Baseball Cards

Bowman’s 5-Star Series Picture Card Collectors Club

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I quickly snapped this photo while scurrying about the 2024 National Sports Collectors Convention because it looked familiar.

Once I got home from the show, I remembered the logo was also on the back of 1950 Bowman baseball and football cards.

Details are super scarce, so please contact me if you have more info, but in the early 50s, I remember collectors mentioning that Bowman tried having a collectors club akin to Topps’ Trading Card Guild (Picture Card Collectors Club). The Topps Archives mentions it in a piece titled Re-Rack. Given the boxes below, it could have been how Bowman re-packed unsold cards.

I found that Lelands has sold a pair of these boxes. This first one was titled 1953-54 Bowman Television & Radio Stars/Power For Peace Partial Cello Box (27/36).

It sold for just under $2k in February 2019.

This second example is a 1953 Bowman Power For Peace/NBC Radio & Television Stars Cello Box with 14 Packs. It sold for $879 in March 2022.

The BBCE website has an out-of-stock 1953 Bowman TV & Radio Stars Cello Box that they had offered for $8k.

I also had the following early Bowman cello box in my photo archives; REA sold it in 2021 for $3,960. They resold the same box in August 2024 for $6,900.

Again, please let me know if you have more information about Bowman’s 5-Star Series Picture Card Collectors Club.

Check out The Unopened Archive for more!

Early Exhibit Card Machine With Autographed Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig Exhibits

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Here’s a nice mid-1920s wooden exhibit card machine with two little signed cards showing a 1928 Blue Series Babe Ruth and Grey Tint Lou Gehrig exhibit. Sotheby’s offered the item in their April 1994 Important Baseball Cards and Sports Memorabilia auction.

Here’s the lot’s full description:

Early Exhibit Card Machine with Autographed Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig Exhibits, mid 1920s wooden exhibit card machine made by Metropolitan Coin Machine Inc. of Brooklyn, N.Y., holds two autographed exhibits of Ruth and Gehrig, the Ruth exhibit is a 1928 blue tint series with the Babe in quotes, a strong bold black ink signature, the Gehrig is a 1926 grey tint exhibit with the signature in the back-ground, “Lou” is a bit light but the “Gehrig” is bold and clear, overall condition of both cards is excellent to mint, with minor corner wear, the machine itself has a glass front and has been refinished, lock and key back, blue lettering “Novelty Card Vendor,” height 13 inches, width 7 1/2 inches, and depth 7 inches, at least near mint condition, wooden exhibit card machines are very rare, very few have survived and the autographed exhibits displayed of Ruth and Gehrig just add to make it a top shelf collectible.

It’s not the exact same card (auto location), but REA sold a signed 1928 Babe Ruth Exhibit card for $5,875 in 2008; it would be just a touch (ok, A LOT) pricier at auction today.

Also, FWIW, I think the Gehrig exhibit might have been a 1928 release as well, but I’m no expert on pre-war exhibit cards.

1954 Topps Display Box and Three Wrappers

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1954 Topps baseball boxes are extraordinarily desirable (Hello Ted Williams!); Ron Oser Enterprises sold this one in December 2000 with three wrappers.

The lot’s description mentioned that the box had been repaired and glued but was otherwise in VGEX condition. 

Rockhurst Auctions re-sold the exact same box in April 2024 for $8,050.

If you’re a vintage display box collector, I’ve seen the following 1954 Topps baseball box variations:

  • 5-cent, 6-card, dated, 24-count (Ted Williams design); the box pictured above
  • 5-cent, 6-card, undated, 24-count (Ted Williams design)
  • 5-cent, 4-card (Canadian), dated, 36-count (Ted Williams design)
  • 5-cent, 4-card (Canadian), undated, 36-count (Ted Williams design)
  • 5-cent, 6-card, undated, 24-count (Green/Red design)
  • 1-cent, dated, 120-count (Green/Red design)
  • 1-cent, undated, 120-count (Green/Red design)

Check out The Unopened Archive for more!

An Ad For The Most Gorgeous Cards Ever Produced

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This advertisement from the back cover of the February 1977 issue of The Trader Speaks highlights the most gorgeous cards ever produced: 1976 SSPC!

Why would someone call a collector’s issue one of the most gorgeous sets ever produced? Well, because of the set that influenced its design…

1976 SSPC is a 630-card “collector’s issue” released by TCMA. Dubbed the “Pure Card” set, the design was based loosely on the 1953 Bowman set. The set was available exclusively via mail order and was advertised in the nascent Hobby Media, such as it was in the mid-70s.

Despite the cards bearing a 1975 copyright, the set is considered a 1976 set as it was not released until then.

SSPC was not licensed by either MLB Properties or the MLBPA, and shortly after its release, was sued by Topps. As part of the settlement, SSPC agreed to never reprint their 1976 set, and to never attempt to produce a similar product ever again.

Keith Olbermann, then still in high school, edited the copy on each card.

BaseballCardPedia

Dean’s Cards added that it was the only full baseball card set ever issued during the Topps monopoly, so the hobby saw it as a refreshing change of pace from the predictable Topps issues.

