John

A Scarce Early Process Proof 1962 Topps Baseball Uncut Sheet

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It may be because I recently published The Uncut Sheet Archive, but I’ve been seeing a lot of awesome uncut sheets lately while perusing old catalogs lately, like this 1962 Topps uncut proof!

Ron Oser Entperises offered it in their April 2001 catalog and included the following description:

With 43 cards appearing on a 21″ x 28″ blank backed partial process proof sheet. Includes: Bunning, Snider, Kaline AS, Aparicio, Ford AS, Zimmer, etc. Only includes the actual photos used for the cards without the baseball card information. There is some moisture damage around the edge on the front with heavier damage on the reverse. Of the stars only the Bunning is affected. Minor creasing is also apparent.

Here’s an example of the final 1962 Topps Snider (top right corner of the sheet) and Ford All-Star cards for comparison (bottom row, third over).

There are quite a few production proof sheets in the archives of the major auction houses, but just a handful are actual photo-based. For example, REA sold this one, which included a handful of photos from the 1959 Topps set. It sold for $1,860 in the summer of 2019.

On the football card side of the house, Heritage sold this 1962 Topps Football Player Portraits Uncut Proof Sheet with 44 Players, including the Tarkenton Rookie, for $1,920 in December 2024.

Happy collecting!

Check out The Uncut Sheet Archive for more!

Incredible Auction History – A Lot For Mickey Mantle’s 1967 Topps Stand-Ups Regular and Proof Cards

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The 1967 Topps Stand-Ups are one of the scarcest Topps test issues, though Topps likely intended them as a 1968 release. Anyway, I ran across a December 2004 auction that featured both the Mickey Mantle proof and die-cut versions!

First, here’s what The Standard Catalog has to say about the set:

Never actually issued, no more than a handful of each of these rare test issues have made their way into the hobby market. Designed so that the color photo of the player’s head could be popped out of the black background and placed into a punch-out base to create a stand-up display, examples of these 3-1/8” x 5-1/4” cards can be found either on thick stock, die-cut around the portrait and with a die-cut stand, or as thin-stock proofs without the die-cutting. Blank-backed, there are 24 cards in the set, numbered on the front at bottom left.

In 2010, they priced the thick stock, die-cut set at $75k, and the thin stock, proof set at $60k. As for the dating, SABR has a great article explaining the likely intended release of 1968. Mantle is the set’s key player, followed by Clemente, Mays, and Aaron.

I’ve only found one other sale of a Mantle Stand-Up card when, in April 2005, Memory Lane Inc. sold the following GAI-8.5 graded die-cut example for just under $10k.

For SA, PSA has a single example of each Mantle variation in their Pop Report.

And since I run The Unopened Archive, here’s the lone wrapper example: Lelands sold it for $3k in November 2008.

TCDB includes this photo of what’s likely the only display box; the same one, I believe is shared in the article Standing Tall on The Topps Archives who shared a few more unopened items from the set in a piece called Yaz Sir!

Check out The Unopened Archive for more!

Exploring Big League Collectibles’ 1982/83 Diamond Classics and 1983 Original All-Stars Sets

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In the spring 1983 issue of Baseball Cards Magazine, Big League Collectibles advertised their 1982/83 Diamond Classics and 1983 Original All-Stars collector sets, which were limited to 10,000 sets.

The only thing I need clarification on about the advertisement is whether the Diamond Classics offer was for both series that made up a set – I suspect it was just Series 1, but more on that thought another time! Series 1 had 56 cards (including the checklist) and came in a numbered, boxed set.

The cards were printed on thick stock in a 2 1/2” x 3 3/4” format. Here’s an example of DiMaggio’s card.

The other key cards in the first series were Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jackie Robinso, and Mickey Mantle.

Big League Collectibles released the second series of Diamond Classics cards in 1983, also in individually numbered boxed sets. The key cards were Sandy Koufax, Roberto Clemente, and Hank Aaron. 

The Original All-Stars From the Game of the Century set honored players from the first modern All-Star Game, which was held in conjunction with Chicago’s World Fair in 1933.

The boxed sets were also individually numbered out of 10,000. 

Unless autographed, all these cards are super affordable.

Happy collecting!

Key Cards Of The 1984 Baseball Hall of Fame Class

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Between the Baseball Writers’ Association of America and the Veterans Committee selections, the 1984 Baseball Hall of Fame was among Baseball’s strongest. Luis Aparicio, Don Drysdale, and Harmon Killebrew were voted in, while the Veteran’s Committee added Rick Ferrell and Pee Wee Reese. A player had to be on 75% of ballots to be inducted to the Hall of Fame; Aparicio was on 84.6% of ballots, Killebrew on 83.1%, and Drysdale on 78.4%. Seven players received votes but failed to make the 75% cutoff but were elected in future elections: Hoyt Willhelm, Nellie Fox, Billy Williams, Jim Bunning, Orlando Cepeda, Bill Mazeroski, and Joe Torre.

Here are some standout cards celebrating the 1984 Hall of Fame inductees.

Luis Aparicio

Aparicio was the first Venezuelan inducted into the Hall of Fame. He was an excellent defensive shortstop who was a 13x All-Star, a 9x Golf Glove Award Winner, a 9x AL Stolen Base Leader, and a member of the 1966 World Series Champion Baltimore Orioles team. He finished his career with 2677 hits and 506 stolen bases.

