This 1979 Diamond Greats baseball card set advertisement published in the February 1980 issue of The Trader Speaks offers a fascinating look into Jack Wallin’s tribute to baseball’s icons.
First, Jack Wallin, a collector and dealer and later a Donruss photographer, produced the set, not TCMA. He focused the set on autograph collectors since each of the 400 players was living when he printed it, and he included home addresses for all of them. You’ll find a ton of signed examples across eBay and the major auction houses; for example, Leland’s sold a near-complete set of 380 in June 2021 for $4,041.
I presume this is why he printed the 2-1/2” x 3-1/2” black-and-white cards with blank backs; he wanted collectors to focus on player autographs on the front.
The ad shows that the complete set of 400 cards was available for $23.95, each lettered series (A, B, C, and D) was available for $7.50, and team sets were available for $2.50.
The set’s key cards include Joe DiMaggio, Roger Maris, Willie Mays, Pee Wee Reese, Duke Snider, and Stan Musial, and you can find raw unsigned sets for a few hundred dollars.
While Wallin wrote in the ad that all the players were living at the time of printing, a few died in late 79/early 80, so I’m unsure if a complete signed set is possible.
I’d love to see the original address list, so if you have an example, please e-mail me.
In its Summer 1990 issue, Topps Magazine published Kenneth M. Liss’s great article about “The Rarest ‘Rookie Cards.'” PSA has only slabbed 252 cards from this 35-card (ok, 36-card) set!
I want to draw your attention to two things from the article. First, instead of a program in booklet form, in 1964, Topps presented a boxed set of 36 over-sized cards with all the same information. Second, Topps only made 600-700 sets, making them exceedingly rare.
Here’s the original sleeve/box that held the cards.
Leland’s included that box and 35 cards, a handful of which were PSA-8 graded, in their 2018 Invitational auction. The lot sold for $1,886.40.
But what’s really interesting is that it seems Topps pivoted at some point and printed a sample program! Huggins and Scott sold a newly discovered, potentially one-of-a-kind example in August 2023 for $1,740.
They also wrote that only about 300 (or so) invitees attended. The auction believed that after this 1964 program was made, someone at Topps realized they were card manufacturers and that a card set should be made instead of a program. Topps didn’t do much work, as there’s a page number on the lower right-hand corner of each card (see the Page 12 notation on the following example)!
Huggins noted a few differences between this program and the cards:
The thicker card stock versus the thinner paper pages of the program, the cards are blank backed versus the back-to-back printed program pages, and the size. The program is 3/16″ wider than the card set (so, the bigger program was not part of the snugly fitting boxed card set.) We believe the programs were likely deemed redundant and were probably trashed, assuming they even made more than one or two to begin with.
Unfortunately, Topps went back to banquet programs in 1965 and 1966. REA offered a complete run of seven 1959 to 1966 Topps Rookie Banquet Programs in their 2018 Spring auction. They sold for $2,040 then but would command A LOT more today.
Ron Oser Enterprises offered a collection of five 1960 Topps World Series Cards’ Original Artworks in their December 2000 auction. A sixth showed up for sale in 2013 before REA re-sold the five from 2000 in the summer of 2020. I’m still hunting for the original artwork for Hodges’ Winning Homer (card 388).
Ron Oser Enterprises described the five pieces in their December 2000 auction as flexichrome artworks that measured approximately 4 x 5 inches, in beautiful condition, and still mounted to the artist’s board. They included an example card with each piece (cards 385, 386, 387, 389, and 391). Only ‘Furillo Breaks Up Game’ (card 387) was pictured in the catalog.
It turns out that REA sold the original artwork, without an example, for another item in the World Series subset, card 390, ‘Scrambling After Ball,’ in their 2013 Fall auction for $593.
Then, REA re-sold the five items Ron Oser offered in their 2020 Summer catalog. The artwork for card 385 (Neal Steals Second) sold for $1,170, 386 (Neal Belts 2nd Homer) for $1,170, 387 (Furillo Breaks Up Game) for $1,170, 389 (Luis Swipes Base) for $1,620, and 391 (The Champs Celebrate) for $1,200.
