The 1991 Upper Deck Jerry West Heroes autograph card is a hobby classic. West signed and numbered 2,500 of card #9, but unopened cases surfaced late in the release cycle with shocking clusters of autos—one in Texas had 23!
Sold by 4SharpCorners on eBay for $308 in October 2024
I discovered the tale of these loaded Upper Deck high series boxes from the September 1992 issue of Sports Collectors Digest’s Sports Card Price Guide Monthly, which had a few paragraphs of basketball commentary. The story begins with the last sentence of the first image below and continues through the start of the text in the second image.
Here’s the text from the article in case the images are a bit too small for you to read on your device:
Some of the later cases of Upper Deck high series cards contained pleasant surprises. One case that turned up in Texas in May wielded 23 autographed Jerry West cards, including six in one box. Another sent to a drugstore in North Carolina in mid-May included six autographed cards. In each case, the cards were numbered either sequentially or within one or two numbers of each other. It’s believed that when the final cases were prepared, an overrun of autographed West cards was discovered and the cards were simply packed close together.
Happy hunting, and I hope someone picks up one of these hot boxes someday soon! Happy collecting!
I ran across an advertisement from Stephan R. Juskewycz in the Spring 1982 issue of Baseball Cards Magazine offering some cool and scarce uncut sheets, so I tried to find them and tracked down six of seven.
1981 Donruss Baseball Uncut Sheet
These are probably the most common sheets on Juskewycz’s list, and they were also the cheapest in 1982. Here’s an example of one of the sheets.
1981 Granny Goose Uncut Sheet
The advertisement initially motivated me to write a dedicated piece on the 1981 Granny Goose set, but this was the one uncut sheet I couldn’t track down!
1977 Burger King Yankees Uncut Sheet
The advertisement said it was a sheet for a single set, and I found that REA sold a lot of 10 progressive proof uncut sheets back in 2008 for $588.
Heritage also sold this complete one in October 2024, along with a 1983 Topps Gaylord Perry Peanut Farm uncut sheet for $750.
1977 Cloth Stickers Uncut Sheet
REA sold this sheet with two complete sets for $630 in the fall of 2019.
1977 Cloth Stickers Puzzle Cards Uncut Sheet
REA failed to sell this example in the fall of 2018 when its reserve was $300.
1971 Topps Coin Proofs Uncut Sheet
Lelands offered this example in 2004, but the sheet failed to meet its reserve.
In late summer/early fall 2022, a memo from The Topps Company was circulated around social media, documenting the size of the 1991 Topps Desert Shield print run. Many collectors and dealers have guessed at its size in the past, but we have never had source documentation directly from Topps.
1991 Topps Desert Shield #79 Frank Thomas
The 1991 Topps Desert Shield set has become an incredibly popular set, and many had speculated at its print run. Mile High Card Company auctioned off the #1 set from the PSA Registry for $106k back in March 2018. They explained that the cards were distributed in wax packs sent to troops in the Middle East during Operation Desert Shield. They wrote that the cards were identical to the 1991 Topps set, but each had a gold foil stamp embossed with a shield and palm tree with the words “Operation Desert Shield” underneath. They estimated that Topps produced less than 6500 of each card.
Sports Collectors Daily also wrote that Topps printed approximately 6500-7000 of each card but that sources on the exact distribution varied. However, they noted that many of the cards were discarded.
A collector on a Facebook forum shared the following image about the cards.
Dealer Letter about 1991 Topps Desert Shield
This seller noted that Topps printed around 6300 cards for each player and that they thought about half of the cards were destroyed because no one knew they would be valuable. So troops told this collector/dealer that few went to mail call to pick any up and that most were trashed in the dumpster, used to make fires, or given to the locals. So he thinks a high estimate of 3000 of each card remains, but I’m not sure the numbers are even that high. The set’s most expensive card is the Chipper Jones rookie, and its PSA-graded population is just 935. Ultimately, many Desert Shield cards are worth grading, but their populations are minuscule compared to that 3000 card estimate.
Anyway, here is the recently discovered memo from December 21, 1990, directly from the Topps company to its employees.
