Hockey Cards

1952 Parkhurst Hockey Set And Album

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As the hobby library guy, I love seeing vintage sets bundled together for sale with the albums manufacturers produced for them. The 1952 Parkhurst hockey album is a tremendous post-war example; Mastro offered this one with the complete set of 105 cards in May 2000.

Albums were available to collectors as a 25-cent mail-in offer on the back of the cards. Here’s an example from Tim Horton’s card #58 (photo from Robert Edward Auctions).

The album measures 9” x 11′ and includes 13 pages, each with slots for eight cards via corner mounts. While 13 times 8 is only 104, short of 105, there is a paste-in space for “My Favorite Hockey Star.” 

These days, empty albums can be found for a little over $100, while complete sets are $2.5k++.

1966/67 Topps USA Test Wax Pack Display Box Uncut Sheet

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Mastro’s April 2004 catalog featured this “only known example” 1966/67 USA Test uncut display box. It was described as an ex-Topps Vault item and was accompanied by that company’s LOA.

The 18” x 25”’ blank-backed sheet, printed in the US on regular cardstock, bears the unfolded, central rendering of a 24-count, 5-cent wax pack counter-sales box. Masto wrote that small proofer’s notes and printing alignment marks appear in the periphery of the sheet.

Lelands first sold an assembled 1966-67 Topps USA Test Wax Display Box (pictured below) in October 2017 for $8070 before selling another for $4555 in February 2019.

And for completeness, here’s a 1966 Topps Test hockey “cello” wrapper. Unfortunately, I can’t remember where I found this one to credit the source.

1970/71 Topps Hockey Wax Box And 24 Packs

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This ultra-scarce complete 1970/71 Topps Hockey wax box, with all the packs authenticated by GAI was offered for sale in August 2004.

The box was described as VG with minor surface abrasions on the unpunched lid and packs with the following grades: Mint 9: 2 packs; Nm-Mt+ 8.5: 9 packs; Nm-Mt 8: 10 packs; Nm+: 3 packs.

If you’re in the vintage unopened hobby niche, you know how tough hockey items are to find. The PSA Pop Report currently shows 29 graded 1970 Topps hockey packs, and I suspect many of them are cross-overs from this GAI lot.

Regarding pricing, BBCE Auctions sold this PSA 8 wax pack for $2225 in November 2023.

1962/63 Topps Hockey Bucks

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The 1962/63 Topps Hockey Bucks insert set deserves more attention in the hobby as one of the most unusual and low-production vintage Topps hockey issues. These are from Mastro’s December 2004 auction, which was noted as the first time they had offered the thin-paper inserts in one of their catalogs. You still don’t see complete sets that regularly in the hobby.

The 24 hockey bucks were designed to resemble the Canadian currency of the time. One 4-1/8″ x 1-3/16″ bill was vertically folded and fit into each pack.