From the 1970s through the 1990s, it seemed like you could
find your favorite baseball stars on food product packaging everywhere you looked: supermarkets, corner stores, restaurants, and beyond. This past year, in an effort to capture a little more nostalgia, I set a
goal to expand my own collection of these "food-issue" cards. In
this series I'll show the specific examples I've acquired, and share a
little bit of history about the food or beverage sponsor as well.
But still, you're tired.
Now it's Sunday, and you've been out helping dad with some errands. That's also fine.
But still, you're tired.
Then dad gives you an escape.
"How about some lunch?"
Absolutely. You're definitely hungry, and if you know dad, he's not taking you home for a cold, uninspired bologna sandwich. There are plenty of places to eat out here on the road.
So you nod in agreement, sit back, take a breath, and let dad drive.
It seems like it takes a while, but eventually you roll up to this place:
What in the world are you even looking at there? A fish place? Where even is this? How far did dad actually drive?
But you know what? All those questions don't matter. You're here. So that's where you're eating. You get out of the car and head to the front entrance with dad.
And then you walk in and see this:
Welp. The pirate/landlubber theme is still going strong on the inside.
But it's not all weird. The smell of french fries is pretty strong. And looking around at what other folks are eating, some of the fish is battered and fried, too. You even see some chicken fingers.
Then, while you're waiting on line to order, it gets even better. There's a big, poster board display on the wall next to the cash registers highlighting a special promotion.
GET A FREE 5-CARD PACK OF LONG JOHN SILVER'S BASEBALL CARDS WHEN YOU ORDER A MEAL WITH A 32-OUNCE COCA-COLA
Your eyes light up, and you turn to dad.
"I guess we're both getting a meal with a 32-ounce Coke", he says with a sly grin.
Ah, now it all comes together. You bet dad saw an advertisement in the paper, and that's exactly why he brought you to this place. Even sweeter, you know he's going to give you his pack, so you can open one, and keep the other sealed if you want.
You both order the fish and chips with some hushpuppies, plus the Coke. It's not long before your order is ready, and as the cashier slides the trays over, you spot the packs of cards.
Once you find a booth and sit down, dad slides a pack over to you.
Before you dig in to your meal, you flip it over.
Darryl Strawberry? Cool!
He's got one of the swings that you and all your friends try to imitate when you're playing Wiffle ball, or baseball at the park.
And then as you look at the design, it hits you:
It's just like the posters that you and some of your friends have on your walls—only in baseball card size!
The fun discovery only increases your appetite, so you chow down. The food is good, and Long John Silver's is quickly becoming one of your favorite places to eat.
Once you finish eating, you ask dad if you can open one pack right there at the table. He says it's fine with him, so you go for it.
Pretty good result! Along with Darryl, you find some great stars. Boggs, Raines, Trammell, and Sabo.
After inspecting the header card a little more, you discover that you received Set #5. There are 8 Sets in all, which means there are 40 different cards to collect. Hopefully there will be more trips to Long John Silver's in the near future.
Nice color photo. Nice stats. They could have filled the space at the bottom a little more, but overall, it's a decent effort by Starline.
Then you flip over the header card.
Sweet! It's a form you could use to order the actual posters! (You've got to tell your friends about this. If you all start going to Long John Silver's, you'll have the complete 40-card set in no time.)
As you leave, you notice a bell hanging from the wall with a little rope hanging from it. An employee tells you that you can ring it on the way out. One ring means the food was good, two rings means the food was great, and three rings means someone is in trouble.
You give that bell two solid rings, and dad does, too.
Now let's talk about the restaurant.
The first Long John Silver's restaurant opened in Lexington, Kentucky in 1969. The founder, Jim Patterson, saw an opportunity to be the first fast-food chain dedicated to seafood, and went all-in on the maritime, nautical theme inside and out. Success came pretty quickly, thanks in great part to the quality food and the dining experience. Within a few years, the chain opened new locations around the US.
By the early 1980s, there were more than one thousand Long John Silver's restaurants across the country. Toward the later half of the decade, the number was closer to 1,500!
In the 1990s, that number started to decline. Not only was it impossible to continue the kind of growth the franchise had experienced to that point, but other fast food giants had also started to notice the popularity of the seafood chain, and reacted by adding fish items to their own menus.
Since then, the Long John Silver's name has had some struggles, including bankruptcy, ownership changes, and the closing of numerous locations.
However, the chain has recently had some success. They've rebranded, placed some healthier options on the menu, created more drive-thru facilities, and modernized by adding an online ordering system. As of this writing, there are nearly 500 Long John Silver's restaurants operating in the United States, and a small handful abroad in places like Indonesia, Thailand, and Malaysia.
Here's a TV commercial that promotes the baseball card set. (Sounds like it's narrated by Mel Allen!)
So how about you readers and collectors?
Do you have any of these cards in your collection? Have you ever eaten at a Long John Silver's?
Share in the comment section, and thanks for reading!















































