Does PSA grade these?

jrdolan · July 7, 2004 2:25AM

These 1977 "broadcast cards" are not really cards, being on thick glossy paper rather than card stock. They were printed in Italy and feature a Sports Illustrated photo. In Bench's case there are two with this photo: one with a reverse about him and one with a reverse about the history of the game. The latter does not have his name on the front like this one. I'm guessing they're called broadcast cards because radio and TV announcers used the player notes on the back to fill air time. They're 4.75" x 6.25" and are too large for PSA's standard oversize holder. Anyone know of these being graded?

Edited to correct "broadcast" to "Sportscast" as pointed out by helionaut. That's what I remember, now that he says so.

helionaut · July 7, 2004 2:40AM

I don't know about "broadcast" cards, but these were originally sold in the 70s (or earlier?) under the name "Sportscasters" for whatever reason. They aren't just sports figures, though, but cover science and animals, too. AFAIK, PSA doesn't grade them, but they might fit in the largest slab used for cards like T3s. They seem to be getting some extra attention recently, with a couple threads in the Sports & Memorabilia forum recently. Many player completists have discovered them and their usually excellent photography, such as with your Bench.

aro13 · July 7, 2004 2:45AM

These are "Sportscaster Cards" from between 1977-79. As far as I know PSA does not grade these. I have quite a few basketball and Track and Field cards I would not mind having graded. BTW - According to the SCD "The cards of Aaron and Bench are quite common because they were mailed to large numbers of persons as samples to introduce the program." Does anybody have a Steve Prefontaine card they would be interested in selling?

NickM · July 7, 2004 3:34AM

The are called Sportscaster cards. They were issued through subscriptions via the mail, with over 70 series all told (they came out monthly). They included leading persona, events, historical moments, and explanations of rules and terms from all sports (worldwide). There were also occasional pamphlets issued with them discussing major sports events (such as Jerry Buss's purchase of the Forum, the Lakers, and the L.A. Kings). The Beckett Almanac has a complete breakdown of cards for all series.

I got them as a kid, and still have mine (probably at least 40 series). I've gotten a couple autographed - they are fantastic for that purpose. They were completely overlooked by the hobby until about 5 to 7 years ago.

The prices are highest on the scarcest ones - normally from the last few series. Among early issues, major stars of the top American sports are the highest prices, with Nolan Ryan and a few others approaching $20.

Condition is generally nice, as they have rounded corners and were issued in cellophane-wrapped bricks.

Cards of animals, historical figures, science, etc. were issued under separate subscriptions and are not considered part of this set.

Nick

NickM · July 7, 2004 3:35AM

PSA will not grade them. If a card is too large to fit in a Tall Boy holder, it will not be graded unless it is the same size as a T3. They may develop inserts for T3 holders to allow some other oversize cards to be graded, but that hasn't happened yet.

Nick

pandrews · July 7, 2004 4:00AM

Wayne Gretzky

edited to add - the same seller has a Larry Bird "rookie" thats @ $45

pandrews · July 7, 2004 4:07AM

if you're interested, here are the prices that "Dr. Beckett" has assigned to the baseball "sportscasters"..