As I said in the intro, I haven’t been able to find the original artwork for card #388, ‘Hodges’ Winning Homer,’ but here’s a PSA-graded sample. Let me know if you have a lead on the artwork, though!
Welcome to the Original Artwork Archive! This is the hub for all the articles I’ve written about original artwork used to produce cards, sorted by sport and set. A lot of these pieces originate from the Topps Archives and Guernsey’s Topps auction, while others remain “lost,” buried in private collections. But thanks to the hobby library, I can scan and share photos from these and other past auctions and magazines, preserving these treasures for collectors to enjoy.
If you have any examples to share, shoot me an e-mail.
I always found it interesting that Stan Musial wasn’t signed with Topps or Bowman from 1954 through 1957. James N. Giglio wrote that Musial refused to sign due to “insufficient compensation.” I later learned that Musial had some other business partnerships (for example, with Rawlings) and was showcasing a bit of business acumen, but I didn’t research this any further. So when I stumbled upon a Kit Young catalog featuring an advertisement for the Stan-The-Man Official Rack-Um-Up Bat Rack, I couldn’t resist learning more about Musial’s company and the product.
Kit Young – 1997 Early Spring Catalog
The first ad I came across was from Kit Young’s 1997 Early Spring Catalog, featuring an autographed Stan The Man Official Rack-Um-Up Bat Rack for $69.95 plus $5.95 p/h. It included a signed letter of authenticity.
The ad referenced that they offered the display piece in an earlier catalog and had immediately sold out. I tracked that one down from their 1996 holiday sale, and they offered that rack for $39.95 plus $5.95 p/h.
Kit Young – 1996 Holiday Sale
As a collector, I was intrigued by both options and wondered about the history of the bat rack.
Stan The Man Official Rack-Um-Up Bat Rack
My research led me to discover that the Stan-The-Man Rack-Um-Up Bat Rack was official merchandise sold by Stan Musial’s company, Stan the Man Inc. The company sold a variety of Musial memorabilia, including “Stan the Man Inc.” branded baseball bats, gloves, and signed Musial memorabilia. The company was operated by Dick Zitzmann, vice president of Stan the Man Inc. The company closed its doors in 2015. Here are a couple of photos of an entire case of Rack-Um-Up Bat Racks.
Stan The Man Official Rack-Um-Up Bat Rack Case – Image 1
Stan The Man Official Rack-Um-Up Bat Rack Case – Image 2
Stan The Man Official Rack-Um-Up Bat Rack Case – Image 3
Stan The Man Official Rack-Um-Up Bat Rack Case – Image 4
The Rack-Um-Up Bat Rack was a wooden rack-equipment holder designed to hold up to six baseball bats. It was released around 1964 and is approximately 4″ x 6″ x 19″.
I found this description from KeyMan Collectibles: “As Advertised; Stan Musial’s Rack-Um-Up is the big league way to keep your bats, balls, and glove ready for play. Rack-Um-Up holds three bats, two balls, and has pegs for your cap and favorite glove, and the back panel features Stan’s picture and autograph….plus a list of his outstanding baseball records. The instructions and hardware for assembly are included and visible in a small plastic bag inside the larger bag on back of rack.”
As I delved deeper into the history of the Stan-The-Man Rack-Um-Up Bat Rack, I came across photographs of the bat rack, some of which Musial signed and looked like they may have come from Kit Young’s advertisement.
Stan The Man Official Rack-Um-Up Bat Rack Signed
I also found examples of letters of authenticity that matched the ad.
Stan The Man Inc. Certificate of Authenticity
You can pick up a still-sealed rack for around $100 (with some patience).
Stan The Man Official Rack-Um-Up Bat Rack Sealed – Front
Stan The Man Official Rack-Um-Up Bat Rack Sealed – Reverse
I’ve also seen signed ones with JSA certs listed for between $150 and $200, like the following example.
Stan The Man Official Rack-Um-Up Bat Rack – Signed
Stumbling upon the Kit Young catalog advertisement for the Stan-The-Man Official Rack-Um-Up Bat Rack led me to uncover an exciting aspect of Stan Musial’s business ventures. Although his absence from Topps and Bowman cards may have seemed odd initially, it appears to have been the start of a calculated move that showcased Musial’s savvy business acumen.
