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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.
Example
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