Here’s the original artwork Dick Perez painted for the 1989 Donruss Frank Viola #23 Diamond Kings card.
Ron Oser Enterprises offered it in a lot with a few other signed Perez originals in April 2001. I think the piece is 11” x 17”. I previously shared the Mike Schmidt and Bobby Bonilla cards from this lot on the blog.
Here’s the final card, followed by a side-by-side comparison.
Donruss obviously did some cropping for the final card. Happy collecting, and don’t forget to check out The Original Artwork Archive for more!
Variety is the spice of life, and Topps definitely mixed things up with the introduction of tall boy sized cards with their 1964 Hockey set. The cards must have been pretty popular because the following year, in 1965, they released tall boy football cards to stand out against their competition. Then, when they decided to re-enter the basketball card market, their 1969 release was, once again, of the tall boy variety. In this article, I’ll run down these three incredibly popular sets.
1964 Topps Hockey
1964 Topps Hockey #20 Bobby Hull
The first year that Topps didn’t have to compete with Parkhurst in the hockey card market, they released their set in a tall boy format (2-1/2″ x 4-11/16″) for the first time in any sport. From a historical perspective, some collectors think going with larger cards (Topps printed “GIANT SIZE” on the wrappers) was a “triumphalist call,” but no one knows for sure.
1964 Topps Hockey Wrapper
The set has 110 cards of players from all 6 NHL teams and was the first set in 10 years that included all the teams. The set is nearly double the size of previous Topps hockey sets and was released over two series. Hockey collectors consider 1964 Topps to be one of the greatest hockey sets of all time, and it’s the toughest of these three tall boy sets to complete in high grade.
1964 Topps Hockey #55 Second Checklist
1965 Topps Football
The football market in 1965 was a little different than the hockey market. Philadelphia Gum had the rights to the NFL’s licensing for cards, so Topps, to expand its AFL release (less interesting content) and compete for sales, released their set in the tall boy format to stand out. Remember, the larger size format worked with 1952 Topps baseball in competition with Bowman too.
The 176 card set would end up being the only football card tall boy set Topps made. Maybe tall boys were too expensive to print/machine? It does, however, feature one of the most recognizable football cards in the hobby, Joe Namath’s card #122.
1965 Topps Football #122 Joe Namath
Topps knew they didn’t have the best content because the packs didn’t advertise the AFL specifically, just “Pro Football.”
1965 Topps Football Wrapper
1969 Topps Basketball
Topps returned to the basketball card market in 1969 with their 99-card set. Again, Topps must have been trying to make a splash and have the cards stand out on shelves with their larger size as “10 GIANT CARDS” was printed on the wax boxes.
1969 Topps Basketball Wax Box
1969 Topps basketball is loaded with stars enhancing its popularity. But you may not know that Topps couldn’t use team logos on the cards due to licensing issues, so some players posed for photos wearing their jerseys backward. Still, it’s an incredibly eye-appealing set due to the tall boy format and choice of colors.
1969 Topps Basketball #20 John Havlicek
Topps did follow up the 1969 Topps basketball set with another tall boy set in 1970, but they never did publish a baseball tall boy set (1964 Topps Giant-Size All-Stars being the closest we have). The drawback of the tall boy format is that the cards’ size makes them more condition sensitive since they were tougher to store and more prone to miscuts in the factory.
Regardless of your desire to collect high-end cards or not, a trio of all three original tall boy sets would be a great addition to anyone’s vintage card collection. Let me know down in the comments which is your favorite, and happy collecting!
A few rare cards have managed to trickle into the hobby despite Topps’ intention not to release them. These cards were usually caught and updated or removed from production in the proof phase of the printing process. Topps had to make set modifications because of player rights (like the 1974 Topps Joe Namath card), trades (like the 1977 Topps Reggie Jackson and 1967 Topps Roger Maris cards), or printing errors. However, in the case of the 1980 Topps Yankees Team Card, it was for another reason entirely.
Billy Martin played 11 seasons of Major League Baseball, winning five World Series championships with the Yankees and finishing his career as a .257 hitter with 64 home runs and 333 RBIs.