The Topps Company Letter About Desert Shield Cards
It says, “Dear Fellow Employee: As most of you know, we recently produced 500 cases of baseball cards, specially embossed ‘Operation Desert Shield’, for our troops in Saudi Arabia. Thank you for the terrific cooperation we received on this project. Enclosed is a sample card for you yourself to own. Let it symbolize Topps’ pride in these brave men and women and the prayers of us all for peace. Have a Happy Holiday, a Healthy New Year and come back to us safe and sound.”
So now we know that Topps printed 500 cases of 1991 Topps Desert Shield cards. At 20 boxes per case, 36 packs per box, and 15 cards per pack, for a 792-card set (6 equal sheets of 132 cards), that’s just over 6800 for each card.
1991 Topps Desert Shield #150 Cal Ripken Jr.
How many of those cards made it overseas, and how many made it back? I’d love to hear what you think in the comments. If you have more information about 1991 Topps Desert Shield cards, please reach out to me; happy collecting!
In June 2005, Sotheby’s offered this gorgeous PSA 8 graded 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle in their Important Sports Memorabilia and Cards catalog. The expected sales price was $40-50k! It’s now a million-dollar card after changing hands at least two more times!
I’m unsure what Sotheby’s sold the card for, or if it changed hands again, but in November 2014, it showed up in SCP’s Fall Premier Auction, where it sold for $268k.
Then, in May 2017, Memory Lane had the same card in their Spring Holy Grail Rarities Auction, where it sold for $462k.
I’m unsure if that buyer sold it since, but the PSA Card page for the cert shows that it was re-slabbed. Behold, over a million dollars in its plastic tomb!
It would be pretty cool if someone would trace the lineage of all the high-grade (PSA and SGC 8+) 1952 Mickey Mantle cards. It’s sort of just happened that I’ve started such a task with the T206 Wagner cards:
Ted Taylor and Bob Schmierer created three series of 1947 Bowman Baseball cards in 1976 and 1977 to promote the 2nd and 3rd Philly Baseball Card Shows! They placed this advertisement in the July 1976 issue of The Trader Speaks to promote the show and cards!
Here’s what The Standard Catalog has to say about the 1976-77 HRT / RES 1947 Bowman Baseball Cards:
Advertised as “The Set That Never Was,” this collectors’ issue from Ted Taylor and Bob Schmierer used a 2-1/8” x 2-1/2” black-and-white format and gray cardboard stock to replicate the feel of the first post-WWII baseball cards. The set was issued in three series with advertising on back promoting the second (1976) and third (1977) annual EPSCC ‘Philly’ shows. Series one (#1-49) was issued in 1976; series two (#50-81) and three (#82-113) were 1977 issues.
PSA has graded more of these than I expected, considering it’s a bit of an odd collectors’ issue. There are 32 total PSA-graded cards across the 113-card set; here’s an example of one I found on eBay, card #17, in the 1st series, Jackie Robinson.
I found two complete sets for sale on eBay (January 2025); one was asking $295, and the other $285.
The $295 set included a T206 Honus Wagner promotional card, a sort of 114th card.
The seller of the $295 set also added a bit more information. First, they mentioned that the set was patterned after the 1948 Bowman baseball cards; surprisingly, The Standard Catalog didn’t write that; maybe it’s too obvious. They also said that Ted Taylor was HRT and Robert Schmierer was RES, adding that they printed 2000 series one sets while limiting series two and three to just 1000 sets each.
I’m a big fan of the Kahn’s Wieners series of basketball cards, printed each year from 1957 through 1965, and I’ve highlighted Jerry West’s Kahn’s Wieners cards in a dedicated article. But the 1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas card has piqued my curiosity lately.
1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas
You see, PSA’s checklist says there are windows open and no windows visible versions of the Lucas card. And in their article about the series of Kahn’s Wieners cards, regarding the 1964 Jerry Lucas cards, PSA writes that “There are also two variations of the Lucas card. One pictures him in a shot with windows open in the background, while a second doesn’t have the windows. The “no windows” version is so rare that there hasn’t been an example submitted for grading to PSA and it’s not part of the Master Set on the PSA Set Registry.”
But here’s the thing: I don’t think the card exists; I’ve never seen one.
The hobby hasn’t written much about vintage basketball cards, particularly oddball ones. One guide I’ve used for research showed two Lucas cards, but they listed one version as Three Windows Showing and the other as Four Windows Showing. This makes sense to me, given that all the cards that have been on the market for the last few years are cropped a little differently. Here are a few examples of the 1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas card, each showing the windows a little differently in the background.
