Picture Pack Photos

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During the 1940's, early 1950's, many teams for a time released an annual issue of twenty-five 6-1/2" x 9"" black and white photographs that picture pack photos

were sold at the souvenir stands. There is not a lot of information available on which companies supplied the photos for each team but they included such companies as the Big League Novelty Company or Big League Books, a division of Jay Publishing.

During an eight year period starting in 1958 through 1965 Jay Publishing issued a series of 5 x 7 black & white player portrait or posed action photos, for a number of major League teams. Sold in team sets of 12 they were made available through ballpark concession stands and the mail. Using the same format the picture pack sets were sometimes sold as team issued photos. Jay Publishing Picture Pack Photo

Supplied by Jay Publishing they were sold at the stadiums, and the Big League Books, Jay publishing versions were sold through the mail.

The Jay Publishing photos can be identified by the players name followed by the city, and team nickname. For example: "MICKEY MANTLE New York Yankees" The Team Issue sets have the players name followed by the team nickname. For Example: "MICKEY MANTLE Yankees" (no city) Both the team issue, and Jay Publishing picture packs sold at the stadiums featured Team Issue Picture Pack Photo

an order form to purchase sets for other teams, by mailing it to Big League books in New Canaan, Connecticut. Late editions of the teams yearbooks were also available.

The player composition of the 12 photos for the team-issued picture packs purchased at the beginning of the season might be significantly different from that of a set bought at the end of the year. Player pictures were sometimes added or removed to reflect trades, retirements or other roster changes.

Jay Publishing Picture Pack Photos Order Form

Some player photos were used for multiple years making it difficult to pin down a specific year by just identifying a photo. A set can be identified by using a checklist, but the photos used for that year could be difficult to identify. Photos of players that no longer played for the team might have been inserted into sets to get rid of overstocked pictures.

Jay Publishing was in business to make money. Throwing out overstock photos of a player would cut into profits. Some player photos were used years after the player retired or was traded, as evident by Yogi Berra player photos (for example) Berra player photos for New York Yankee Sets were still being used 3 years after he played for the Yankees. His last year as a player for the Yankees was 1963. In 1964 he managed the Yankees and the picture pack photos have the MGR (manager) designation.


1962	1963	MGR 1964	1965 Yankees	& Mets sets

In 1965 and 1966 Yogi Berra played and coached for the New York Mets. He was part of the Mets picture pack sets for those two years, yet Berra still shows up in 1965 & 1966 Yankees picture packs as a player. (no MGR designation) Overstocked photos were used as fillers to complete sets for many years.

Team sets can be dated by using one of the checklists featured on the website, by matching the unique combination of players for that year. Sometimes a player will only appear for a single year making it easier. If you are trying to put a set together don't get too caught up on identifying a single photo for a specific year. You might be able to figure out when a photo was first used but not how long they used that photo.

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