What’s super cool about the 1955 Topps Doubleheaders uncut panels is how clearly they show the continuous artwork designed into the backgrounds on the cards!
Mastro offered this particular copy in their April 2006 catalog. Here’s the complete description:
Collectors of individual ’55 Topps “Doubleheaders” cards appreciate the items’ clever design and 2-in-1 player format, but they might remain unaware of yet another eye-catching feature: when placed side-by-side in the correct sequence, the collectibles’ backgrounds merge into a realistically constructed stadium-setting tableau. That marvelously artistic detail is graphically revealed in the very scarce uncut panel of six “Doubleheaders” cards here offered. In this still-attached half-dozen, which clearly shows that multi-play-er paintings were neatly sectioned to create the original single-card images, the items’ subjects can be seen standing in front of a dugout, a batting cage, and consistent rows of seats. A great display piece! The panel’s cards include: #’s 11/12, 13/14, 15/16, 17/18, 19/20 and 21 Skowron/22. The uncut relic measures 4-3/4″ x 12-1/2″, and presents an EX condition appearance with irregular border cuts and natural handling faults confined to the periphery.
If you want to see all the baseball panoramas featured in the Doubleheaders set, check out this post on The Topps Archives called Double Your Pleasure, which features Roger Nisly’s compiled handiwork from various auction catalogs over the years.
In 1954 and 1955, when kids were ripping packs of Topps baseball cards, many were undoubtedly disappointed when they learned that they wouldn’t be pulling a Mickey Mantle card. And the reason why is simple, Topps never printed them. This article will explain why and show a few of my favorite custom 1954 Topps and 1955 Topps Mickey Mantle cards and the versions Topps has shared.
Topps didn’t print a Mantle card as part of its 1954 or 1955 baseball sets because it legally couldn’t. Bowman and Topps had such a fierce rivalry in the early post-war era that they each tried to sign exclusive agreements with the most popular players to differentiate their products. In 1954 and 1955, Bowman managed to sign Mantle. In 1956, Topps purchased Bowman, so Topps sets were more “complete” from that point forward.
However, even though Topps didn’t print a Mantle card in 1954, it didn’t stop them from publishing an example of what one would have looked like on paper stock. They partnered with Sports Illustrated Magazine in 1954 and printed a black & white Mantle “card.”
Sports Illustrated Black and White 1954 Topps Mickey Mantle
Sports Illustrated wanted to boost magazine sales and included 27 paper-thin cards in its first two editions. The first edition included stars like Jackie Robinson, Willie Mays, Ted Williams, Duke Snider, and Eddie Mathews. The second edition was exclusively Yankees, and the 27 printed cards included a 1954 Topps-style Mickey Mantle card.
Sports Illustrated Magazine – First and Second Weekly Issues
Topps also, many years later, gave us an example of a 1955 Topps Mickey Mantle card. Topps was printing their own magazine during the peak of the junk-wax era, and in their third edition, released in the summer of 1990, they had a special on “Mantle Mania,” and the center-fold included a 1955 Topps Mickey Mantle style card.
Many other collectors and hobbyists have produced custom 1954 and 1955 Topps cards, but my favorites come from hobby pioneer Bob Lemke, who unfortunately passed away in 2017. On his blog, you can read about his custom efforts: “Ho-Hum … another 1954 Topps-style Mantle. But mine has a story” and “My ’55 Mantle completes Topps-style customs.” I think it’s fantastic that he re-used the portrait that he put on the 1954 custom on his 1955 Mantle, too, just as Topps often did back then.
Bob Lemke’s 1954 Topps Mickey Mantle Custom Card – Front
Bob Lemke’s 1954 Topps Mickey Mantle Custom Card – Reverse
Bob Lemke’s 1955 Topps Mickey Mantle Custom Card – Front
Bob Lemke’s 1955 Topps Mickey Mantle Custom Card – Reverse
Bob Lemke’s 1955 Topps Mickey Mantle Custom Card – Red Variation
Bob Lemke’s 1955 Topps Mickey Mantle Custom Card – Green Variation
I’m sure that many Mantle collectors are bummed that Bowman had the exclusive contract to print his cards in 1954 and 1955. But their pocketbooks must be thankful; can you imagine how pricey those Topps cards would be now? Leave your price estimates down in the comments, and happy collecting!