1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas
1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas
1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas
1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas
1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas
You can see that each card has at least some windows open as if the photographer snapped two photos from slightly different distances that were then each “miscut” a little when printed. When you compare the two raw images above, in the one with four windows visible, Lucas’ left arm appears higher (even with his chin), and his left arm is lower than his chin in the three windows visible raw copy; however, that’s not a consistent fact when you look at the graded copies (the second graded card has a partial fourth window with a lower left arm).
Another collector described the cards as follows: “There are clearly two different shots here: the ball is positioned differently in each, along with Lucas’ eyeline and chin. Different croppings result in 4 windows vs. 3, but the real variation is in the ball position.”
It’s also possible vintage catalogers mixed up a few Kahn’s sets. As I said earlier, there hasn’t been a lot of vintage basketball card documentation like there has been for baseball. That has led to a few mistakes by the major third-party graders. A few Kahn’s Wieners basketball cards have the wrong year printed on the flip since, many times, Kahn’s only made subtle changes to their design year to year. And, if you look at the 1965 Kahn’s Wiener Jerry Lucas card, you can see that no windows are visible (however, the 1965 card is slightly smaller and has red text, instead of black, on the back).
1965 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas
A photographer could have shot the photos for the two cards (1964 and 1965) on the same day. They have a similar general appearance, so perhaps someone making a price guide or catalog mistakenly thought they were part of the same set.
There is also the possibility that a card cataloger meant that the No Windows version of the 1964 card was really a No 4th Window Visible (cropped in) version.
Anywho, a collector on Net54 also speculated that the two 1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas card variations should be Three Windows Open and Four Windows Open. If we have to differentiate these subtle variations, that’s a viable pick, or we could use arm/ball position. But I don’t think a 1964 Kahn’s Wieners Jerry Lucas No Windows variation exists. If you have more information, please let me know in the comments.
Here’s an item you don’t see every day: a 1954 Bowman baseball metal printers sheet with Mickey Mantle and, next to him, one of the set’s rarities, Ted Williams! But guess what? It’s got a twin, but I don’t know where either is anymore!
The unique sheet was lot 152 in the 1995 National Sports Collectors Convention Auction, presented by Bill Mastro as “The Best of Yesterday.”
They included a slightly larger photo of the Mantle and Williams cards, too.
Here’s the lots complete description:
1954 BOWMAN BASEBALL METAL PRINTERS SHEET WITH #66 TED WILLIAMS 26 inches by 36 inches metal printers sheet with 32 cards on it (8 across, 4 down) in the upper left corner is Mickey Mantle and immediately to his right is the rarest of all Bowman baseball cards -#66 Ted Williams, many years ago two of these exact sheets turned up, one of which now resides in the Halper collection, the offered sheet has numerous holes and spotting and although it lacks visual appeal it more than makes up for its condition defects with its extreme rarity, framed properly would surely add to its attractiveness, very good condition. MINIMUM BID: 900.00
It’s interesting that Bowman would have made two of these sheets; maybe they weren’t identical. Also, if you weren’t aware, according to BaseballCardPedia, “In 1954, Topps signed an exclusive contract with Ted Williams, which forced Bowman to pull card #66 of Williams from its set. Bowman replaced #66 with a card of Jimmy Piersall who was also featured on card #210.”
Interestingly, I haven’t been able to track down any “regular” 32-card 1954 Bowman baseball uncut sheets, just this absolutely incredible proof sheet from portland_uncut_sheets on Instagram.
But I did find that Heritage sold a 4-card uncut panel featuring Mantle, Wiliams, Mueller, and Gilliam in the same layout as the metal sheet. It sold for $13,145 in May 2016.
Robert Edward Auctions then re-sold the same sheet for just $6k in the fall of 2018. They highlighted that it was cut down from a larger 32-card production sheet
It doesn’t look like a salesman sample; those had a diamond/square sticker on the back, and the 4-card panel shows no evidence of sticker removal. Of course, it could have been intended as a sample but never used as one. Here’s an example of the back of a 1954 Bowman Salesemen’s Sample:
Happy collecting! And check out more uncut sheets on the archive!
