A Rare Gem: The 1952 Shelby Bicycles Yogi Berra Promotional Card

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There are a lot of unique sets in the post-war hobby, but many more exclusive releases exist, not entirely fitting the traditional classification of an oddball set like individual promotional issues. These cards are usually only known by folks who collect specific players but not the rest of the hobby. In this article, I’ll spotlight one such hidden gem: the 1952 Shelby Bicycles Yogi Berra promotional card.

The card itself is 5″ x 7″ and features a black-and-white photo of Berra in a squatting catcher’s pose. Along the bottom, an endorsement in white script reads, “Ride Shelby, The Winner’s Bike, Sincerely, Yogi Berra.” The back is blank. 

The following example currently sits in the current #1 Yogi Berra Master Set on the PSA Set Registry

1952 Shelby Bicycles Yogi Berra

The date of issue on this card is conjecture. The first driver is the familiar photo of Yogi Berra that Shelby used for this card. Robert Edward Auctions sold a circa 1949 Yogi Berra Original New York Yankees (their propriety stamp is on the back of the photo) PSA/DNA Type I image that was used for the Shelby Bicycles promo, his 1950 Bowman card, and his 1950 Drake’s card; it sold for $2880 in August 2023.

Here’s the front and back of the Type I photo.

Yogi Berra New York Yankees Type 1 Photo – Front
Yogi Berra New York Yankees Type 1 Photo – Reverse

And here’s Berra’s 1950 Bowman baseball card.

1950 Bowman #46 Yogi Berra

The second reason the hobby dates the card to around 1952 is from the advertisements featuring Berra promoting Shelby Bicycles. While you will see many of them referenced to 1954 and 1955, Shelby Cycle Company only manufactured bicycles in Shelby, Ohio, from 1925 to 1953 before being purchased by AMD in 1953. One specific advertisement features the Shelby Cycle Company name (and a Shelby, Ohio address) and features an illustration of the offered promotion card. It was free, along with a 16-page catalog, to anyone who requested it.

Shelby Cycle Co. Ad Featuring The 1952 Berra Card

That advertisement, along with three others (AMF moved bicycle production to Cleveland in 1953, which is where Shelby is addressed to in the next three ads) and a PSA 2.5 copy of the 1952 Shelby Bicycles Yogi Berra card, was sold by Robert Edwards Auctions in October 2015 for $1320. The card was part of Al Johnson’s All-Time Finest Yogi Berra Master Set, but that was retired in July 2017, so I suspect he purchased it.

Yogi Berra Shelby Ad
Yogi Berra Shelby Ad
Yogi Berra Shelby Ad
1952 Shelby Bicycles Yogi Berra – REA

At the time of sale, that PSA 2.5 graded Berra was the only one that PSA or SGC had graded. Its sales history after the initial REA auction and I suspect the retirement of the Master Set, is fascinating. 

Heritage Auctions resold the PSA 2.5 for $430.20 in November 2016. They noted that the card has a vertical crease.

1952 Shelby Bicycles Yogi Berra – HA

Memory Lane Inc. then got its hands on the item in August 2017, but it went unsold with an opening bid of $300. It was still described as the only example ever graded by either PSA or SGC. But today, PSA shows five cards and two autographed cards in their pop report, while SGC shows a single copy.

1952 Shelby Bicycles Yogi Berra – Memory Lane Inc.

Clean Sweep Auctions sold one of those signed PSA-encapsulated cards in February 2022 for $775.20.

1952 Shelby Bicycles Yogi Berra – Clean Sweep Auctions

The 1952 Shelby Bicycles Yogi Berra card is a particularly significant post-war collectible. It’s rare, features a Hall of Fame Yankee, and is directly connected to a classic American company and a post-war classic Bowman set.

Jack Wallin’s 1979 Diamond Greats Baseball Card Set

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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.

It’s Like Deja Vu-Hoo: 1990s Yoo-Hoo Baseball Sets

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I ran across the following promo for the 1993 Yoo-Hoo Baseball Legends set in the Summer 1993 issue of Topps Magazine. Berra had a promotional relationship with Yoo-Hoo dating back to the ’50s.

