The Fall 1992 Issue of Topps Magazine featured a great competition. The grand prize was an autographed copy of the 9th Topps Magazine’s centerfold illustration featuring Mays, Mantle, and Snider.
This copy was sold by Collect Auctions for just $264 in July 2021.
I presume this was the Grand Prize for the “In The Ball Park” Game Time competition pictured below.
I guess a collector could have removed the centerfold from the magazine and had the players sign it, but the Beckett LOA and the auction description don’t specify whether this was the case.
This Topps Magazine centerfold features Mickey Mantle, Duke Snider and Willie Mays, with signatures from each. Each signed in fiber-tip marker over their images, with each signature authenticated by BAS with a full LOA.
While researching 1978 Topps Burger King sets for my recent series about Topps baseball sets that year, I stumbled upon something interesting in The Standard Catalog – the vintage Cincinnati Reds Burger Beer sets (Burger King next to Burger Beer). However, there’s surprisingly little information available about them, and confusion surrounds their origin and purpose since some of them aren’t marked to an issuer. Here’s what I’ve been able to dig up.
The Cincinnati Reds Burger Beer Sets in the Macro
My 2010 Catalog lists five different Burger Beer sets: 1952-53, 1955, 1956-57, 1958-59, and 1960-64. I then found that Bob Lemke debuted a 1954 release on his blog. In that post, he shared that a few Reds’ specialists helped him develop the set’s checklists and that the cards are sort of arbitrarily assigned to various “sets” based on shared photo characteristics and the uniform worn by the player; he acknowledges that more than one style of picture may have been produced in any given season since no one seems to recall the manner of distribution.
However, all the Burger Beer premiums share a similar format. While they vary in size a bit, they all have portraits or posed action black-and-white photos on the front with white borders—usually some combination of name, position, team, and logo. The backs are generally blank, besides the few issues with an advertising message at the bottom.
I want to categorize and discuss these sets based on that advertising. Those referencing Burger Beer on them include 1954, 1956-57, and 1958-59, and those that don’t and are cursorily related are 1952-53, 1955, and 1960-64.
Burger Beer Sets With a Reference to an Issuer
It’s been really tough to find examples of these cards and then commit them to specific years, so if you have any corrections or additional photos, please let me know in the comments or shoot me an e-mail.
1954 Burger Beer Cincinnati Reds
1954 Burger Beer Cincinnati Reds – Charley Harmon and Jim Greengrass
The distinguishing characteristic of cards attributed to 1954 is the appearance of an advertising message, “Courtesy of Burger Brewing Co.” That message can be on the front or the back of the 8-1/2″ x 11″ picture cards. On his blog post, Lemke included Bobby Adams, Fred Baczewski, Dick Bartell (coach), Bob Borkowski, Jim Greengrass, Charley Harmon, Waite Hoyt (announcer), Andy Serminick, and Birdie Tebbetts (manager) to the checklist but acknowledged that more pictures would likely be reported.
1956-57 Burger Beer Cincinnati Reds
1956-57 Burger Beer Cincinnati Reds – Frank Robinson
The 1956-57 Burger Beer series also featured 8-1/2″ x 11″ and black and white player photos. The player’s names are printed in all capital letters under the image on the white border. A unique advertising slogan at the bottom of the otherwise blank back distinguishes these cards: they say, “COURTESY OF BURGER – A FINER BEER YEAR AFTER YEAR.” Cards of the same player in both portrait and posed action photos exist. I believe the checklist is at 27 right now. Lemke wrote that the existence of ad lines raises the chance that the issues without one might not have any connection with Burger Beer, but they’re accepted as such by a lot of Reds collectors because of their similarity to those that do.
1958-59 Burger Beer Cincinnati Reds
1958-59 Burger Beer Cincinnati Reds – Frank Robinson
The 1958-59 Burger Beer Reds cards have been the easiest for me to track down examples of. They’re also 8-1/2″ x 11″ with black and white player photos, but they can be distinguished by another unique advertising slogan on the backs, “COURTESY OF SPARKLE * BREWED BURGER BEER / HAVE FUN – HAVE A BURGER.” Examples exist with the player’s name on the front with both their first and last name or last name only. Lemke wrote that some have the team name, too. The current checklist has 17 pictures of 13 players.
1958-59 Burger Beer Cincinnati Reds – Waite Hoyt
Burger Beer Sets Without a Reference to an Issuer
Lemke acknowledged that there’s a chance these sets have nothing to do with Burger Beer, so what else could they be? Well, there were many team-issued postcards during this time (search for Cincinnati Redlegs sets on TCDB, and you’ll get dozens of returns), so it’s possible the team also released cards at stadium concession stands in different formats. I also thought they could have been Jay Publishing sets, but I think most of these are 5″ x 7″ in size, and the Burger Beer issues are sized more like a standard sheet of paper, ideal for player signings. Ultimately, however, no one seems to know, so categorizing them as non-referenced Burger Beer sets works for me!
