1970 KELLOGG’S ED KRANEPOOL
What makes this card special, is that aside from it being the only time Ed Kranepool was on a Kellogg’s card, it
was also the very first card in Kellogg’s very first set.
In 1970, the Mets were coming off their championship season. Three of Kranepool’s teammates were also featured in the 75 card set: Cleon Jones, Tom Seaver, and Tommie Agee. The Kellogg’s cards were available in selected brands of their cereals. These cards were 3-D with the players shot appearing in front of a blurry stadium photograph. The cards were smaller than the standard Topps card and measured up at only 2 1/4 x 3 1/2. These cards tended to become brittle and their top layer would crack if not taken care of properly.
It is interesting that Kranepool was one of the choices. He was a contributing member of the team but Donn Clendenon, the MVP of the World Series, wasn’t represented in the set and neither was Jerry Koosman (who won two games in the World Series including the deciding game) nor Ron Swoboda (who made a spectacular catch in the Series).
If you wanted to put together a complete set of these, it might cost you around $125.00 or so. Don’t forget to factor in a Bob Gibson variation with his 1959 IP numbers showing up or not showing up depending on which version of the variation you have.
Kranepool, of course, walked into team history when he replaced Gil Hodges at first base on September 22, 1962 at the tender age of 17. He would later become an excellent pitch-hitter for the club and was inducted to the team’s Hall of Fame in 1990. Overall. in 18 years with the club, he compiled a .261 BA in 1,853 games.
He is also still a fan favorite and was one of the team’s former players to appear at the first QBC two years ago.
Enjoyed this piece.
I was a fanatic about collecting Topps card sets but never really got into assembling a Kellogg’s one. Always had the cards around, too. Always liked the early Kellogg’s cards more than the later ones.
Thanks for sharing that Jim.
Nice piece! Based on the 1969 copyright date, I suspect that production/distribution was kind of protracted, so these were likely being prepped during the course of the 1969 season, which might help explain the player selection. (I believe the 1968 copyright is for the licensed Xograph technology, which Topps had tried out for their 3D test set.)
Nice card! Kranepool struggled in 1970 and was sent to the minors. I always pulled for him, he put up respectable numbers in 1971 and in the following seasons. Played his full career with the Mets – is he the only one?
David Wight has more PAs. Kranepool is second behind him.