John

Mickey Mantle’s Four-Bagger Ball Toss Game

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Did you know Mickey Mantle sponsored an indoor-outdoor cornhole-like throwing game in the 1950’s? I ran across this example in Ron Oser Enterprises April 2001 auction catalog.

They described it as a very large & colorful 22” x 34” heavy cardboard game with a striking 30” tall image of Mantle in a batting pose. They wrote that the board contained four 6-inch holes into which balls (or beanbags) were thrown to score singles, doubles, triples, or home runs. The center “Home Run 1000” hole still had the original red oil-cloth sack backing that would “catch” the ball. They gave the item an overall VgEx condition grade.

With all four bags in place, Heritage sold the following example for $2040 in May 2019; other auction houses have sold signed copies for north of $4k.

The instructions on the back show that Garnder & Co., in Chicago, Illinois, manufactured the game.

Whitey Ford, A 1982 Card Show, And His 1951 Bowman Baseball Card

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Have you been to any great card shows lately? I’ll bet the Sports Memorabilia Show #4 in Whippany, New Jersey, was a good one!

This ad comes from the July 1982 issue of Trader Speaks and highlights Whitey Ford’s attendance during Sunday’s show, where he had agreed to sign 1000 autographs on a first-come, first-served basis.

Given that the ad features Ford’s 1951 Bowman baseball card, I thought it would be fun to take a look at a few sales of them:

REA has sold a handful, including the following PSA VG 3 Auto 10 copy with an HOF ’74 inscription for $780 in 2018, a PSA authentic copy for $510 in 2021, and a fairly beat-up card with an authentic signature for $450 in 2022.

Interestingly, REA re-sold the PSA VG 3 Auto 10 copy in 2023 for $3600, quite an increase! That’s probably because Ford died in 2020.

Now, some cards change hands quite often, so guess what? Probstein sold the same PSA VG 3 Auto 10 Ford on eBay on May 29, 2024, for $2200.

What’s more, the beat-up version above with cert 17605781 is also on eBay, with an asking price of $1699. There’s another PSA authentic copy on eBay as well, with an asking price of $1299.99 (cert 43601626). Given these prices, someone possibly got quite a steal when they picked up this blue-label version in April 2024 for $500.

The Official Pete Rose 1983 Price Guide To Baseball Cards

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I was flipping through the June 1982 issue of Trader Speaks when I came across this ad for The Official Pete Rose 1983 Price Guide to Baseball Cards. It looked familiar, and that’s because I have a copy of the book in the Hobby Library!

The ad is great, and I love how they highlighted Burger King, O-Pee-Chee, SSPC, and TCMA, along with Topps, Donruss, Fleer, and Bowman.

The book is “pocket-sized” at ~4 1/4” x 5 3/4” but is jam-packed with information. Thomas E Hudgeons III edited it via The House of Collectibles Inc. To follow are a couple of scans from the book (which you can pick up for $7-8 on eBay).

I love how the card producers helped prepare the book!

Here’s the table of contents; it’s always nice when guides have something unique beyond prices and checklists, and this one has quite a bit, including some information from Pete Rose (of course).

The first sets in the guide were 1951 Topps Blue and Red Backs, followed by the 1952s.

This is the ‘Full Color Collectors Card of Rose’ highlighted on the cover.

And lastly, here’s the back cover.

1962 Topps Football Uncut Sheet

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This original, uncut sheet of 132 different cards from the 1962 Topps football set was auctioned off in April 2004.

The 27-3/4” x 42-1/2” Ex-conditioned panel presents many of the set’s high-profile stars and short-prints, including Ditka, Groza, Davis, Meredith, Starr, Hornung, Gregg, Jordan, Tarkenton, McElhenny, Tittle, Gifford, Layne, Kilmer, and Brodie.

These black-bordered sheets are incredibly scarce. The only reference I can find online to them is from The Vintage Football Card Gallery, which has a page dedicated to virtual uncut sheets but includes a photo of the other second-half sheet a collector sent him. 

1948 Babe Ruth Exacta Watch

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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.

1962 Topps Baseball Unopened Stamp Album Box

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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!

1967 Topps Baseball 3rd Series Wax Box

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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.

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