Non-Sport 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!

1956 Topps Elvis Presley Five-Cent Wax Box With 24 Packs

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Time for another Carpet o’ Wax! This time, 24 1956 Topps Elvis Presley Five-Cent Wax Packs!

Mastro offered this non-sport classic in their April 2004 catalog; here’s the photo of the box they included with the packs.

The box has a factory-placed strip of clear tape and bears a “36 count” overprint, indicating that its contents were marketed in Canada.

The reference number for this 66-card set is R710-1. Most cards are marked “Bubbles Inc.,” so you may also see the set referred to as the 1956 Bubbles Elvis Presley card, which Topps also distributed in penny packs and vending boxes.

Check out The Unopened Archive for more!

1951 Topps Animals of the World One-Cent Display Box And Wrapper

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Yesterday, I shared a 1950 Topps Bring ‘Em Back Alive One-Cent display box, so today, I figured I’d share the box for the set’s sequel, 1951 Topps Animals of the World!

This one-cent display box was the preceding lot to the Frank Buck’s box in Mastro’s April 2004 catalog. This wrapper accompanied the box.

The box was described as being in near-mint condition, while the wrapper was described as EX.

This set is designated R714-1 by the American Card Catalog, and the cards featured artwork by Mary Lee Baker. They came as singles (1 card per pack for a penny) and perforated 2-card panels (6 cards/5-cent pack), and the panels command a premium. Also, the cards issued as singles have white cardboard stock on the back, while the panels have gray cardboard on the back.

If you want a slabbed wax pack, PSA has graded seven 1950 Topps Bring ‘Em Back Alive wax packs and ten 1951 Topps Animals of the World wax packs.

Check out The Unopened Archive for more!

1950 Topps Frank Buck’s Bring ‘Em Back Alive One-Cent Display Box And Wrapper

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Here’s an impossibly scarce Topps display box from their early years as a company that once held 120 penny packs of Frank Buck’s Bring ‘Em Back Alive cards.

Mastro offered this box in their April 2004 Americana Premier Catalog Auction, which included the most ridiculous selection of non-sports cards I’ve ever seen. The box came with the following Canadian-printed wrapper.

The lot’s description said Topps produced the box in 1951, but the community seems to have settled on a 1950 labeling for the set with an American Card Catalog Designation of R714-2 (ACC# R714-2). The box was described as being in near-mint condition, while the wrapper was described as EX.

Heritage sold the following box, which looks like it could be the same one Mastro did, for $504 in May 2024.

Also, for some reason, my Sport Americana Price Guide to the Non-Sports Cards 1930-1960 describes this as a Bowman set, but you can see the bottom of the box has a Topps copyright with a 1950 date. I think it was just a typo, though. When referencing it elsewhere in the book, they referred to the set as a Topps-produced one.

The Non-Sports Bible says the 100-card set “was originally issued as 2-card panels that are now quite difficult to find intact. ‘Animals of the World’ is sequel to this set. Panels command a premium due to scarcity.” Despite not mentioning it, I’m pretty sure the one-cent packs had just a single card. And more about the Animals of the World set in tomorrow’s blog post.

Check out The Unopened Archive for more!

14 Different 1964-1970 Non-Sport Display Boxes

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You have to admire the creativity that went into vintage non-sport display boxes. They’re attractive, colorful works of art; the comparison is more fitting since vintage boxes are also scarce and fragile!

These were part of a lot of 14 different that were auctioned off together in the spring of 2008. Today, auction houses would almost certainly list each of these boxes individually.

This grouping, offered by Mastro, included: 1964 Topps Beatles/Color Photos, 1965 Philadelphia Gum James Bond/Movies, 1965 Philadelphia Gum James Bond/Thunderball, 1965 Topps Man from U.N.C.L.E., 1966 Donruss Marvel Super Heroes, 1966 Topps Batman/Real Photos, 1966 Topps Superman, 1966 Donruss Monkees/2nd Series, 1967 Donruss Monkees/3rd Series, 1967 Donruss Monkees/2nd Series Canadian-issue Blue Box, 1968 Becker Laugh-In Rings, 1968 Philadelphia Gum Dark Shadows/Pink, and 1970 Donruss Odder Odd Rods.