1952 Topps #175 Billy Martin
But, it was Martin’s behavior as a manager who was often fired amid a scandal that led to the 1980 Topps Yankees Team Card proof.
You see, Martin’s first stint as Yankees Manager (after having already been the manager of the Twins, Tigers, and Rangers) was from 1975-1978. He resigned for health reasons in July of 1978, but he was probably going to be fired for cause if he hadn’t. After a lot more drama (which you can read about on Martin’s Wikipedia page), Steinbrenner brought Martin back as manager in June of 1979 to finish out that year after the Yankees’ slow start under manager Bob Lemon. Martin closed out the 1979 season with a 55-40 record. However, he was fired again in October 1979 for punching out a marshmallow salesman, which you can read about in a Lodi News-Sentinel article from October 31, 1979.
Lodi News-Sentinel Article About the Billy Martin Fight
Unfortunately for Topps, in October of 1979, they were already in the middle of the 1980 set’s production. However, they were probably only in the proofing phase because all of the known examples of the Yankees Team card with Billy Martin on it have blank backs.
1980 Topps Yankees Team Billy Martin Proof – Front
1980 Topps Yankees Team Billy Martin Proof – Reverse
By the time Topps issued the 1980 set, Martin had already been replaced on the card by rookie manager Dick Howser.
1980 Topps #424 Yankees Team with Dick Howser – Front
1980 Topps #424 Yankees Team with Dick Howser – Reverse
Now, there have only been a handful of public sales of Billy Martin’s 1980 Topps Yankees Team card.
In December 2003, Lelands auctioned off an uncut proof sheet with the Billy Martin variation. Bidders didn’t meet the reserve on this auction, but the description said the sheet was stamped “August 1989 Topps Auction NYC” on the back, referring to the famous Guernsey’s auction full of items from the Topps Archives; I’ve included a photo from that catalog showing the 1980 Topps baseball uncut sheets that were up for auction below.
1980 Topps Proof Sheet – Lelands
Guernsey’s Topps Auction – Baseball Production Material
In that same Lelands auction, they sold a lot of 78 1980-1983 Topps Archives uncut sheets for $926, including nine 1980 Topps progressives with the Billy Martin card.
A few years later, Robert Edward Auctions sold what appears to be a different 1980 Topps uncut proof sheet with the unissued Martin card for $406 in the spring of 2005 (you can see a corner is missing on Leland’s sheet but not on this one).
1980 Topps Proof Sheet – REA
Finally, the last public sale of a 1980 Topps Yankees Team card with Billy Martin listed as the manager was from a 2016 REA auction lot of eight 1980-1984 Topps proof cards. The lot included a black-only and blackless progressive proof and sold for $1080.
1980 Topps Yankees Team Billy Martin Proof – Black Only
1980 Topps Yankees Team Billy Martin Proof – Blackless
You can find a few more examples shared on vintage sports card forums. As far as we know, the card only exists as a blank-backed proof and never made it into packs. So, it’s not a variation I would say is needed for a complete set; it’s just an unpublished proof. But that’s not to say the card doesn’t have a great story and isn’t a great card to own. Happy collecting!
PS: Martin went on to manage the Athletics from 1980-1982 and returned to manage the Yankees in 1983, 1985, and 1988.
It’s always amused me how hobby periodicals advertised on each other’s pages, almost like an endless loop of cross-promotion. So, I wasn’t surprised to find this Baseball Cards Magazine ad in the May 1982 issue of The Trader Speaks.
Baseball Cards Magazine launched in the Spring of 1981, and I’ve long argued that its first few years offered the finest hobby writing ever produced. While it’s cost me more than $2.25 an issue to piece my collection together— it’s a steal for a magazine packed with top-notch articles, checklists, and hobby insight.
Back issues of The Trader Speaks are packed with valuable writing, too, but the advertisements for iconic collectors’ issues, card shows, and vintage pricing information are particularly valuable to me. Adding copies of either publication to your collection is a fantastic way to kickstart a hobby library!
Here’s one of the most gorgeous pieces of sports memorabilia: an extremely rare 1942 Rose Bowl Program for Duke vs. Oregon State, played in Durham, N.C.
