1961 Topps Hockey Is A Set of Many Firsts

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The 66-card 1961 Topps hockey set isn’t as noteworthy as it probably should be in the hobby. Only 47 active 1961 Topps hockey sets are in the current PSA Set Registry, making it one of the least collected vintage hockey sets. While the set only features players from the Boston Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, and New York Rangers, plus a checklist (Parkhurst had the rights to players from the Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadiens, and Detroit Red Wings), the reality is that Topps did a lot of things for the first time in this release that helped define the hobby.

1961 Topps #29 Bobby Hull – Front
1961 Topps #29 Bobby Hull – Reverse

First, while OPC produced the set under the Topps license, the cards, wrappers, and boxes had “O-Pee-Chee” and “Made in Canada” printed on them for the first time. 

1961 Topps Hockey Wrapper

1961 Topps was also the first hockey set that had a premium placed in the packs. Each came with four cards, a piece of gum, and a pair of stamps.

1961 Topps Stamp Panels Howie Morenz Frank Nighbor

As a lifelong checklist collector, I’d be scolded if I failed to mention that Topps included a checklist for the first time in a hockey set in 1961, too.

1961 Topps #66 Checklist 1-66

1961 Topps Hockey is also the first set to feature team cards, coaches cards, and rookie card designations on the front of cards (though not for every rookie).

1961 Topps #63 New York Rangers
1961 Topps #24 Rudy Pilous
1961 Topps #60 Jean Ratelle

The Bruins team card also marked Willie O’Ree’s first appearance on a hockey card. He was the first African-Canadian player to compete in the NHL.

1961 Topps #20 Boston Bruins

Here’s more information about this hobby-defining set if you want to collect it.

While Topps featured three teams, the Rangers cards are the key to the set as three of the four most challenging cards in the set are cards 63 (New York Rangers), 64 (Action Picture – D. Meissner/G. Worsley), and 65 (Action Picture – Gump Worsley). There are no PSA 10s between those three cards and only 2 PSA 9s (both of card 65). The other tough high-grade card is card 66, Checklist 1-66, with zero PSA 10s and 2 PSA 9s in the population report.

From a price guide perspective, the cards that will set you back the most are Cards 1 (Phil Watson), 22 (Bathgate, Hall in Action), 29 (Bobby Hull), 36 (Stank Mikita), 60 (Jean Ratelle), 62 (Rod Gilbert), and the low pop cards I discussed earlier.

Raw sets come to market from time to time. This higher-grade example sold for $2218 in September 2021.

1961 Topps Hockey Complete Set

The pictured mid-grade set below sold for $1082 in September 2021.

1961 Topps Hockey Complete Set

The Stamps are a little more expensive. Four years ago, in their Spring 2017 auction, Robert Edward Auctions sold a complete 26-panel, 52-stamp set for $1080.

1961 Topps Hockey Stamp Panels

Topps packed a lot of innovation and incredible imagery into their 1961 hockey release. Its small size makes collecting it a little more achievable if you like collecting graded sets with just enough scarcity in high-grade to make it challenging for condition-conscious collectors.

If you decide to tackle this iconic set, let me know your progress in the comments. Happy collecting! 

Bob Feller Now Pitching For Popsicle Advertising Sign

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I’ve shared a Bob Feller Popsicle and Dreamsicle advertising signs before, but this version is the rarest of them all!

Mastro offered this one for sale in their August 2002 Sports & Americana Premier Catalog Auction. They described the piece as a 7” x 20” store display with a light center fold in NR/MT condition.

They said it was from 1947, but Feller and the Indians won the 1948 World Series, and the ad says World Champion on the left.

The rarity is undeniable; I’ve only found one other example on Paul Lukas’ Flickr page.

1952 Topps Baseball – A Hobby Game-Changer

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I can never get enough of 1952 Topps, so when I stumbled on Ted Taylor’s “Milestones” article from the September ’87 Baseball Cards Magazine, I knew I had to share it. Classic read!

I wish I could still get a high-quality set for $23,000, like in 1987! Also, the author mentioned picking up 1952 Topps cello packs the following summer in ’53; I’ve heard about this before and will dig deeper, maybe for a future Unopened Market Report Newsletter. Anywho, here’s the entire piece.

Happy collecting!

Faux Wood Grain Bordered Sports Cards

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Love ’em or hate ’em, you definitely have an opinion about the faux wood grain bordered cards; they’re pretty unforgettable. In this article, I’ll run down a few details about five key wood grain framed sports card sets in the hobby and share a few thoughts about them.

1955 Bowman Baseball

1955 Bowman #202 Mickey Mantle

The first faux wood-grained border set was Bowman’s final vintage postwar set. I consider it the first bold design choice that Topps or Bowman made with the horizontal color television set style (inspired by the 1950 Drake’s cards). Most real TVs at the time had a wood-grain paneled look. The first 64 cards have a lighter wood grain within the set, and the rest are darker.