1952-1953 Burger Beer Cincinnati Reds
As I said, whether these cards were a Burger Beer promotion or not, Reds collectors ascribe them to that sponsor. I haven’t found a photo beyond the one in The Standard Catalog, but the blank-backed photos have player portraits or posed action shots within a white border. On the bottom border is a C Reds logo, with the player’s name and position (usually) in all capital letters to the right. The cards are 8″ x 10-1/2″, and the checklist stands at 12.
1955 Burger Beer Cincinnati Reds
1955 Burger Beer Cincinnati Reds – Ed Bailey
The 1955 Burger Beer Cincinnati Reds cards are 8 1/2″ x 11″ and again feature black-and-white player pictures with white borders. So again, since they have a similar format, collectors attribute the set to Burger Beer. On the bottom border are team logos of Mr. Red on either side of the player’s name, position, and sometimes team – the backs are blank. I’ve also seen these cards described as being 8″ x 10″.
1955 Burger Beer Cincinnati Reds – Charlie Harmon
Lemke followed up his post about the 1954 Burger Beer cards with an article two days later expanding the 1955 Burger Beer checklist. He wrote that he thought the ’55s were the most visually appealing of the bunch, with the Mr. Red baseball logo in each corner of the wide bottom border. He acknowledge the style of picture could have begun in 1954 and continued into 1955 since two of the known pictures in this format are of players who were traded away from the Reds in the 1954 postseason. Lemke expanded the checklist from 13 to 22 cards:
(1) Bobby Adams
(2) Dr. Wayne Anderson (trainer)
(3) Fred Baczewski
(4) Ed Bailey
(5) Gus Bell
(6) Rocky Bridges
(7) Jackie Collum
(8) Art Fowler
(9) Jim Greengrass
(10) Charlie Harmon
(11) Ray Jablonski
(12) Johnny Klippstein
(13) Ted Kluszewski
(14) Roy McMillan
(15) Rudy Minarcin
(16) Joe Nuxhall
(17) Harry Perkowski (traded to Cubs, Oct. 1, 1954)
(18) Wally Post
(19) Frank Smith (traded to Cubs, Dec. 8, 1954)
(20) Gerry Staley
(21) Birdie Tebbetts
(22) Johnny Temple
1955 Burger Beer Cincinnati Reds – Roy McMillan
1960-64 Burger Beer Cincinnati Reds
1960-64 Burger Beer Cincinnati Reds – Joey Jay
This series is the most suspect to me; with so many acknowledged variations, it’s hard to believe they were all associated with Burger Beer. But they share the same large (8-1/2″ x 11″) format with white borders. Many of the photos were reissued year after year with cropping changes and aren’t usually listed separately in the checklist, so any checklist is likely incomplete and only grouped based on format. Lemke wrote that they all have two lines of type on the front, the player’s name and team, with blank backs. Some players have up to six different poses. He also noted that it might be feasible for a dedicated Reds collector, who has all the cards or photos, to break the set down into its component parts based on player selection and uniform to date them. A decade ago, the checklist stood at 57 player/pose combinations.
Conclusion and Further Reading
In 2013, Sports Collectors Daily got access to the following Roy McMillan card, wearing a uniform dated to 1951, and asked if perhaps Burger Beer issued a full 1951 Reds photo set as well – hey, at least this one has the Burger Brewing Company text on it.
Maybe a 1951 Burger Beer Cincinnati Reds – Roy McMillan
However, we’re unlikely ever to know if Burger Beer sponsored all of these sets. They’re still pretty awesome collectibles, though, particularly if you’re a fan of all-time greats like Joe Adcock, Ted Kluszewski, Joe Nuxhall, Smokey Burgess, Frank Robinson, Don Newcombe, Vada Pinson, or even Pete Rose (he has a portrait to chest card associated with the 1960-64 issue).
In July 1993, Greg Manning Auctions, Inc. offered a spectacular item in their auction: the original Ted Williams Hall of Fame plaque!
They offered it without a reserve and described it as follows:
This sensational piece of baseball history features one of the greatest players ever to play the game, and the last player ever to have a .400 season. The highest honor any ballplayer can achieve is to be memorialized in bronze at Cooperstown. This is the original plaque presented to Ted Williams on the day he was enshrined at Cooperstown, July 25, 1966.A news photo of Williams accepting this plaque, as well as letters pertaining to its history and authenticity accompany the lot. The heavy bronze plaque measures approx 11 1/2 by 16 inches. A truly once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire one of the most important pieces of sports memorabilia extant.
The estimated sales price was $75k-125k.
SABR included a bit more detail about why this was the “original” plaque in a piece they published called Hall of Fame Plaque Variations in January 2020.