The ad covers most of the set’s basics, but after some research, there’s no difference between the design of the two series cards. However, the Standard Catalog says Series 1 had Yogi Berra, Joe Morgan, Duke Snider, Steve Garvey, Jim Rice, Bob Feller, Pete Rose, Rod Carew, Gaylord Perry, and Graig Nettles while Series 2 had Johny Bench, Lou Brock, Stan Musial, Willie McCovey, White Ford, Phil Rizzuto, Tom Seaver, Willie Stargell, Brooks Robinson, and Al Kaline.

There was another ’90s Yoo-Hoo set issued in conjunction with Rawlings in 1994.

Rawlings sponsored the Gold Glove award, so the set features past winners. The set is relatively common, but apparently, Yaz signed a few copies that were randomly inserted, though I haven’t found a copy, and apparently, they weren’t certified on the card in any way. BaseballCardPedia wrote that the 1994 set was released in two, 10-card series consisting of eight player cards and two fact cards which is backed up by this piece I found on eBay.

Also, note that since the set’s weren’t licensed so all the team logos were airbrushed out.

Baseball For Breakfast: The 1954 ALAGA Syrup Willie Mays Postcard

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In the world of baseball collectibles, few items hold the mystique of the elusive 1954 ALAGA Syrup Willie Mays Postcard, a collectible so scarce that most collectors won’t ever lay eyes on one in person. Luckily, for avid fans of Willie Mays seeking a connection to the baseball legend’s collaboration with ALAGA, there exists a moderately more accessible treasure — an advertising poster. In this piece, I’ll chat about the details and scarcity of both items while also discussing a few of ALAGA’s magazine and newspaper ads featuring Mays and another baseball luminary, Hank Aaron. 

The Alabama-Georgia (ALAGA) Syrup Company

According to their website, the Alabama-Georgia (ALAGA) Syrup Company was established by Louis Broughton Whitfield, Sr., along with his wife, Willie Vandiver Whitfield, in 1906. The first can of ALAGA syrup was packed in January 1907, and by 1920, “Alaga Syrup had grown into a national brand thanks to the revolutionary manufacturing methods which brought ALAGA syrup to customers throughout the country in metal cans, a remarkable packaging and distribution feat for its day.”

ALAGA Truck

WSFA News 12 published a piece about the company in celebration of it being over a century old. In it, they mention that the company has had some pretty big names endorse the product over the years, including Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Clark Gable, Bear Bryant, Shug Jordan, and Nat King Cole.

1954 ALAGA Syrup Willie Mays Postcard

The year of issue of the 1954 ALAGA Syrup Willie Mays Postcard is approximate. Mays is pictured in a New York Giants cap (they moved to San Francisco in 1957), and ALAGA syrup ads featuring Mays started showing up in 1955 in Ebony Magazine, among other publications, making a 1954 date seem reasonable. 

The front of the 3-1/4″ x 5-1/2″ postcard features a borderless black-and-white portrait with a facsimile autograph.

1954 ALAGA Syrup Willie Mays Postcard – Front

The back has an advertisement for ALAGA syrup, which states, “Willie Mays says, ‘I was raised on ALAGA Syrup’ on the left side with a postage stamp square on the upper right and space to write a note to the right of the ad.

1954 ALAGA Syrup Willie Mays Postcard – Reverse

PSA has only graded the previously pictured example (it resides in the current number 1 ranked Willie Mays Master Set on the registry), and unfortunately, I can’t make out any postage cancels for dating. While the SGC Pop Report doesn’t include the card, and I haven’t run across any Beckett-graded examples, the Trading Card Database includes the following example:

1954 ALAGA Syrup Willie Mays Postcard – TCDB

Given the postcard’s rarity and Mays’s popularity, I couldn’t even begin to estimate its price.

