Wax Wrapper

14 1950’s and 1960’s Topps Display Boxes

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You just don’t see lots with this many vintage Topps display boxes as you used to when Ron Oser Enterprises offered these 14 together in April 2001.

All were described as five-cent 24-count boxes (unless noted) in excellent or better condition. The lot included the following items:

  • 1951 Topps Red Back (one cent 120 count)
  • 1958 Topps
  • 1959 Topps dated
  • 1959 Topps undated
  • 1960 Topps with a “5th Series” label on top
  • 1961 Topps dated
  • 1962 Topps
  • 1962 Topps with “stamps” ad – along with 9 off-condition 1962 wrappers inside the box
  • 1964 Topps (2)
  • 1965 Topps with Mantle, Koufax, & Killebrew – one wrapper inside the box
  • 1966 Topps
  • 1969 Topps Baseball Stamps – filled with 75 stamp albums

1952 Topps Look ‘n See One-Cent Display Box

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I’ve studied the unopened hobby niche for a while, and this is the first 1952 Topps Look ‘n See One-Cent Display Box I’ve seen. It was offered for sale in an April 2004 auction catalog along with a five-cent wrapper.

The cards from the 1952 Topps Look ‘n See set aren’t particularly scarce, but the unopened material rarely surfaces.

The 6-1/2” x 6-1/2” x 2” EX/MT conditioned display box originally held 120 1-cent wax packs.

1956 Topps Elvis Presley Five-Cent Wax Box With 24 Packs

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Time for another Carpet o’ Wax! This time, 24 1956 Topps Elvis Presley Five-Cent Wax Packs!

Mastro offered this non-sport classic in their April 2004 catalog; here’s the photo of the box they included with the packs.

The box has a factory-placed strip of clear tape and bears a “36 count” overprint, indicating that its contents were marketed in Canada.

The reference number for this 66-card set is R710-1. Most cards are marked “Bubbles Inc.,” so you may also see the set referred to as the 1956 Bubbles Elvis Presley card, which Topps also distributed in penny packs and vending boxes.

1954 Topps Display Box and Three Wrappers

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1954 Topps baseball boxes are extraordinarily desirable (Hello Ted Williams!); Ron Oser Enterprises sold this one in December 2000 with three wrappers.

The lot’s description mentioned that the box had been repaired and glued but was otherwise in VGEX condition. 

Rockhurst Auctions re-sold the exact same box in April 2024 for $8,050.

If you’re a vintage display box collector, I’ve seen the following 1954 Topps baseball box variations:

  • 5-cent, 6-card, dated, 24-count (Ted Williams design); the box pictured above
  • 5-cent, 6-card, undated, 24-count (Ted Williams design)
  • 5-cent, 4-card (Canadian), dated, 36-count (Ted Williams design)
  • 5-cent, 4-card (Canadian), undated, 36-count (Ted Williams design)
  • 5-cent, 6-card, undated, 24-count (Green/Red design)
  • 1-cent, dated, 120-count (Green/Red design)
  • 1-cent, undated, 120-count (Green/Red design)

1951 Topps Animals of the World One-Cent Display Box And Wrapper

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Yesterday, I shared a 1950 Topps Bring ‘Em Back Alive One-Cent display box, so today, I figured I’d share the box for the set’s sequel, 1951 Topps Animals of the World!

This one-cent display box was the preceding lot to the Frank Buck’s box in Mastro’s April 2004 catalog. This wrapper accompanied the box.

The box was described as being in near-mint condition, while the wrapper was described as EX.

This set is designated R714-1 by the American Card Catalog, and the cards featured artwork by Mary Lee Baker. They came as singles (1 card per pack for a penny) and perforated 2-card panels (6 cards/5-cent pack), and the panels command a premium. Also, the cards issued as singles have white cardboard stock on the back, while the panels have gray cardboard on the back.

If you want a slabbed wax pack, PSA has graded seven 1950 Topps Bring ‘Em Back Alive wax packs and ten 1951 Topps Animals of the World wax packs.

1950 Topps Frank Buck’s Bring ‘Em Back Alive One-Cent Display Box And Wrapper

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Here’s an impossibly scarce Topps display box from their early years as a company that once held 120 penny packs of Frank Buck’s Bring ‘Em Back Alive cards.

Mastro offered this box in their April 2004 Americana Premier Catalog Auction, which included the most ridiculous selection of non-sports cards I’ve ever seen. The box came with the following Canadian-printed wrapper.

The lot’s description said Topps produced the box in 1951, but the community seems to have settled on a 1950 labeling for the set with an American Card Catalog Designation of R714-2 (ACC# R714-2). The box was described as being in near-mint condition, while the wrapper was described as EX.

Heritage sold the following box, which looks like it could be the same one Mastro did, for $504 in May 2024.

Also, for some reason, my Sport Americana Price Guide to the Non-Sports Cards 1930-1960 describes this as a Bowman set, but you can see the bottom of the box has a Topps copyright with a 1950 date. I think it was just a typo, though. When referencing it elsewhere in the book, they referred to the set as a Topps-produced one.

The Non-Sports Bible says the 100-card set “was originally issued as 2-card panels that are now quite difficult to find intact. ‘Animals of the World’ is sequel to this set. Panels command a premium due to scarcity.” Despite not mentioning it, I’m pretty sure the one-cent packs had just a single card. And more about the Animals of the World set in tomorrow’s blog post.