And lastly, if anyone has any other advertisements offering these cards, please get in touch with me.

Extremely Rare 1973 Topps Test Comics Complete Set

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How many complete 1973 Topps Test Comics complete sets do you think exist in the hobby? My guess is under a dozen. 

These nine were part of a complete set of 24 that Mastro Sports Auctions offered for sale in December 2004.

Sports Collectors Digest wrote an excellent and detailed overview of the set in an article titled 1973 Topps Comics “Test” Set an Unreleased Rarity. But PSA, who have only graded 191 total comics across the set, has this shorter profile on their site:

Unique among baseball collectibles, the 1973 Topps Comics set was designed as a “test issue” and is never known to havebeen distributed to the public. The item was originally designed to wrap around bubblegum pieces. These thin, wax paper pieces measure 3-7/16” x 4-5/8” and carry gum-wrapper graphics (with a Johnny Bench “teaser” design) on one side, and the featured-player “Comic” on the reverse, along with a facsimile signature. The 24-piece full set consists of Hank Aaron, Dick Allen, Johnny Bench, Steve Carlton, Nate Colbert, Willie Davis, Mike Epstein, Reggie Jackson, Harmon Killebrew, Mickey Lolich, Mike Marshall, Lee May, Willie McCovey, Bobby Murcer, Gaylord Perry, Lou Piniella, Brooks Robinson, Nolan Ryan, George Scott, Tom Seaver, Willie Stargell, Joe Torre, Billy Williams, and Carl Yastrzemski. The 1973 Topps Comics set is among the toughest of all Topps Test issues to achieve in complete set form and are rarely offered on the secondary market.

Here are a few historical set/near-set sales:

  • Heritage Auctions sold a complete PSA-graded set for $20,315 in May 2008.
  • REA sold a complete raw set for $17,625 in the Spring of 2010.
  • REA sold a PSA Set Registry collection of 23/24 comics twice: first for $7,800 in the Summer of 2019 and again for $13,200 in the Fall of 2023. 
  • REA sold a raw set of 23/24 comics for $9,600 in the Summer of 2022, which is perhaps the set this collector on the net54 boards had graded.

As for unopened gum packs, a dealer named SportsInvestments has this one for sale (August 2024) with an asking price of $7,500.

Check out The Unopened Archive for more!

1952 Topps Baseball High Numbers Advertising Insert

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The following rare 1952 Topps baseball high numbers two-color advertising promo was designed to be inserted in cases and later displayed at points of sale, but few have survived. This example is from the November 2000 Mastro Fine Sports Auction catalog.

At the time, they wrote that the 7” x 11-1/2” window display piece was one of two known survivors. Other than the two folds across the sheet, as issued, they described the piece as being in Near Mint Condition.

In 2017, REA sold the following example, which looks different from Mastro’s, for $13,200.

REA wrote, “Extremely rare 1952 Topps advertising poster features images of a large wax pack near the center and a smaller head-shot image of Jackie Robinson (same used on his actual 1952 Topps card) in the lower-left corner. The text printed in red reads “New Series… just out! Over 400 Players.” To the left of the wax pack are the names of five major stars from the high-number series listed with a red star in front each one of their respective names. Listed are Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Roy Campanella, Bobby Thomson, and Pee Wee Reese. Along the bottom next to the small image of Robinson the text reads “Listen To The Jackie Robinson Show Every Saturday 9:30 A. M. WNBC.” The poster, designed to be inserted into cases and later displayed in candy-stores, announced to the world that the new baseball set was finally available. This poster has a Near Mint appearance with two natural vertical fold lines (as issued). Because of their intended use, it is understandable that few of these point-of-sale advertising displays have survived. We have seen fewer than five examples of this rare Topps poster over the past thirty-five years. A superb and extremely rare poster, which would be an outstanding companion piece to any complete 1952 Topps set or addition to any world-class advertising collection. The poster measures 11-1/4 x 6-1/4 inches and has also been matted and framed to dimensions of 18-1/4 x 13 inches.”

REA resold the same piece for $21,600 in the spring of 2019.

Check out The Unopened Archive for more!

1953 Topps #244 Willie Mays Original Artwork

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In July, I shared the original artwork used for Whitey Ford’s 1953 Topps baseball card; today, the details for Willie Mays.

Again, the original full-color paintings of Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Bob Feller, Jackie Robinson, and Roy Campanella’s 1953 Topps baseball cards were first made available to the hobby in Guernsey’s Topps Auction in 1989.

Here’s the section’s description in the catalog and the details for the 3 1/2″ x 5″ VG conditioned 1953 Willie Mays original color artwork. It sold for $80k (+10% Buyers Premium).

I’m curious if the owner of the original artwork has managed to pick up a copy of the original news photograph that inspired the piece. REA sold this circa 1951 PSA/DNA Type 1 example for $16,800 in the Spring of 2020.

And finally, here’s a fantastic example of the 1953 Topps #244 Willie Mays card.

Check out The Original Artwork Archive for more!