1960s Willie Mays Alaga Syrup Advertisement Poster

Now, if you’re a Willie Mays fan and enjoy having syrup with waffles (order intended) as much as I do, you might want to try and grab one of the 1960s Willie Mays ALAGA syrup Advertising Posters for your collection. They’re approximately 10″ x 20″ and one-sided; it reads ALAGA Syrup along the top, followed by a picture of Mays in the middle with a quote from him reading: “Say hey! Love that real ribbon cane flavor”, followed by a bottle of soup with waffles along the bottom. Goldin sold the following example in April 2017 for $255. 

ALAGA Syrup Advertising Poster Featuring Willie Mays

The posters aren’t super common, but they aren’t as scarce as the postcard. There was a single copy on eBay in Nov 2023 for $539.99 (it was framed and JSA authenticated), and besides the Goldin copy I already mentioned, there have been a few other sales over the years, too. For example, SCP sold a framed copy in November 2010 for $428. Heritage has sold a handful of them, including a framed copy in October 2020 for $192, a lot of three in 2019 for $264, a single copy for $120 in October 2017, another for $199.50 in December 2016, and another in June 2016 for $203.15.

Willie Mays and Hank Aaron ALAGA Syrup Newspaper and Magazine Ads

I mentioned earlier that ads featuring Mays and ALAGA started appearing around 1955; they had quite a nostalgic appeal. In two of the following examples, Mays says he was “raised on Alaga Syrup.” And one says, “It brings back bright memories every time I taste it.” 

ALAGA Ads Featuring Willie Mays

I believe the ads ran for about ten years, starting in the mid-50s; the rightmost Mays Ad, dated to 1963, uses the same image of Mays but includes french toast instead of waffles.

Hank Aaron was featured in various similarly written ads for ALAGA syrup, and the right most of the following four was published in 1966. Unfortunately, I haven’t found any Hank Aaron postcards featuring the ALAGA brand. Also, the third Aaron ad may actually be a poster.

ALAGA Ads Featuring Hank Aaron

This ad featuring Mr. and Mrs. Aaron is my favorite; those pancakes look delicious!

ALAGA Ad Featuring Mr. and Mrs. Hank Aaron

Conclusion and Further Reading

I actually didn’t know the 1954 ALAGA Syrup Willie Mays Postcard existed until I stumbled upon it while flipping through the first few pages of the Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards. Though ownership remains a distant prospect for almost everyone, the poster is a more attainable quest—a cherished piece rumored to have found favor with Mays. I also love it when there are items that bridge the gap between collecting, baseball history, and Americana!

A 1948 Leaf Boxing Complete Set on an Uncut Sheet

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Leslie Hindman Auctioneers ran The Official 14th Annual National Sports Collectors Convention Auction on July 22 and 24, 1993. This 1948 Leaf boxing complete set on an uncut sheet was one of its standout items.

The sheet was lot 482 and was described as follows, “1948 Leaf Boxing Complete Set Uncut Sheet, 49 cards make up this rare sheet. Joe Louis, Jake LaMotta, Tunney, Conn, Corbett, Jack Johnson, Sugar Ray Robinson, Max Baer, Jack Dempsey, etc. Sheet is in excellent to mint condition. $5,000/7,000.”

I’m unsure what it sold for in 1993, but REA re-sold the 17 x 20-inch sheet in the fall of 2020 for $3,120, describing it as having a Vg appearance despite numerous imperfections.

The Artwork for John Schweder’s 1952 Bowman Rookie Card

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Here’s the original artwork used for John Schweder’s 1952 Bowman football rookie card. REA sold it for $1,800 in the fall of 2014, but its sales history goes back to Guernsey’s Topps Auction in 1989 and the 13th Annual NSCC Auction in 1992.

Here’s a bit of the auction history for the card (as much as I could find): first, it was included as an individual lot, 68C, in Guernsey’s Topps Auction in 1989. It sold for $800 plus the 10% buyer’s premium. Here’s a scan of it in the catalog.