In 1966, Fleer sold the last of its baseball player contracts to Topps after fighting them in court for its aggressiveness in securing exclusive player contracts. Fleer actually initially won their case at the Federal Trade Commission but lost on appeal. Despite a challenging landscape, Fleer embraced innovation and diversity and ventured into non-sports cards pretty hard to help sell their bubble gum. One really intriguing outcome of this experimentation was the emergence of the 1965 Fleer Weird-Ohs and the 1966 Fleer Baseball Weird-Ohs.
1965 Fleer Weird-Ohs
Kudos to The Sport Americana Price Guide to The Non-Sports Cards for details about these two Fleer Weird-Ohs sets; there isn’t much else written about them. They point out that the wrapper design tells you what this set of cards is all about; it features a monster wearing an “SCTA” hat (Society for Cruelty to Animals) flagging down prospective victims.
1965 Fleer Weird-Ohs Wax Wrapper
The 66-card set is packed with similar bizarre characters based on characters developed by the Hawk Model Company – who have a copyright on the back of the cards.
1965 Fleer Weird-Ohs #3 Francis The Foul – Front
1965 Fleer Weird-Ohs #3 Francis The Foul – Reverse
The front of each card features a unique cartoon character, their name, and a brief description of their “proclivities.” The green card backs all feature Francis the Foul on the left-hand side and a detailed description of the character in black text underneath a clearly marked “Weird-Ohs” trademark.
1965 Fleer Weird-Ohs #4 Davey – Front
1965 Fleer Weird-Ohs #4 Davey – Reverse
1965 Fleer Weird-Ohs #7 Terry Tent – Front
1965 Fleer Weird-Ohs #7 Terry Tent – Reverse
1965 Fleer Weird-Ohs #13 Pop Fly – Front
1965 Fleer Weird-Ohs #13 Pop Fly – Reverse
1966 Fleer Baseball Weird-Ohs
Despite “baseball” being in the set’s title, the hobby has always categorized the 1966 Fleer Baseball Weird-Ohs as a non-sport set.
Fleer stuck with the weird-oh design and basic card format in a spin-off to poke fun at baseball with this 66-card set. The fronts again feature colorful artwork designed by artist William Campbell with a caption (that usually rhymes) below it within the card’s white border. The backs have the “Baseball Weird-ohs” set title, the card title (not the same words as on the front), and a descriptive back story of the character that often describes something comically violent on the right side, with “Doug Out” from card #1 on the left side which has an orange background.
1966 Fleer Baseball Weird-Ohs #1 Doug Out – Front
1966 Fleer Baseball Weird-Ohs #1 Doug Out – Reverse
1966 Fleer Baseball Weird-Ohs #2 Texas Leaguerer – Front
1966 Fleer Baseball Weird-Ohs #13 Newton Nervous – Front
1966 Fleer Baseball Weird-Ohs #13 Newton Nervous – Reverse
1966 Fleer Baseball Weird-Ohs #62 Hey Hey Harry – Front
1966 Fleer Baseball Weird-Ohs #62 Hey Hey Harry – Reverse
In 2020, REA auctioned off a few of Campbell’s original art pieces. Each piece is approximately 4-3/4″ x 6-1/8″—the four pieces sold for $810.
1966 Fleer Baseball Weird-Ohs Oringal Artwork
The art for card #62 featuring Hey Hey Harry sold for $355 in October 2013.
1966 Fleer Baseball Weird-Ohs Hey Hey Harry Original Artwork
Wrap Up
When it comes to the Fleer Weird-Oh sets, collectors seem to either love ’em or hate ’em without a lot of in-between. That divide has left a unique market dynamic where collectors can track down complete sets for a modest, though not “super-cheap” price range between $70 and $90. The set has maintained a certain level of popularity, evidenced by its re-issue in 2007/2008, though no new items were introduced.
Welcome to the Uncut Sheet Archive! This is the hub for all the articles I’ve written about uncut sheets, sorted by sport and set. My goal is for it to be the definitive source of uncut sheet information on the web, offering insights into distribution, production quirks, and the factors behind why some vintage cards were so condition-sensitive, even out of the pack!
If you have any rare sheets to share, shoot me an e-mail.