It appears that Teddy Ballgame’s plaque has been changed at least twice. The original plaque that was displayed at his 1966 induction ceremony was subsequently replaced by a plaque bearing a slightly different likeness (on the left in the photo below). That replacement plaque was itself later replaced by a new plaque (on the right) with a drastically different likeness. As to why the changes were made, I note the following from Thomas Boswell in The Washington Post on August 9, 1977: ‘Ted Williams was so incensed by his nonlikeness that he demanded a new plaque.’
A picture of Williams posing (at his 1966 induction ceremony) with his original plaque can be seen accompanyingan article on the Hall’s website.
Author’s question: Was a Hall of Fame postcard produced depicting the original 1966 Ted Williams plaque?
The differences between the original and the plaques depicted on the two postcards are pretty clear.
A blast from auction history past: In October 2007, Mastro, via his Classic Collector Auctions, offered this incredible 1938 R83A Gum, Inc., Long Ranger Premiums Store Advertising Promo Sheet.
Unfortunately, the catalogs for these “internet-only” auction events from Mastro Auctions didn’t include an item description. However, several promo sheets have been auctioned off over the years. For example, REA sold a lot of three of them for $420 in the spring of 2015.
Here’s what they wrote about them:
Extremely rare collection of three advertising sheets, issued by Gum, Inc., in 1938, promoting the company’s “Lone Ranger” premium cards (R83A). The front of each 8 x 10-inch paper flyer pictures a montage of all five premium cards offered, while the reverse provides complete instructions for boys and girls on how to obtain them (it involved buying a lot of “Lone Ranger” Bubble Gum!). As noted on the reverse, the premium cards depict scenes from Republic Pictures’ The Lone Ranger, thus promoting the movie serial as well. While nearly all collectors are familiar with the actual premium cards, this promotional flyer is seldom encountered and is a perfect complement to any advanced R83A collection. In many ways, it represents a “sixth premium” to the set. The reason for its rarity today is obviously related to its purpose (it is an advertising piece) and limited distribution, as well as its extremely fragile nature. Printed on thin paper stock, few survived the rough handling they endured at the hands of young children as they ran from the candy store to show their parents exactly why they needed more money for “Lone Ranger” Bubble Gum. Parents too were probably quick to toss them in the trash as soon as their son’s or daughter’s interest shifted to the next “must have” premium. The offered advertising sheets were recently discovered by our consignor at a garage sale. (The entire find consisted of five examples, the other two of which were sold in REA’s fall 2014 auction.) The three advertising sheets are in Excellent condition overall, displaying only very tiny touches of wear at the corners and no creases or heavy wrinkles. This is a very rare collection of three desirable advertising pieces relating to this popular series of premiums!
As for the five-card premium set, which together can sell for well over $1k, James Watson, in his fantastic Non-Sports Bible, wrote that the set was “actually issued prior to Gum, Inc. card set, these premiums contain artwork that is not reproduced on any of the regular issue R83 cards. Attractive artwork is one attribute that certainly contributes to their popularity. The majority of premium #1 contain the hero’s mask ‘drawn in by hand,’ but is absent in this original variation. This set was originally listed as R83A in the American Card Catalog.”
Happy Collecting!
PS, here’s a larger scan so you can read the back!
Here’s a cool piece from days of auctions past: a 1974 Topps Deckle Edge Proofs complete set of 72. MastroNet offered it in their 2nd Classic Collector Auctions in February 2005.
Individual proof samples are pricey these days; here are a few recent graded sales from eBay:
Johnny Bench – $506.95 in December 2024
Steve Carlton – $240 in December 2024
Jim Palmer – $900 in November 2024
The set itself was a test issue with limited distribution in the Massachusetts area. These proofs are known with white or gray backs, and they’re slightly larger than the final deckled cards that were released three per pack for five cents with gum or in two-card packs with no gum.
The 1991 Upper Deck Jerry West Heroes autograph card is a hobby classic. West signed and numbered 2,500 of card #9, but unopened cases surfaced late in the release cycle with shocking clusters of autos—one in Texas had 23!
Sold by 4SharpCorners on eBay for $308 in October 2024
I discovered the tale of these loaded Upper Deck high series boxes from the September 1992 issue of Sports Collectors Digest’s Sports Card Price Guide Monthly, which had a few paragraphs of basketball commentary. The story begins with the last sentence of the first image below and continues through the start of the text in the second image.
Here’s the text from the article in case the images are a bit too small for you to read on your device:
Some of the later cases of Upper Deck high series cards contained pleasant surprises. One case that turned up in Texas in May wielded 23 autographed Jerry West cards, including six in one box. Another sent to a drugstore in North Carolina in mid-May included six autographed cards. In each case, the cards were numbered either sequentially or within one or two numbers of each other. It’s believed that when the final cases were prepared, an overrun of autographed West cards was discovered and the cards were simply packed close together.
Happy hunting, and I hope someone picks up one of these hot boxes someday soon! Happy collecting!