Then, it was included as part of Superior Galleries Official 13th Annual National Sports Collectors Convection Auction in July 1992. A color photo was included on the Color Plate 1 page at the front of the catalog (it wasn’t common to include color photos of every item in early ’90s catalogs) and in B&W above its description that simply said “1952 Bowman Football Artwork of John Schweder. A very rare item in Near-Mind condition.” The estimated value then was $1000-1200.

Finally, in the fall of 2014, Robert Edward Auctions sold it for $1800. They included the following item description including the details about the item having been a part of a museum’s collection:

One-of-a-kind original artwork for 1952 Bowman football #72 John Schweder short-print rookie card (Pittsburgh Steelers). This is the actual artwork used in the production of both the 1952 Bowman Small and Large Football series.Original artworks from this set are extremely rare. This artwork has survived beautifully, with bold colors, a flawless surface, and only light wear to the corners. The reverse bears standard production-related remnants along with the pencil-written name of the player. The artwork measures 4 x 6.25 inches and is in overall Excellent or better condition. 

The item in this lot is part of the deaccessioned property of a prominent northeast museum which has selected Robert Edward Auctions to handle the sale of donated sportscards and memorabilia in an effort to fund purchases more in line with the mission and goals of the museum.

And just for completeness, here’s an example of a high-grade Bowman Large variation of Schweder’s card that Memory Lane Inc. sold for $1171 in January 2023.

1911-16 T216 Mino Ty Cobb

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This was the only known T216 Ty Cobb Standing Mino Cigarettes card in May 1992, as featured in the catalog of Richard Wolffers Auctions, Inc.

The lot, number 102, was titled and described as follows in the catalog:

1914 T216 Mino #16b Ty Cobb (Detroit Americans, standing), fairly well centered, gorgeous colors, fabulous gloss with a trivial surface wrinkle at the bottom right, this is the only known Ty Cobb “Mino” and, as such, one of the great tobacco card rarities, Ex-Nr Mt.

The estimated value was $7000-8000.

Now, concerning the claim of it being the only known Ty Cobb Mino back, Love of the Game Auctions wrote a piece about a rare T216 Honus Wagner with a Mino back that they were auctioning and said, “population reports for this issue are unreliable as they do not accurately reflect either the different variations of the set’s cards or the three different backs, it is our belief that there are fewer than a half dozen graded Mino Wagners in existence.” The grading companies each slab them a little differently. PSA puts “T216 People’s Tobacco” on the slab’s flip without a year and does not designate the back type but does add a glossy designation. SGC differentiates the set by the back, either “1911-16 Mino Cigarettes,” “1911-16 Kotton Cigarettes,” or “1911-16 Virgina Extra,” for example.

I did find the following scan of a Ty Cobb Mino on Flickr, with the description “T216 Ty Cobb—Standing—Mino—SGC 10.” It does share a couple of markings with the example in Wolffers’ catalog, but I can’t imagine they would have described this card as Ex-Nr Mt. So, it looks like there are at least two copies in the hobby.

If you want to know more about the set, Pre-War Cards, and Louisiana Cards have nice set overviews, and PSA has the following set profile online:

The T216 baseball set is a product of the People’s Tobacco Company of New Orleans, Louisiana, and was printed with various cigarette advertisement backs including Kotton, Mino and Virginia Extra. Produced from 1911 to 1916, the People’s Tobacco Co. issued this 73-player set over several season and displayed similar images to those of their contemporaries such as the E90-1 and E92 releases. The players hail from the American, National and short-lived Federal (1914-15) Leagues with the images appearing in full-color with his surname, position, team an league printed along the bottom border. The Kotton Cigarettes brand is far scarcer than the other two issues. Kotton offers two variations with one style having glossy image front while the second can be found on very thin stock paper, making high-grade example difficult to find. The backs are printed in black with the Kotton, Mino and Virginia Extra names as well as People’s Tobacco Co. Ltd. Chock-full of Hall of Fame talent, this unnumbered set is anchored by three Ty Cobb variations Christy Mathewson (2) Eddie Plank, Tris Speaker, Honus Wagner (3), Hooke Wiltse and Cy Young, among many others.