Thrift Treasures XIX: Taste of a New Generation
Food-issue cards can be fun. They can be a mother-bleeper to chase and they can cost a pretty penny, too, if you’re forced to go onto the secondary market and pick them up. But all in all, they offer a little variety to your collection and are well-worth the cost if you’re a player or team collector.
Recently I uncovered a slew of 2003 Fleer Pepsi cards for an unbelievable price: about a penny an a half per card.These cards aren’t exactly rare, and to buy one of your favorite player one would not have to break the bank. But alas, they are not as common as base cards and I was ecstatic to find a lot of roughly 150 cards for $1.98.
This set is comprised of 30 cards (one player per team) which were issued one card per specially marked 24-pack of Pepsi cans in 2003. The set contains some of the hobby’s biggest names, including semi-early releases of Albert Pujols and Ichiro.
After sifting through the unorganized cards, I wound up with two full sets (one set is pictured below) and a bunch of extras.
Here is the tally for the extra cards I have available if anyone is seeking them:
Troy Glaus (Angels), No. 1 — 2 avail
Chipper Jones (Braves), No. 2 — 3 avail
Randy Johnson (D-Backs), No. 3 — 4 avail
Tony Bautista (Orioles), No. 4 — 7 avail
Magglio Ordonez (White Sox), No. 5 — 7 avail
Ken Griffey Jr. (Reds), No. 6 — 7 avail
Omar Vizquel (Indians), No. 7 — 2 avail
Todd Helton (Rockies), No. 8 — 2 avail
Bobby Higginson (Tigers), No. 9 — 2 avail
Luis Castillo (Marlins), No. 10 — 3 avail
Jeff Bagwell (Astros), No. 11 — 4 avail
Mike Sweeney (Royals), No. 12 — 4 avail
Shawn Green (Dodgers), No. 13 — 5 avail
Richie Sexson (Brewers), No. 14 — 2 avail
Torii Hunter (Twins), No. 15 — 1 avail
Jason Giambi (Yankees), No. 18 — 1 avail
Pat Burrell (Phillies), No. 20 — 2 avail
Brian Giles (Pirates), No. 21 — 1 avail
Trevor Hoffman (Padres), No. 22 — 2 avail
Barry Bonds (Giants), No. 23 — 1 avail
Ichiro (Mariners), No. 24 — 1 avail
Alex Rodriguez (Rangers), No. 27 — 3 avail
Carlos Delgado (Blue Jays), No. 28 — 4 avail
Kerry Wood (Cubs), No. 29 — 3 avail
Pedro Martinez (Red Sox), No. 30 — 3 avail
November 19, 2009 at 11:26 am
I LOVE food issue cards. I would be happy to take a Shawn Green or two off your hands, as well as the Ichiro, Vizquel, A-Rod and Bautista cards.
November 19, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Never seen these cards before they are nice
November 23, 2009 at 7:41 pm
I’d be happy to give one of your Pat Burrell’s a happy home.
December 21, 2009 at 5:55 pm
Hello, just reading your blog and enjoying it, big Brewers fan and saw the post above and wondered if you had one of the Richie Sexson cards left? Thanks!