Original Artwork

The Original Artwork For The 1953 Bowman #51 John Karras Football Card

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Here’s a true hobby one-of-one: the original artwork for card number 51 in Bowman’s 1953 football set, featuring John Karras of the Chicago Cardinals.

The piece was a part of Mastro’s December 2005 Sports Premier Catalog Auction. They described it as a hand-crafted artifact measuring 3-1/8” x 4-5/8” (larger than the as-issued card). The item description mentioned that the item’s corners were chipped as a function of the working process. Also, the art piece was matted with an Ex sample of the final card on display measuring 11-3/4” x 15”, but Mastro didn’t share a photo of the combined display in the catalog.

So, here’s an example of the published Karras Bowman football card.

Happy collecting.

PS, check out The Original Artwork Archive if you want to see more pieces like this one.

Exploring the Cosmos: Two Topps Space Cards Original Artworks

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Here are a pair of Topps Space Cards original artworks that Mastro offered in his June 2008 Classic Collector Auction.

Dating these is complicated. According to the Non-Sports Bible, the 1957 Topps Space Cards came out in 1957 with backs printed in black and blue tones, and their English version (U.K.) was printed in 1958 by A&BC. But there’s also a blue-colored back set issued in 1958 called “Target: Moon,” and Watson states that no one can say which was issued first, “Space” or “Target: Moon,” even though he dated the Space set to 1957. The salmon-colored backed cards were re-issued in 1967 as part of a game. However, in 2013, it seems like The Topps Archives settled on 1957 for Space Cards and 1958 for Target: Moon.

That said, it’s highly probable that just a single original artwork exists for each card. And for reference, a few others have sold for between $1,300 and $2,700. Also, “Testing A Space Pilot” is card #11, and “Robot Nears Moon” is card #8 in the 88-card set.

In case you’re curious, I found both sets’ penny and nickel wrappers on this Vintage Non-Sports Forum thread.

Happy collecting, and don’t forget to check out The Original Artwork Archive for more!

The 1984 Topps Gremlins Rack Pack Display Box Artwork

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Old catalogs, new discoveries! From the October 2007 Classic Collector Auction Catalog: 1984 Topps Gremlins Rack Pack Display Box Production Artwork and Color Proof Sheets.

Remember, the Classic Collector Auctions from Mastro were internet-only, so the catalogs rarely included any item descriptions.

You can find unique wax boxes for this set’s American (Topps) and Canadian (O-Pee-Chee) releases. However, I think the rack packs were only distributed in the US.

Here are all the boxes I could find; first, an OPC variation that REA sold for $270 in May 2023.

Next, here’s a Topps X-out variation that Collect Auctions sold in March 2022 for $110.

Also, because it’s cool, Huggins & Scott sold a sealed case of Topps Gremlins cards for $1,230 in August 2021; they’re pretty tough to track down now.

Finally, this 1984 Topps Gremlins Rack Box Case and three BBCE-wrapped (but not marked FASC) boxes, which you can compare to the proofs above, were offered on Facebook in February 2024 for $1,750.

Happy collecting, and don’t forget to check out The Unopened Archive!

Hidden Highlight: The 1962 Topps Ken Hubbs Flexichrome Artwork from the 1995 NSCC Auction

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The 1995 National Sports Collector’s Convention Auction featured some remarkable items, including the 1962 Topps Flexichrome artwork for card 461, Ken Hubbs’ rookie card, tucked away as lot 169.

Here’s the lots full description:

1962 TOPPS ORIGINAL FLEXICHROME ARTWORK FOR CARD # 461 KEN HUBBS ROOKIE
4 1/2 inch by 5 1/2 inch original one of a kind flexichrome for Ken Hubbs, “Rookie Of The Year” in 1962, killed in a plane crash in 1964, multicolored artwork comes with the 1962 Topps card final process #461, artwork is in perfect condition with no defects.
MINIMUM BID: 200.00

Guernsey’s doesn’t appear to have sold it in their famous Topps Auction in 1989, but I may have missed it in that catalog. If you know the flexichrome’s provenance, let me know!

Finally, here’s a super clean copy of the final card, a PSA 9 that REA sold for $510 in May 2022.

And don’t forget to check out The Original Artwork Archive for more items like these!

The Original Artwork for Gordie Howe’s 1957/58 Topps Hockey Card

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The Official 13th Annual National Sports Collectors Convention Auction, held July 8-10, 1992, included a ton of incredible items, including the original Flexi-Chrome for Gordie Howe’s 1957/58 Topps hockey card! Superior Galleries only provided color scans for about 1/5 of its items on color plates at the beginning of the catalog; luckily, they included this one!

They described the item as follows:

This is the original artwork for the Gordie Howe card of that year A very rare and desirable item. Framed and matted with the Flexi-Chrome, and beneath it the actual card which has been autographed by Gordie Howe. This originally came out of the Gurnsey-Topps auction in 1989. A very rare hockey piece.


Overall Excellent condition. $6000-8000

Here’s a scan from Guernsey’s Topps Auction catalog showing the Gordie Howe Hockey Flexichrome. It sold for $1,600 plus the 10% buyer’s premium.

The PSA/DNA Certified Pop Report contains nine 1957 Topps Gordie Howe cards; this PSA 5/Auto 9 sold for $1,112 on eBay in February 2023.

Check out The Original Artwork Archive for more!

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.

Check out The Original Artwork Archive for more!

The Original Artwork Archive

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Welcome to the Original Artwork Archive! This is the hub for all the articles I’ve written about original artwork used to produce cards, sorted by sport and set. A lot of these pieces originate from the Topps Archives and Guernsey’s Topps auction, while others remain “lost,” buried in private collections. But thanks to the hobby library, I can scan and share photos from these and other past auctions and magazines, preserving these treasures for collectors to enjoy.

If you have any examples to share, shoot me an e-mail.

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Hockey

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