Key Cards: 1956 Topps, 1964 Topps, and 1971 Topps

1956 Topps #292 Luis Aparicio
1964 Topps #540 Luis Aparicio
1971 Topps #740 Luis Aparicio

Don Drysdale

Don Drysdale played his entire career with the Dodgers organization. He was a 9x All-Star, 3x World Series Champion, and 1962 Cy Young Award Winner. He finished his career with 209 wins, 2486 strikeouts, and a 2.95 earned run average.

Key Cards: 1957 Topps and 1963 Topps

1957 Topps #18 Don Drysdale
1963 Topps #360 Don Drysdale

Harmon Killebrew

Over his 22-year career, Killebrew was a 13-time All-Star, 6-time AL home run leader, and 1969 AL MVP. He was a prolific home run hitter, finishing his career with 573.

Key Cards: 1955 Topps, 1963 Topps, and 1967 Topps

1955 Topps #124 Harmon Killebrew
1963 Topps #500 Harmon Killebrew
1967 Topps #460 Harmon Killebrew

Rick Ferrell

Over his 18-year career, Ferrell was one of Baseball’s best catchers. He was an 8x All-Star and patient hitter, logging only 277 strikeouts over his career compared to 931 walks. He was super durable and, to this day, still ranks 12th all-time in games played as a catcher.

Key Cards: 1933 Goudey and 1940 Play Ball

1933 Goudey #197 Rick Ferrell
1940 Play Ball #21 Rick Ferrell

Pee Wee Reese

Reese was a member of the loaded 40s/50s Dodgers teams. He played 16 seasons, making the All-Star Game 10 times while winning 2 World Series. Reese also made the top ten in MVP voting eight times over his career. He was consistently productive, scoring 1338 runs in his career while playing great defense.

Key Cards: 1952 Topps and 1953 Bowman Color

1952 Topps #333 Pee Wee Reese
1953 Bowman Color #33 Pee Wee Reese

Happy Collecting!

An Incredible Wilson Football Cradle Counter Sign Featuring Charley Trippi and Paul Christman

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I ran across this awesome point-of-sale sign featuring halfback Charley Trippi and QB Paul Christman of the Chicago Cardinals in Mastro’s December 2005 catalog; since Christman only played for Chicago until ’49, It must be from the ’40s despite being titled as a ’50s piece.

Here’s Mastro’s complete item description:

Check out this awesome display for “Wilson Sports Equipment!” Wilson has been a worldwide leader in the sports industry for decades due to the quality of their products and the effective promotion of their equipment. Years of using athletes and teams to endorse new product lines elevated Wilson USA into its unique, elite position in the sporting goods industry. Offered here is a football “cradle,” counter sign utilizing images of halfback Charley Trippi and quarterback Paul Christman of the Chicago Cardinals. Entitled “It’s a Wilson,” the 16″ x 14″ x 6-1/2″ display has a working stand-up back showing off the fantastic NM condition of the artifact. This 1940’s-1950’s point-of-sale advertisement possesses beautiful, bold colors and shows only the slightest signs of aging and use. What a spectacular piece!

I’ve been looking for other examples of this piece online or across The Hobby Library but haven’t seen another, so I thought it would be cool to look at the cards of the two “famous stars of the National Football League” instead.

Trippi, a Pro and College Football Hall of Famer, has the slightly more coveted cards and a deeper run of them since he played until 1955. He has two rookie cards from 1948, a Bowman and Leaf.

However, my favorite among his cards is the 1952 Bowman. However, his exhibit is fascinating in the context of the cardboard ad sign since the image is similar.

Christman, a College Football Hall of Famer, also has 1948 Bowman and Leaf rookie cards.

Happy collecting!

Hobby History from a Classic 1930s Propaganda Set: The 1933 Goudey R174 World War Gum Uncut Proof Sheet

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Mastro offered this incredible uncut sheet of 1/4 of the complete set of 1933 Goudey World War Gum cards in their November 2000 catalog; Heritage Auctions recently re-sold the sheet for $492 in October 2024.

Here’s Mastro’s complete item description:

Offered is an uncut sheet of “World War Gum’ another of the classic propaganda sets of the 1930’s. This one is a Goudey product, employing black-and-white photographs with succinct captions and orange borders to convey its military messages. It is no ordinary group of R174’s, however, this is a full sheet of 24 images (1/4 of a complete set) that were apparently used in the late proof stages of the series’ design. Twenty-four cards are presented here in a 4″ x 6″ layout, on a blank-backed card stock sheet. Other features of this specialprinting are exceptionally-vivid reddish-colored card edges and the presence of a striking depth to the subject photography. The sheet has a large (greater than one inch) selvage area upon which cutting proportions and manufacturer numbering appears. Small punch-holes at the north and south positions were, evidently, a means to secure the sheet for handiwork, or to verify alignment. Technically-figured grading places conditionof the 14″ x 16-3/4” sheet at Excellent, with three distinct edge faults that do not affect the card designs. If the item were framed and matted to present the center subjects, the result would be a crisp Near Mint to Mint appearance. This is a one-of-a-kind mid-production piece that reflects cartophilic history as well as visual splendor.

Heritage didn’t add much to their description, saying:

1933 R174 Goudey “World War Gum” Uncut Proof Sheet. This uncut proof sheet of 24 blank back cards from the 1933 R174 Goudey “World War Gum” series is a remarkable piece of historical memorabilia. Featuring black and white photos of scenes from World War I, the sheet offers a unique glimpse into the past, reflecting the cultural impact of the war and the era’s collectible cards. The presence of holes at the top and bottom, used by Goudey for holding the sheets in place, adds authenticity, making it a prized item ready for framing and display. Measures 14″ x 16 13/16.”

But Heritage did include a scan of the back.

Check out The Uncut Sheet Archive for more!