1981 Squirt Baseball Card Set and Checklist

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Specs

Year: 1981

Title: Squirt

Size: 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″

Number in Set: 33

Overview

Squirt issued, but Topps manufactured this set in 1981. I think it was a mutually beneficial promotion for both brands as Topps had new competition in the baseball card market from Donruss and Fleer in 1981. The standard-sized cards came in two-card panels, with a header (2 1/2″ by 10 1/2″), in eight-pack cartons of the drink. Each panel had one American League and one National League player.

The first 11 cards were double-printed since the pattern for pairings was 1/12 and 1/23, 2/13 and 2/24, 3/14 and 3/25, up to 11/22 and 11/33. Beckett wrote that panels 4/15, 4/26, 5/27, and 6/28 are more challenging to find.

The front of the cards are yellow and green and feature a player portrait, while the back of the card is a regular 1981 Topps card, but with different numbers. The header reads “Free Topps 1981 Baseball Cards” and is blank-backed.

As of November 2, 2022, there is a complete 33-card set of 22 intact panels for sale on eBay for $40.

1981 Squirt Complet Set – Image 1
1981 Squirt Complet Set – Image 2
1981 Squirt Complet Set – Image 3

Example

1981 Squirt #8 Mike Schmidt – Front
1981 Squirt #8 Mike Schmidt – Reverse

Key Cards

The set’s key card belongs to Pete Rose. The two panels with Rose and the one with Mike Schmidt and Dave Winfield are the three priciest in most guides.

Checklist

1 George Brett

2 George Foster

3 Ben Oglivie

4 Steve Garvey

5 Reggie Jackson

6 Bill Buckner

7 Jim Rice

8 Mike Schmidt

9 Rod Carew

10 Dave Parker

11 Pete Rose

12 Garry Templeton

13 Rick Burleson

14 Dave Kingman

15 Eddie Murray

16 Don Sutton

17 Dusty Baker

18 Jack Clark

19 Dave Winfield

20 Johnny Bench

21 Lee Mazzilli

22 Al Oliver

23 Jerry Mumphrey

24 Tony Armas

25 Fred Lynn

26 Ron LeFlore

27 Steve Kemp

28 Rickey Henderson

29 John Castino

30 Cecil Cooper

31 Bruce Bochte

32 Joe Charboneau

33 Chet Lemon