In August 2003, Mastro sold a treasure trove from the Exhibit Supply Co. archives: 60 mostly 8″ x 10″ photos used to produce the iconic football Exhibits. Featuring legends like Otto Graham, Marion Motley, and Y.A. Tittle, plus production notes and proof sheets, it’s a remarkable piece of football and hobby history.
Here’s the lots complete description:
A box from the archives of the Exhibit Supply Co. containing 60 photographs that were the original “art” for the production of football Exhibits in the 1950’s. Most measure 8″ x 10″ and average EX in condition with the usual editorial enhancement and tissue overlay. Leading players include Sammy Baugh, Charley Conerly, George Connor, Tom Fears, Otto Graham, Elroy Hirsch, Bobby Layne, Sid Luckman, Johnny Lujack, Ollie Matson, Marion Motley, Y. A. Tittle, Charlie Trippi, Emlin Tunnell, Bulldog Turner, Bob Waterfield and Tank Younger. Also included are production notes and a folded proof sheet for some of the cards.
I wish Mastro had included a photo of that folded proof sheet! Also, I believe the Exhibit football cards (W468) are dated between 1948 and 1952, but those details aside, I think the set features some of the most incredible photography of any set ever made, so owning the originals would be really cool!
Here are a couple of examples of the final production cards pictured above.
By the way, Mastro sold 342 original baseball photos from the Exhibit Supply Co.’s photo archive a few months earlier.
Happy collecting!