In 1976, the Sport Star Publishing Company issued a set of 630 standard-sized cards featuring players with their 1975 teams. Shortly after its release, the set was withdrawn because of legal problems; a suit filed by Topps initiated a legal battle which resulted in the opening of the card market to Fleer and Donruss in 1981. The short term result, however, was the removal of the SSPC set from the market.

The set became commonly known as the "Pure Set" due to its format; the card fronts contained only the player's picture, with no text at all. The player's name, team, and a brief bio were printed on the back. (The bios were edited by Kieth Obermeyer, later of ESPN's Sports Center.)

The set carries a 1975 trademark, but it was released in 1976. Several of the cards note team changes following the 1975 season; these players are usually depicted with their former team, but listed on the back with their new team.

Checklist for the 1976 SSPC set

A preview series of cards was issued as an insert in the Winter, 1975 issue of "Collector's Quarterly" magazine and featured 18 players who changed teams between the 1975 and 1976 seasons. These players are pictured on the front with their 1975 teams and identified with their new teams on the back. Three of these players are listed with the Cardinals on the back, but pictured with other teams.

1975 SSPC Sample Cards
  1  Harry Parker (Pictured with Mets)
  3  Mike Wallace (Pictured with Yankees)
 11  Willie Davis (Pictured with Rangers)

The full set features 33 cards which feature players in a Cardinals uniform or who are identified as being with the Cardinals on the back. Some of these players are identified as being with a different team due to a transaction after the 1975 season. Of these 33 cards, 8 feature players in a Cardinals uniform for the only time on a baseball card (as far as I know).


1976 SSPC

145 Lee Richard (Listed with Cardinals; pictured in White Sox uniform) 274 Ted Simmons 275 Lou Brock 276 Ron Fairly 277 Bake McBride 278 Reggie Smith 279 Willie Davis (Listed with Padres) 280 Ken Reitz (Listed with Giants) 281 Buddy Bradford (Listed with White Sox) 282 Luis Melendez 283 Mike Tyson 284 Ted Sizemore 285 Mario Guerrero 286 Larry Lintz (Listed with A's) 287 Ken Rudolph 288 Rich Billings 289 Jerry Mumphrey 290 Mike Wallace 291 Al Hrabosky 292 Ken Reynolds 293 Mike Garman (Listed with Cubs) 294 Bob Forsch 295 John Denny 296 Harry Rasmussen 297 Lynn McGlothen 298 Mike Barlow (Listed with Astros) 299 Greg Terlecky (Listed with White Sox) 300 Red Schoendienst 315 Don Kessinger (Listed with Cardinals; pictured in Cubs uniform) 321 Vic Harris (Listed with Cardinals; pictured in Cubs uniform) 469 Mike Anderson (Listed with Cardinals; pictured in Phillies uniform) 590 Keith Hernandez 590 Lou Brock 605 Mike Kelleher (Listed with Cubs)
In 1976, SSPC released an 18 card set as an insert in the 1976 Fall 'Collector's Quarterly' which reproduced a set issued in 1888 to commemorate the 1887 World Series between the Detroit Wolverines of the National League and the St. Louis Browns (now the Cardinals) of the American Association. Detroit won the series, 10-5. The entire set is checklisted below, with players noted as Browns or Wolverines.

1976 SSPC 1887 World Series

1 Bob Caruthers (Browns) 2 Dave Foutz (Browns) 3 Arlie Latham (Browns) 4 Charles Getzien (Wolverines) 5 J.C. Rowe (Wolverines) 6 Fred Dunlap (Wolverines) 7 Tip O'Niell (Browns) 8 Curt Welch (Browns) 9 Bill Gleason (Browns) 10 Sam Thompson (Wolverines) 11 Ned Hanlon (Wolverines) 12 Dan Brouthers (Wolverines) 13 Doc Bushong (Browns) 14 Charlie Comiskey (Browns) 15 Yank Robinson (Browns) 16 Charles Bennett (Wolverines) 17 Hardy Richardson (Wolverines) 18 Deacon White (Wolverines)