We have posted (pun slightly intended) numerous articles here covering the 1961-63 Post Cereal cards featuring members of the Pittsburgh Pirates. This is the first time that we look at one of their sets from their return to the baseball card game in the 1990s. These cards are extremely different than their first foray into the business. Let’s get right into this card of Bobby Bonilla from the 1992 Post set, which I am posting on his 60th birthday.
Here’s the front of the card:
The biggest difference between the original Post cards and the 1990s version is that the original ones were actually part of the box, while the newer ones came wrapped on plastic that was inside the bag of cereal. The reasoning for the change is simple. In 1960, conditions of cards didn’t matter that much. Kids used to flip cards as a game. By the 1990s, condition was very important, though not at the level it is now with grading companies.
Another big difference between the two cards can be seen on this Bonilla card…or should I say, it can’t be seen. Notice there are no markings on the photo telling you that he played for the Pirates. That wasn’t an issue back in the 1960s. It’s interesting to note that they could use the team name on the front then. Without the rights from MLB now, this card would probably just say “Pittsburgh” on front. That symbol in the bottom right tells you that Post had the right to use players through the MLB Players Association.
The third big difference between the sets can be seen on back…
Here’s the back of the card:
I could point out all of the differences between the backs of the two eras, but it’s easier to just say that the 1960s cards were completely blank on the back. Look at the inside of a cereal box now and that’s what the backs look like from the 1960s.
The stats were on the front of the older cards, showing one season and lifetime stats only. The older cards had bios, which don’t exist here. In fact, the only real similarity between the two cards is that the older ones had a photo size similar to what you see here on the back, and it was off to the side as well.
As you can see, Bonilla was card #21 of the 30-card set. He was joined in the set by teammate Barry Bonds. A total of 13 players from this set are Hall of Famers.
If you are interested in picking up one of these Bonilla cards, you can find it on Ebay from multiple sellers for under $2 delivered. The lack of team logos really hurts the popularity of this set, plus they were mass produced. You other option is buying the entire set for around $10 delivered.
There’s one autograph card and there’s something interesting on it that takes us back to the back of the card. Check out his autograph above. That looks nothing like his in-person autograph. In fact, Bonilla might be the start of the trend that 97.8% of players use right now, where their signatures look like something a two-year-old would do with a crayon and five minutes alone. Bonilla’s isn’t quite that bad because you can actually make out one letter, but his in-person signature looks like it says “B O”. Sometimes if he rushed the signing, it looks like it says 30. Either way, it’s awful and I’m not sure why you would want to pay extra for it. If you do want one though, it can be had for $13 or best offer.
