name, company or affiliation, and some key Surface Coatings stats. Things like years in the industry, places they’ve blasted or coated, number of employees or projects completed were typically featured. Backs contained more biographical details and sometimes fun facts. Distribution was mainly at the yearly SSPC conference and trade shows.
The 1986 inaugural set had 25 cards and included profiled companies like International Protective Coatings, J.V. Martin Co., and KTA Tator. Individuals included Jack Abernathy of Tnemec Co. batting .312 with 20 years experience, and Hal Johnson of Johnson Surface Preparation who had supervised blasting on over 1,500 structures. The nostalgic black and white photos helped personalize an otherwise dry industrial trade.
Response to the first series was quite positive so SSPC expanded the 1987 set to 50 cards. Additional companies like Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine Coatings and Proto Corporation had rookie cards. Two new players with Hall of Fame worthy stats debuted – Carl Pease of Pease Industries with an astounding 32 years in Shot Blasting and over 5,000 jobs supervised, and Bob Smith of International Paint batting an impressive .410 after 30 years in coatings R&D. Color photos were also introduced that year.
SSPC continued growing the sets each year by featuring more members. The 1988 release contained 75 cards spotlighting coaters and preparers from around the world, not just North America. The 1989 series was the largest to date at 100 cards printed on extra sturdy stock more akin to a traditional sports card. Subjects included coating specialists from Indian, South African, European and other international firms expanding the diversity.
Minor league affiliates also began to make appearances. The 1990 set had 125 cards and introduced “Rookies” from various regional SSPC chapters and partner organizations. Special parallel “Gold Signature” versions of selected cards were inserted randomly that years honoring especially accomplished veterans. By 1991, the SSPC Baseball Card collection had grown phenomenally to a complete 150 card mega set.
Production costs were rising and the early cache of sports cards started fading by the early 1990s. 1992 would mark the finale with one last standard 100 card set wrapping up 7 glorious years commemorating SSPC’s most notable members. Today the complete collection from 1986-1992 is considered quite valuable and rare to find in solid complete runs. Individual high-number cards sometimes sell for hundreds on auction sites.
The SSPC baseball cards were an ingenious idea that succeeded in preserving a unique moment in the history of the coatings industry. They helped strengthen networking and connect individuals before the digital age made the world smaller. While gimmicky, the cards proved a fun creative means to promoting the Society and leaving behind a nostalgic token from its era. They offer a clever quirky time capsule into the personalities that built the foundations of this specialized field.
The SSPC baseball card series from 1986 to 1992 was a novel marketing strategy that personalized the industrial coating industry. Each year’s release spotlighted more member companies and individuals within intriguing baseball card style profiles. Their production represented the expanding global network of the Society for Protective Coatings. Although a product of their timeframe, the complete collection remains a cherished nostalgic novelty item fondly remembered by those who took part in the game. They offered an unorthodox approach to fostering connections within an esoteric specialized field.
