Topps Wacky Packages Cloth Series 1973

Topps Wacky Packages
Cloth Series 1973

The titles in this series are exactly the same as in the regular issue 1st series, however these were peel and stick cloth stickers.
This series is a bit of an enigma and few people remember them or when they came out and it has been difficult to determine exactly when they were made and when they were released. This lead to one of the hottest debates in the hobby. But that all changed in May 2003, when Topps sold this proof sheet on eBay. This basically proved the cloth series was developed before the regular 1st series was released, as the sheet is dated 11/15/72. Topps confirms unequivocally that this was the Cloth series. This sheet in fact settled some other issues, though it's still debated exactly when they were released because collectors remember buying them late into 1973. To read more about this sheet, see some of the continuing discussion.
Packs came with two stickers, a checklist, and a piece of gum. This series had its own unique wrapper advertizing the wackys as "patches" that you could stick on your clothes.
sticker copyrights:
Band-Ache and the other tough 1st series stickers were not as short-printed in the cloth series as they were in the regular 1st series.

There was one Band-Ache, Paul Maul, Mutts, and Lavirus for every 44 cloth stickers made, as opposed to one of every 77 in the regular 1st series. At the other extreme there were three Maddie Boy's for every 44 cloth stickers, slighly fewer than in the regular 1st series. See the uncut sheet for more information on sticker distribution.
With the exception of occasional irrational bidding wars, cloth stickers generally sell on eBay for between $10 and $50 each.
The cloth checklist is distinguishable from the regular 1st series checklist by the line of text at the bottom. Also "Mrs Klean" is misspelled as "Mrs Kleen" on the cloth checklist. The cloth checklist puzzle is notoriously difficult to complete, and for some unknown reason the checklists are tougher to find than the stickers themselves, going for between $20 and $50 per piece if in high grade condition.
As the name indicates, the cloth stickers were printed on a cloth like material. They also used a different glue from the later stickers, probably because they were intended to be stuck onto clothing.

Besides a very blurry priting quality typical of the cloth stickers, they are notoriously hard to store because the glue seeps through the cloth material and is still sticky and oozing 30 years later. The glue also has a tendency to rot the paper. Because of this it is difficult to find a good storage solution, some people even store them in wax paper or in the freezer. Due to the browing and spotting caused by the glue, the backs can look anywhere from reasonably good to pretty awful.

Thumbnail indices to images of the Cloth Series stickers (note: cloth stickers have a tendency to be blurry)
Thumbnail image index without frames
Thumbnail image index with frames

Cloth Series Checklist (note: cloth stickers have a tendency to be blurry)
Duzn't Detergent	Grave Train	Vicejoy Cigarettes
Chock Full O' Bolts	Mrs. Klean	Hostage Cakes
Breadcrust Hash	Minute Lice	Kook-Aid
Jail-O Dessert	Horrid Deodorant	Camals
Gadzooka Gum	Skimpy	Tied Detergent
6-Up Beverage	Liptorn Soup	Pure Hex
Maddie Boy	Fink Beverage	Lavirus
Quacker Oats	Dopey Cream	Paul Maul
Weakies Breakfast Cereal	Spray Nit	Mutt's Juice
Crust Tooth Paste	Cover Ghoul	Band-Ache Strips