Is anyone here familiar with all the different makes and series' of collector type cards of the early era of NASCAR and stock car racing? I know a few like Maxx made a series about the early drivers but I don't know much else and I would like to start collecting them.
Which companies made them? Is there a website for traders/collectors that list them all?
Hey Robert.
TG Racing out of Orlando produced the Masters of Racing Series that featured only older cars and drivers. There were four original colored-coded series and a fifth additional series added later, about 250 cards in all. TG also made two different sets of winged cars in 5x7 postcard size. Wings 1 and Wings 2 that had 20 cards a peice.
Also, Greg Fielden produced the Pioneers of Racing Series that had about 150 cards in an autographed binder.
Both of these were produced in the early 90's, and are no longer available to order. But you can find some on ebay or from a collector. I do have one of each of these sets.
One other set is the WInners Circle Products card set produced in the late 80's or early 90's. This set had about 30-35 cards, I think, and is quite rare. Hard to find a complete set and if you do, be prepared to pay handsomely for it.
All of the others are quite reasonable if you can locate them. That's all I can think of at present. Hope that helps you some.
Thanks, NB. I was able to find a few photos of the Masters of Racing and Pioneers of Racing and they are nice! I love all the info Fielden included on the back of the cards.I would love to find a complete series for sale of any of these. This could get expensive.
Have you seen the True Legend series made by Hilton Hill in the early 90's? It has 4 sets and it's mostly the early drivers from the first ten years of Bowman Gray and the area.
I have the Winner's Circle / Say No to Drugs complete set, given to me in the binder by Gene Granger who provided all the stats for the cards. Also have several Maxx complete sets given to me that have never had the boxes opened.
The Old Timers Racing Club has a set of 16 cards for $3.00 a set and 1.00 shipping. All the money of these cards go to the medical hardship fund.Address is 119 Northeast Drive Archdale NC 27263 Thanks. Billy Biscoe did have all the sets you mentioned and I think I have some of the The true legend sets also will have to find them.
My complete set of Winner's Circle cards are safely put away. I treasure them because Gene Granger produced them and thought enough of me to give me a complete set in the binder. I don't take them out.
They were, of course, commissioned by the same crook in Kinston, NC who got hooked up with Maurice Petty and Bobby Labonte... Mr. William Shackelford.
Here's a post I made last year responding to TooMuch Country receiving the book Chief :
Reply by Dave Fulton on December 19, 2011 at 9:01am
TMC & BB, I have never read the Maurice Petty book and would be curious to hear your reviews. That book has to have one of the most colorful backgrounds of any book in motorsports history. It was commissioned by the Winner's Circle outfit and its founder/owner, William (Bill) Shackelford, the soft spoken, pipe smoking Kinston, NC area Insurance executive who became fascinated with stock car racing. Like so many other crooks, in every instance when I was around Shackelford, he was nice as he could be - the perfect gentleman with his silver hair.
Starting at Wilson County Speedway, he sponsored dirt cars all carrying his black & silver Winner's Circle color scheme, including local sportsman standout Mike Wiggins, who Shackelford hired as a representative to travel to the Cup tracks with his Winners Circle exhibits. Shackelford also dumped a lot of money Bobby Labonte's way and of course to Maurice Petty representing Winner's Circle for him. I still have my original set of Winner's Circle "Say NO to Drugs" trading cards of historical NASCAR figures that my old friend Gene Granger produced for Shackelford.
Only problem with Shackleford's racing exploits were that they were financed by what the North Carolina Attorney General called the largest automobile insurance fraud scheme in North Carolina history. Granger, Wiggins, Labonte, Maurice Petty and all the other "racers" were paid from the insurance premiums of 90,000 policy holders, who in fact, had no insurance, because the very "Christian" Mr. Shackelford paid for all of his racing exploits with their premiums.
The Maurice Petty book was published by an eastern NC Christian publishing house. Its author, James. R. Adams, the eccentric Episcopal minister of St. Mark's on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, who also dabbled as a writer, was as fascinating and colorful a figure as Shackelford. On several consecutive Sundays, he rode his big Harley up the main aisle of St. Marks in biker attire to deliver his sermon. Author Adams also convinced his church to purchase a bar as a money making venture where parishoners could throw back a couple of drinks after Sunday services.
He must of been the ideal foil for Shackelford to hire to do the Maurice Petty piece. Adams is recently deceased. His extremely interesting obituary/life story can be found in The Washington Post. I am extremely curious to find out what kind of book the crook and eccentric pastor crafted about one of our NASCAR legends. Please give us a review.
I received several other sets of cards which I have never opened, but none that would compare to the Gene Granger historical set produced for Shackelford.
Here's a few other complete, never opened card sets I have, but I don't think they have any value:
The Masters of Racing set is the best I have ever seen. I wouldn't take anything for my set.
Thanks everyone for all the suggestions.
The list so far -
Masters Of Racing by TG Racing
Winners Circle
Maxx
The Old Timers Racing Club
True Legend
Pro Set Racing
Action Packed
Dave,
The winner circle "Say no to drugs" race cards was to be given out at all NASCAR race tracks but I think it was (1) different old NASCAR race driver "Say no to drugs" race card per race track.
It might had been for young kids to teach them "Say no to drugs" by given them (1) "Say no to drugs" race card and (1) "Say no to drugs" poster of all the old racecar drivers collector cards thatold NASCAR drivers like Fireball Roberts and Wendell Scott.
I think Wendell Scott's "Say no to drugs" race card was given out at Richmond race track at the "Say no to drugs" trailer?? Not many was handed out because it rained during race week??
Maybe this is the reason Wendell Scott's "Say no to drugs" race collector's card is so high??
I think Glen Wood's "Say no to drugs" race card was given out at Martinsville race track at the "Say no to drugs" trailer??
Auto Racing Collectors,
Be very very very careful, used common sense, if the race item looks funny, sounds funny, don't buy it and know who you're buying from, there is whole lots of fake auto racing items: like old race collector cards, old race postcards and old race posters that can be easy be scan/copy/printed on an home scan/copier/printing machine.
Sincerely yours,
Dennis Garrett
Richmond,Va. USA.
Here's a link to a listing of all race trading card sets in the collection at Applachian State University in Boone, NC:
http://guides.library.appstate.edu/content.php?pid=129494&sid=1110896