In my post about Seven 1954 Bowman Unopened Five-Cent Wax Packs, I mentioned that they originated from the famous Paris, Tennesse, find, which I said I would detail in a future post. Well, here’s a look back at Mr. Mint’s Find II of unopened material.
First, a “find” is when old trading cards surface with significant value that few collectors know about. And usually, those finds have a great story related to them. Alan Rosen used those stories to grow his brand (before branding was a thing in the hobby) through advertising and word of mouth.
Alan Rosen – The Buying Machine – Advertisement
Mr. Mint’s Find II was his >$400k 1954 and 1955 unopened box find from 1987 in Paris, Tennessee. Thanks to the Wayback Machine, I pulled the following screen capture from Mr. Mint’s old website, describing the Find II as having over 500 unopened boxes of 1954 and 1955 Topps and Bowman baseball cards. Plus, an additional 250+ boxes of 1954 and 1955 Bowman football unopened boxes, along with some 1955 Bowman baseball sets (I’ve read they were all missing Charles King’s card, who lived in Paris, TN).
Mr. Mint’s Major Finds via the Wayback Machine
In a November 20, 1987 advertisement, Rosen also wrote that he was called to the deal by three Paris, Tennessee collector/dealers who came across the find in the basement of a former candy wholesaler. Many boxes were ruined by bugs and thrown away, and about a third were water-damaged (some vintage packs on the market from this find show brown stains on the wrapper).
Alan Rosen’s The Find II Advertisement
You can see from the advertisement that he was selling:
1954 Bowman baseball 5-cent packs for $125 and boxes for $2500.
1955 Bowman baseball 5-cent packs for $150 and boxes for $3000.
1955 Topps baseball 5-cent packs for $200 and boxes for $3500.
1954 Bowman football 5-cent packs for $20 and boxes for $425
1954 Bowman football 1-cent packs for $10 and boxes for $1000.
Many of these products were bought and ripped to complete sets; indeed, many high-grade cards in today’s graded market came from this find. But the prices have skyrocketed for those who managed to hang on to the unopened products. Here are a few recent sales:
A 1954 Bowman baseball 5-cent wax pack graded PSA 8 sold for $4200 in the fall of 2021
A 1955 Bowman Baseball 5-cent wax pack graded PSA 7 sold for $4680 in the Fall of 2021
A 1955 Bowman Baseball 5-cent wax pack graded PSA 8 sold for $7200 in the Fall of 2021
A 1955 Topps Baseball 5-cent wax pack graded PSA 5 sold for $36000 in the Spring of 2022, yes, $36k. REA wrote that it almost certainly originated from the 1987 Paris find.
An empty 1955 Topps baseball 5-cent box sold for $1620 in the Summer of 2020
A 1954 Bowman Football 5-cent wax pack graded PSA 8 sold for $1740 in the Summer of 2020
A 1954 Bowman Football 1-cent wax pack graded PSA 8 sold for $420 in the Summer of 2020
A 1954 Bowman Football 5-cent wax box sold for $46800 in July 2020
A 1954 Bowman Football 1-cent wax box sold for $32400 in May 2020
It’s almost impossible to put a current market value at what a find like this one would go for today; the market saturation would be so incredible that if I found it, I would probably try to keep it a secret.
You might think that most cards have already been “found,” but that isn’t true. We keep reading announcements about previously privately held collections, so keep your eyes open and happy collecting!
Here’s George Woodruff’s portrait of Ted Williams that Fleer used as the photo on the box and wrapper of their 1959 set!
Mastro sold the 8” x 10” portrait in July 1998.
And yes, Topps used the same picture on the Splendid Splinter’s 1954 (#250), 1955, and 1956 Topps cards.
In terms of dating the photo, Memory Lane Inc. sold a Type 1 example for $1,501.20 in October 2017 and estimated the issue date right after Williams’ return from his final 1953 Korean War stint.
