I’d been looking for a new daily driver watch when I ran across this 1948 Babe Ruth Exacta watch in an old auction catalog from July 1998. This was my first time seeing it, though they appear moderately common. They aren’t cheap, but I feel compelled to find a nice copy anyway!
The watch face shows a full-color pinstriped portrait of Ruth, bats slung over his shoulder against an emerald green baseball diamond.
In July 2014, Goldin sold the following 1948 Babe Ruth Exacta Watch with an original case, box, and registration card for $829.50.
You can see that the lot also included a period magazine advertisement for the watch, just $7.95.
I was surprised to see this empty 1962 Topps Baseball Stamp Album and Record Book display box sell for so much on May 27, 2024.
You can see the closing price was $456 on eBay. At first glance, that price doesn’t seem that out of the ordinary for a relatively scarce vintage display box. However, a BBCE-authenticated full box with 12 albums inside sold for just $288 at Rockhurst Auctions on April 25, 2024, just a month earlier.
I contacted the new owner of the BBCE box, and he mentioned that the Rockhurst Auctions lot had a strangely worded description that made it tough to tell whether it was a full box or just the display box (I overlooked the auction last month entirely). He also said the seller on eBay has a big following, and their items tend to get bid up. And as much as folks like to complain about eBay, they have a HUGE reach.
Anywho, as a hobby library adjacent collectible, I’m in the market for one of these boxes if you have one. Happy collecting!
Legit, who knows?! But Masto offered this 1967 Topps Baseball 3rd-Series 24-Count Wax Box for sale in August 2003 with a minimum bid of $1500.
Hank Aaron and Ernie Banks are in the third series, but interestingly, PSA hasn’t designated any of their 77 graded wax pack examples as being from the third series; 22 are undesignated, and then are the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, and 7th series packs. FWIW, all the graded 4th-series packs I ran across offered the “All Star Pin-Up Inside.” REA sold this one for $3960 in their Spring 2024 auction.
I asked some folks on the Facebook Vintage Wax and Packs group how Mastro could say the packs were the third series. They surmised Mastro pressed some packs to see the cards and determine the series. I had been wondering if the insert or wrapper color 1967 prevented that technique. I think Topps only used that specific wax box design (advertising the pin-ups) after the first few series were released; if you have more info about this, please leave a comment. Here’s an example from Heritage Auctions of a box without the pin-up ad.
Masto described the box as being in Ex-Mt condition, with a few of the packs showing minor faults or tears but the majority in near-mint condition.
The following scan is from Sotheby’s March 1991 catalog that featured James Copeland’s incredible collection.
Apart from its scope, the collection was known for every item’s superb condition and quality, including his 1952 Topps #311 Mickey Mantle.
Sotheby’s described the card as being in mint condition, coming from Alan “Mr. Mint” Rosen’s 1952 Topps discovery of cards, and being the best of the Mantle cards from this discovery (the finest copy known to exist).
Interestingly, in August 2022, Heritage sold the “Finest Known Example” 1952 Topps Mantle for $12.6M, and it was accompanied by a letter from Rosen, dated June 17th, 1991, to the consignor explaining that this copy was the nicest one…
Topps used its early 90s magazine to advertise many of its own releases, including its partnership with Crack Jack in 1991.
This partnership was included in a section of the magazine called “Topps in the Field: News From Around The Collecting World” and shared the page with a few words about Topps’ partnership with Bazooka and Nintendo Systems Base Wars game.
Here’s the text accompanying the “Little Cracker Jack Idea” image.
The promotion must have been successful because a second Series was eventually released, making the set a total of 72 approximately one-fourth-scale cards.
And don’t worry, the cards weren’t thrown in loose with caramel corn.
The hobby changes quickly, but the National Sports Collectors Convention and the popularity of the 1909 T206 Honus Wagner card are two steadfast consistencies. And in 2004, something amazing happened involving them both.
At the 2004 National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, which ran from July 22 to 25, MastroNet Auctions brought together nine 1909 T206 Honus Wagner cards for an incredible display and promotion. Seeing just one or two on any show floor is a big deal today!
The Wagner Reunion
I learned about this incredible reunion from the first edition of Old Cardboard Magazine.
Old Cardboard Magazine Issue #1
In their synopsis of the show, Old Cardboard wrote that the cards came from various collections and were brought together by MastroNet specifically to display at the National.
In researching the Wagner Reunion, one promotion leading up to the show said 12 of the approximately 50 known Wagners would be there; presumably, some collectors decided not to participate.
Mastro gave out an awesome “The Wagner Reunion” poster at the show. The T206 Museum shared this example. If you have one for sale, please get in touch with me.
The Wagner Reunion Poster
At the time, the nine Wagners that MastroNet brought together were graded SGC Authentic, GAI 1.5, PSA 1, PSA 2, PSA 3, PSA 5, PSA 1, PSA 1, and PSA Authentic (trimmed).
What’s more, I’ve read that PSA had the ‘PSA 8’ T206 Wagner displayed at the 2004 show, too. So all together, 10 of the ~47ish known T206 Wagners were in a single room, with a value well over $20M today.
It would be cool if a major auction house would do something similar, like trying to bring together the most extensive collection of 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle or 1933 Goudey Babe Ruth cards. Until then, we can look back at the T206 Wagner Reunion as a hobby event that likely won’t be duplicated again; happy collecting!
This photo of “The Ultimate 1959 Topps Football Display Box and Wrapper Collection” is from a May 2000 auction catalog.
Tracking down a 1-cent and 5-cent display box along with those three wrapper variations wouldn’t be easy today, particularly in a single lot.
But for a truly complete unopened run, you’d need to track down full packs, a cello pack/box, and a vending box—and it won’t be cheap; REA sold the following 1959 Topps football cello box for $81k in 2021.
I’ve never seen any 1959 Topps football cases, so I wonder if any (empty) exist. If you know of one, let me know.