Wikipedia explains why the game was moved to North Carolina:
Originally scheduled for the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, it was moved to Durham, North Carolina, due to fears about an attack by the Japanese on the West Coast of the United States following the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. The federal government prohibited large public gatherings on the West Coast for the duration of World War II; the first significant canceled event was the Rose Bowl Game scheduled for New Year’s Day, 1942.
I’ve seen the programs sell for between $300 and $600. There’s also a lot of related memorabilia you can pick up; for example, Huggins and Scott sold this pair of unused tickets intended for the game in Pasadena for $286 back in 2015.
Huggins & Scott also sold this PSA-graded ticket for the game on the East Coast for $189 in December 2013.
Both tickets are probably pricier today, given the run-up in ticket collecting’s popularity as a hobby.
How’s this for a unique hobby niche, NBA Fines Documents? I apologize for the image quality; the photo in the 2002 auction catalog is tiny.
Here’s the complete auction description, full of fines from some NBA heavy “hitters”:
NBA “Fines” Document Collection (21) The “bad boys” of the NBA are usually those large front-court players who rebound well, defend (enforce) the paint, and throw an elbow or two. Considering the physical nature of the game there are many instances where tempers flare…as well as the players’ fists. The following are actual NBA press releases relating the fines levied upon the combatants. Amazingly, each and every release is signed by the players involved. All are bold ink or Sharpie signatures that are single or multi-signed. Includes: 1982/83 4/25 (Tree Rollins, Danny Ainge). 1984/85 4/8 (Earl Cureton), 5/8 (Akeem Olajuwon #34 his rookie year signed before his name change), 10/28 (2 Chuck Daly, Stan Albeck), 11/20 (2 Darryl Dawkins #53), 12/19 (2 Darryl Dawkins, Steve Stiponovich). 1985/86 – 1/24 (2 Larry Smith, Ken Bannister, Bob Thornton, Steve Johnson, James Bailey, and Gerald Wilkins), 2/21 (Rick Mahorn), 4/8 (2 Danny Ainge, Sedale Threatt, Matt Goukas, Charles Barkley, Clemon Johnson), 12/19 (Tony Campbell, Joe Dumars, and Sidney Green). 1986/87 1/7 (Grant Gondrezick), 4/27 (Karl “Mail” Malone #32), 5/18 (Kevin McHale #32 Celtics), 5/22 (Tom Chambers), 5/27 (Robert Parrish), 12/23 (Adrian Dantley), 12/15 (Isiah Thomas signed “Isiah #11”). 1987/88 1/18 (Rick Mahorn), 1/14 (Jeff Hornacek, Walter Davis, James Bailey, and Sleepy Floyd), 1/12 (Larry Nance #22, Mark Aguirre #24), 2/17 (Moses Malone #2). A unique and interesting look at the dark side of the NBA. As you can see from the names above, many of the well-known bad boys are included. An absolutely unique offering with huge star power to markedly increase collector appeal and the value of the collection in its entirety! LOA from James Spence & Steve Grad/PSA DNA.
Minimum Bid $200
Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find any other examples online. Let me know if you see any so I can include a better picture!
Old catalogs, new discoveries! From the October 2007 Classic Collector Auction Catalog: 1984 Topps Gremlins Rack Pack Display Box Production Artwork and Color Proof Sheets.
Remember, the Classic Collector Auctions from Mastro were internet-only, so the catalogs rarely included any item descriptions.
You can find unique wax boxes for this set’s American (Topps) and Canadian (O-Pee-Chee) releases. However, I think the rack packs were only distributed in the US.
Here are all the boxes I could find; first, an OPC variation that REA sold for $270 in May 2023.
Next, here’s a Topps X-out variation that Collect Auctions sold in March 2022 for $110.
Also, because it’s cool, Huggins & Scott sold a sealed case of Topps Gremlins cards for $1,230 in August 2021; they’re pretty tough to track down now.
Finally, this 1984 Topps Gremlins Rack Box Case and three BBCE-wrapped (but not marked FASC) boxes, which you can compare to the proofs above, were offered on Facebook in February 2024 for $1,750.