Set Name Card # Description Low Price High Price
1977-79 Sportscaster 121 Tom Seaver#{Baseball $2.00 $4.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 208 Joe DiMaggio#{Baseball $5.00 $10.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 216 1969 Mets#{Mets Win#{Nolan Ryan#{Baseball $4.00 $8.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 316 Henry Aaron#{Baseball $2.50 $5.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 422 Johnny Bench#{Baseball $2.00 $4.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 511 Babe Ruth#{Baseball $4.00 $8.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 514 Bobby Thomson#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 522 The 1927 Yankees#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 624 Johnny Vander Meer#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 716 Roger Maris#{Mickey Mantle#{Baseball $6.00 $12.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 804 Pete Rose#{Baseball $3.00 $6.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 923 Jackie Robinson#{Baseball $5.00 $10.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 1007 Rod Carew#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 10122 400-Homer Club#{Duke Snider#{Baseball $5.00 $10.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 10201 Mike Flanagan#{Baseball $4.00 $8.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 10210 Boston's Fenway#{Fenway Park#{Baseball $4.00 $8.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 10224 Jim Piersall#{Baseball $5.00 $10.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 1106 Willie Mays#{Baseball $3.00 $6.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 1109 The Rules#{Hank Aaron#{Baseball $1.50 $3.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 1207 Ernie Banks#{Baseball $1.50 $3.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 1303 Ted Williams#{Baseball $5.00 $10.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 1409 The Oakland A's#{1971-75#{Four A's Stars#{Catfish Hunter#{Rollie Fingers#{Reggie Jackson#{Sal Bando#{Baseball $1.50 $3.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 1410 Jim Hunter#{Baseball $1.50 $3.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 1411 Maury Wills#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 1509 $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 1607 Brooks Robinson#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 1704 Randy Jones#{Baseball $0.50 $1.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 1805 Joe Morgan#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 1811 Mark Fidrych#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 1816 Lingo II#{Earl Weaver#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 1920 Gaylord Perry#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 2005 Thurman Munson#{Baseball $2.00 $4.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 2104 Lingo I#{Dodger Pitcher#{Baseball $0.50 $1.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 2105 Joe Rudi#{Baseball $0.50 $1.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 2109 Vada Pinson#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 2116 Stan Musial#{Baseball $2.50 $5.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 2304 Nolan Ryan#{Baseball $12.50 $25.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 2323 Warren Spahn#{Baseball $1.50 $3.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 2416 Lou Brock#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 2518 Frank Tanana#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 2615 Jim Palmer#{Baseball $2.00 $4.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 2702 Steve Carlton#{Baseball $1.50 $3.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 2721 Dave Kingman#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 2902 The Perfect Game#{Sandy Koufax#{Baseball $2.00 $4.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 2922 At-A-Glance#{Reference#{Tom Seaver#{Ball Sports $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 3003 Triple Crown#{Carl Yastrzemski#{Baseball $1.50 $3.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 3016 Ron Cey#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 3101 Instruction#{Rod Carew#{Baseball $1.50 $3.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 3201 The 3000 Hit Club#{Roberto Clemente#{Baseball $10.00 $20.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 3204 Tommy John#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 3217 Cy Young Awards#{Tom Seaver#{Baseball $1.50 $3.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 3305 Keeping Score#{Fan Scorekeeping#{Baseball $0.50 $1.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 3402 Four Home Runs in#{A Game#{Mike Schmidt#{Baseball $4.00 $8.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 3419 All-Star Game#{Joe Morgan#{Steve Garvey#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 3424 Greg Luzinski#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 3502 Infield Fly Rule#{Bobby Grich#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 3504 John Candelaria#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 3515 Interference#{Johnny Bench#{Baseball $1.50 $3.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 3601 Ron LeFlore#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 3709 Pickoff#{Luis Tiant#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 3722 NCAA Tournament#{Texas A&M/Texas#{Baseball $0.50 $1.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 3809 George Brett#{Baseball $10.00 $20.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 3810 Jim Rice#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 3902 Rundown#{Mets vs. Astros#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 3904 Measurements#{Memorial Stadium#{Baseball $0.50 $1.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 4001 Garry Templeton#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 4002 Jeff Burroughs#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 4103 Relief Pitching#{Mike Marshall#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 4107 Triple Play#{Bill Wambsganss#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 4208 Dave Parker#{Dave Kingman#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 4209 Bert Blyleven#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 4307 Rick Reuschel#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 4417 Hidden Ball Trick#{A's/Red Sox#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 4517 Hit and Run#{George Foster#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 4522 Hitting the Cutoff#{Man: Red Sox Player#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 4622 Amateur Draft#{Rick Monday#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 4702 Great Moments#{Ferguson Jenkins#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 4705 Great Moments#{Bob Gibson#{Baseball $1.50 $3.