The boxes were generally described as VG/EX to EX/MT in presentation quality.

Check out The Unopened Archive for more!

Original Artwork For the 1966 Topps Batman #19 Leap for Life Card

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Here’s the original artwork for the 1966 Topps, Red Bat puzzle-back series, Batman #19A “Leap for Life” card.

Mastro offered it in their April 2004 Americana Premier Catalog Auction. Here’s the complete description:

Presented is the 4-3/4” x 3-3/8” original artwork for the 1966 Topps Red Bat puzzle-back series, card number 19A. The larger-sized, painted version of “Leap for Life” graphically illustrates the crimefighter’s daring and determination as he bounds from the top of a moving railroad car in pursuit of a villain. Here is an incredibly finely detailed painting, one that delivers the essence of a set which, for many, helped to define the youthful “formative years” A breathtaking artwork! It is an absolutely unique and one-of-a-kind item, and a rare foundation artifact from the second series of Topps’ immortal Batman cards. The artwork displays at a bright EX/MT level, and an EX (o/c) example of the finished card, as issued, accompanies. Minimum Bid $500.

Many other original Norm Saunders-painted Topps Batman cards have been sold over the years, many for well over $10k.

Check out The Original Artwork Archive for more!

1965 Topps Bewitched Test Issue

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The 1965 Topps Bewitched set was never actually issued—even in a test market—but some blank-backed sheets made it out. Topps also released a few singles directly from the ‘Topps Vault,’ including these eight, which were offered together in 2004.

Here’s the full auction lot description that accompanied the cards:

These super-desirable items are the product of Topps’ very brief attempt to capture the 1960’s television classic, Bewitched, in trading card form. Offered is a collection of eight different 1965 Topps Bewitched cards. The 2-1/2″ x 3-1/2″ cards feature black and white photographs from the series, and each one pictures either Elizabeth Montgomery, as Samantha, or Agnes Moorehead as her mother, Endorra. Printed on grey cardboard stock and blank-backed (as are all of the very few known examples from the prospective series), the cards grade NM to NM/MT. The cards’ titles include: “Elizabeth Montgomery,” “Endorra,” “Jinxing a Batter,” “Mother and Daughter.” “Protest March,” “Ready for Action,” “Thinking Wicked” and “Which is Witch?” These sought-after and very rare collectibles originate from the Topps Vault, and are accompanied by individual LOA’s from that company.

Additionally, The Non-Sports bible shared that two cards of the 26 in the unreleased set appear to be overprinted based on multiple copies being printed on uncut sheets (Pretty Witch & Practicing Witchcraft). Also, cards with printing on the back have yet to be reported. REA sold the following sheet for $2700 in the spring of 2017 before selling the same one again in August 2024 for $4,920.

Here’s REA’s description for the Rare 1965 Test Issue ‘Bewitched’ Complete Set on Uncut Sheet (28):

Extremely rare uncut sheet of twenty-eight 1965 Topps “Bewitched” test cards based on the popular television series. “Bewitched” is one of the rarest sets of all 1960s Topps test issues. The set was never actually issued to the public, and we believe that all known items related to this series have originated over the years from the Topps Vault. The black-and-white cards feature the star of the show Elizabeth Montgomery and other cast members in various scenes from the television show. This 28-card sheet represents the complete set of twenty-six known cards from the set plus two duplicates (Practicing Witchcraft and Pretty Witch). Aside from a couple of creases both near the two lower corners, the sheet (22 x 17.5 inches) remains in Near Mint condition. The sheet is blank-backed. This is an extraordinary high-grade uncut sheet from this unbelievably rare Topps test issue.

Check out The Uncut Sheet Archive for more!