Like many team collectors, one of the pure joys of my collecting disease is discovering yet another one of those out-of-the-way, esoteric San Diego padres card team sets. I truly delight in those weird and unique little sets, like the 1984 Smokey the Bear safety set (28 cards), 1977 San Diego Padres schedule card set (89 cards) and 1981 Topps Scratch-offs (4-cards)
Recently, I found six cards from another partial set on E-Bay that whets my collecting appetite and gives me yet another excuse to spend a bit of money in the pursuit of another hard-to-find oddball Padres set...This time, the 1978 Family Fun Centers San Diego Padres 39-card set.
In 1978, the San Diego Padres hosted their very first All-Star Game, so the San Diego Family Fun Centers issued this set of 39 cards complete with Padres players and coaches, as well as announcers Jerry Coleman and Dave Campbell, and owner Ray Kroc.
Here's the front and back of the Dave Winfield card (love that 'stache).
These 3-1/2 x 5-1/2 cards are made to look like wooden plaques, with a posed color photo set against a wood-grained background. The player’s name is in a gold plate at the bottom, with the Fat Friar and Family Fun Center logos above it. The backs are black and white, complete with the player's uniform number, brief biography and stats at the top of the card. The players' description of "My Greatest Thrill in Baseball” is wrapped around his mug shot, with a facsimile autograph taking up the bottom of the card.
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Derrell Thomas, Chuck Baker and Don Williams
The Family Fun Centers produced four different Padres sets, including one in 1977 (33 cards), 1979 (30 cards) and 1980 (7 cards), as well as a 38-card California Angels set in 1978.
Mickey Lolich, Gaylord Perryi
The gem of this Family Fun set is supposed to be the Ozzie Smith Rookie Card. It's my understanding it's hard to find a copy without a crease down the middle of it.
Unfortunately, I don't ever remember going to a San Diego Family Fun Center when we lived there. But then again, our first-born would have been quite young at the time.
The set is listed in alphabetical order, as follows:
1. Bill Almon
2. Tucker Ashford3. Chuck Baker
4. Dave Campbell ANN
5. Mike Champion
6. Jerry Coleman ANN
7. Roger Craig MG
8. John D'Acquisto
9. Bob Davis
10. Chuck Estrada
11. Rollie Fingers
12. Dave Freisleben
13. Oscar Gamble
14. Fernando Gonzalez
15. Billy Herman
16. Randy Jones
17. Ray Kroc
18. Mark Lee
19. Mickey Lolich
20. Bob Owchinko
21. Broderick Perkins
22. Gaylord Perry
23. Eric Rasmussen
24. Don Reynolds
25. Gene Richards
26. Dave Roberts
27. Phil Roof
29. Ozzie Smith
30. Dan Spillner
31. Rick Sweet
32. Gene Tenace
33. Derrel Thomas
34. Jerry Turner
35. Dave Wehrmeister
36. Whitey Wietelmann
37. Don Williams
38. Dave Winfield
39. 1978 All-Star Game