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 5007 Dennis Eckersley#{Baseball $2.00 $4.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 5102 The Double Steal#{Davey Lopes#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 5103 Cy Young#{Baseball $1.50 $3.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 5202 Gene Tenace#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 5209 Great Moments#{Mickey Lolich#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 5307 Andre Thornton#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 5408 Great Moments#{Carl Yastrzemski#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 5409 Freddie Patek#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 5503 Lyman Bostock#{Baseball $0.75 $1.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 5613 Carlton Fisk#{Baseball $6.00 $12.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 5702 Dave Winfield#{Baseball $7.50 $15.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 5801 Shea Stadium#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 5802 Busch Memorial#{Stadium#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 5805 Fenway Park#{Baseball $2.50 $5.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 5812 Baltimore Memorial#{Stadium#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 5814 Yankee Stadium#{Baseball $2.50 $5.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 5818 Candlestick Park#{Baseball $2.00 $4.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 5821 Veterans Stadium#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 5823 Dodger Stadium#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 5920 Frank Robinson#{Baseball $4.00 $8.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 6023 Sandy Koufax#{Baseball $5.00 $10.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 6102 Ron Guidry#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 6116 Roberto Clemente#{Baseball $15.00 $30.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 6204 Don Larsen's#{Perfect Game#{Baseball $2.50 $5.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 6318 Gil Hodges#{Baseball $4.00 $8.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 6518 Vida Blue#{Baseball $2.00 $4.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 6615 Designated Hitter#{Rusty Staub#{Baseball $2.50 $5.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 6701 Steve Garvey#{Baseball $2.50 $5.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 6715 The Presidential Ball#{Pres.William Taft#{Baseball $2.50 $5.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 6810 $2.00 $4.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 6818 Babe Ruth Baseball#{Ed Figueroa#{Baseball $2.00 $4.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 6906 Roy Campanella#{Baseball $5.00 $10.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 6917 $2.00 $4.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 7013 Daffy Dean#{Dizzy Dean#{Baseball $2.50 $5.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 7103 J.R. Richard#{Baseball $2.00 $4.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 7213 Hitting Pitchers#{Don Drysdale#{Baseball $4.00 $8.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 7315 Emmett Ashford#{Baseball $2.00 $4.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 7401 Forever Blowing#{Bubbles#{Davey Lopes#{Baseball $2.50 $5.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 7410 Phil Niekro#{Baseball $4.00 $8.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 7423 Ken Forsch#{Bob Forsch#{Baseball $2.00 $4.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 7509 Tommy Lasorda#{Baseball $4.00 $8.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 7515 Hack Wilson#{Baseball $2.50 $5.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 7524 The Firemen#{Goose Gossage#{Baseball $4.00 $8.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 7611 Iron Mike#{Pitching Machine#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 7619 Training Camps#{Spring Training#{Baseball $1.25 $2.50
1977-79 Sportscaster 7708 Monty Stratton#{Baseball $2.50 $5.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 7713 Ron Taylor#{Baseball $2.00 $4.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 7816 Willie McCovey#{Baseball $4.00 $8.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 7911 Craig Swan#{Baseball $2.00 $4.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 8021 Umpires Strike $3.00 $6.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 8124 Wrigley Marathlon#{Mike Schmidt#{Baseball $10.00 $20.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 8219 Bobby Bonds#{Baseball $4.00 $8.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 8309 Billy Martin#{Baseball $5.00 $10.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 8321 Brother vs. Brother#{Joe Niekro#{Baseball $4.00 $8.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 8408 Triple Play#{Rick Burleson#{Baseball $4.00 $8.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 8415 The Money Game#{Dennis Eckersley#{Baseball $5.00 $10.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 8418 Clemente Award#{Andre Thornton#{Beyond Sports $4.00 $8.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 8504 Like Father#{Like Son#{Roy Smalley#{Baseball $4.00 $8.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 8608 Danny Ainge#{Baseball/Basketball $30.00 $60.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 8712 Lee Mazzilli#{Baseball $4.00 $8.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 8718 Steve Dembrowski#{Baseball $2.50 $5.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 8720 Hutch Award#{Al Kaline#{Beyond Sports $10.00 $20.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 8803 Dave Winfield#{Baseball $10.00 $20.00
1977-79 Sportscaster 8824 Cape Cod League#{Jim Beattie#{Baseball $3.00 $6.00
Total Items: 142

jrdolan · July 7, 2004 4:29AM

Wow, thanks for the education, you guys. Worth the price of admission. As for the price of my Benches, only a few bucks, not worth grading even if PSA had a holder for them. I still like 'em a lot.

goodriddance189 · July 7, 2004 4:33AM

Sportscasters are awesome. i have Bird, Gretzky, and many stars all at least nmmt or mint. PSA could grade these cards if they wanted to (they have at least a few holders that fit), but so far they dont

pandrews · July 7, 2004 4:36AM

i imagine prices would increase if they were included in the player set registries?

Does PSA grade these?

Comments