The look of these cards is incredibly recognizable, show one to a vintage collector, and they KNOW it’s a 1955 Bowman card. Sports Collector’s Digest once wrote in an interview that “if collectors mention the set they hate from the ’50s the most, the 1955 Bowman set is the one that’s mentioned probably 80-85 percent of the time.” I don’t hate ANY sports card set, but I probably fit more in the group that isn’t a fan of this design than the group who loves it; it’s just a little tacky/cheesy; perhaps I’m just too young to appreciate them!

It’s also weird that the card fronts don’t show the player’s first name, team name, or position. However, Bowman’s last set is still important to the hobby. So, I think the best way to summarize the set is something I once heard during a hobby chat: the cards are ugly but historic. I do applaud Bowman for trying to do something different.

1962 Topps Baseball

1962 Topps Baseball #387 Lou Brock

The next major release to use a faux wood grain background was Topps’s 1962 baseball set. This time, they made the image look like a sticker peeling away from the wood background, revealing the player’s name, team, and position. 

The look of the wood seems a bit more “elegant” this time. Some say they are inspired by the 1955 Bowman design, but Topps did the design in a way that works a lot better to me. The vertical orientation, the move away from the television screen, and additional player information on the front make a complete design. It’s still not the most attractive design Topps has made, but it’s nicer than the 1955 Bowman set.

From a collector’s perspective, the edges in this set show chipping, so, just like the 1955 Bowmans, the cards are tough to find in better condition.

1966 Topps Football and Hockey

1966 Topps Football #96 Joe Namath
1966 Topps Hockey #35 Bobby Orr

The 1966 Topps Hockey and Football sets have the same color TV-based design of a player’s photo within a faux wood grain border with the player’s name, position, and team printed along the bottom of the horizontally aligned card. They’re just as polarizing as the other sets I mentioned.

The hockey card images are imposed in front of a game crowd, which I think looks pretty cool. The football cards seem to have either the background from where the photo was taken (likely a practice field and usually of the sky) or a pure red or yellow background.

Color TV was still new in 1966, so the cards were probably pretty appropriate for the time. Also, the hockey cards have a TV shape on the back (white text on a black background shipped like an oval TV).

1987 Topps Baseball

1987 Topps Baseball #320 Barry Bonds

I think the 1987 Topps Baseball set pulled off the wood grain border the best. The frame looks like a baseball bat and fits the era well. Therefore, it’s one of the most recognizable sets from the 1980s.

The box around the player’s name, the black texted Topps logo, and the team logo in the upper circle look great from a design perspective. It’s the cleanest of these designs, so I’m a big fan.

As I said in the intro, these wood grain-bordered cards definitely elicit a reaction and opinion from collectors, so I’d love to hear what you think about them in the comments.

Happy collecting!

PS: In writing this article, I considered including the 1958 Hires Root Beer set but wanted to concentrate on major releases.

Billy Martin’s Final Topps Contract As A Yankee Player: A One-of-a-Kind Piece of History

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Here’s a cool piece of hobby history, dating back to Mastro & Steinbach’s August 1997 Fine Sports Auctions Catalog; Billy Martin’s 1957 Topps Baseball Card Contract and Check!

I wish I had a better picture because it’s a wonderful piece from which I’d like to learn more, but I can’t make out the text; it’s a true one-of-one! Here’s the description:

Official one-page contract between Topps Chewing Gum and Alfred (Billy) Martin for the right to produce a Billy Martin card for Topps 1957, 58, and 59 baseball card sets. Dated July 20, 1956, and signed by Sy Berger (Topps, Inc.) and Billy Martin, the contract displays several folds and peripheral wear, with Near Mint to Mint signatures of both Berger and Martin. Accompanying the contract is a Topps check for $5 (made payable to Martin) as deposit toward Martin’s $125 compensation due each season for the use of his photograph. Check exhibits several light folds and an insignificant staple mark, endorsed on back by Martin (NR-MT to MT signature) and cashed through the New York Yankees account. Martin’s final Topps contract as a New York Yankee!

Here’s an example of Martin’s 1957 Topps baseball card from its PSA CardFacts page.

Happy Collecting!

A Spectacular Circa 1914 Joe Jackson Baseball Magazine Advertising Display

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Here’s a cool item that Richard Wolffers Auctions offered in their February 1993 catalog: a Joe Jackson “Baseball Magazine” Advertising Display Piece.

They described it as a 10” x 18” sepia-toned piece from around 1914 with red lettering and one of the most spectacular Joe Jackson display pieces known to the hobby. It had been folded in half (for shipping) but was offered matted and framed with an estimated value of $10,000-12,500. Most of Wolffers’ catalogs were printed in B&W.

The picture is the same as the 1913 Joe Jackson Baseball Magazine premium, but those are usually described as being 9” x 16”. REA sold this one for $3,240 in the summer of 2022.

The posters/premiums have been found in varying formats of player identification, copyright information, and promotion for the magazine, so this display piece may just be a variety. Let me know if you know more; happy collecting!