This is a complete 66-card set of 1958 Hires Root Beer, and every card has its tab intact. Sets like this are a rarity among 1950s regional issues. Hires gave the cards away with its root beer. Each one had a bright yellow tab inviting kids to “Join the Hires Baseball Club Today!” To join, they glued a dime to the back, added two bottle caps and mailed it in for a “How To Play Baseball Book” and a membership card. Most of the tabs were torn off and mailed, so attached examples are much harder to find.

The two key cards are graded and encapsulated by PSA. Willie Mays #25 is shown in his batting stance as a San Francisco Giant and grades PSA VG 3. Hank Aaron #44 is kneeling with his bat in a Milwaukee Braves uniform and also grades PSA VG 3. Both labels note “With Tab.”

Other stars include Duke Snider #61, a young Don Drysdale #55, Johnny Podres #42, and Pirates infielders Bill Mazeroski #36 and Dick Groat #21. Every card has its tab intact. The photography is vivid, the woodgrain frames are bright and the tabs keep their strong yellow color. The backs are clean and unmarked, and the mail-in forms are blank. Some tabs show slight wear or uneven cuts along the perforations, as is typical for the issue. Complete Hires sets with tabs rarely come to market.