The Post War Cards Newsletter #11
Apologies for the delay in this week’s newsletter delivery! I had to shift the hosting back to Substack, like during the newsletter’s previous iteration.
And don't forget to check your spam folders; weekly issues continue every Thursday!
🕹️ Topps Swag Throwback: The '90s Gear Every Kid Wanted
While Topps Magazine was essentially an advertisement for the company, it offered plenty of great hobby insights alongside their peddling of the following examples of now incredibly nostalgic, branded swag:
Topps also ran a slew of giveaways offering everything from signed posters to cards, but we'll dive into those another time.
💵 Interesting eBay Sales - A Steve Carlton Signed 1963 Topps Check
A unique item popped up on eBay a few weeks ago: a Steve Carlton-signed Topps check issued on September 13, 1963.
It's a pre-rookie signature—Carlton debuted in MLB as a 20-year-old in 1965. In 1963, he was a student at Miami-Dade College North when he signed with the St. Louis Cardinals for a $5,000 bonus.
The check sold for $146.50.
✍️ Great Hobby Writing
SABR's Baseball Cards Research Committee: An Essay: What is the Meaning of Baseball Cards?
Night Owl Cards: Thank You Letters
Droittarder's Sports Memorabilia: Bill Mazeroski TTM Return
Sports Card Info: 5 Historic Thanksgiving Day Trading Cards for 2024
Cards As I See Them: Boat of Note
Pre-War Collector: (New)sy Lalonde C60 Imperial Lacrosse Error Card Discovered
When Topps Had (Base)Balls: Dedicated Rookies: 1962 Bob Veale
The Topps Archives: Oh Ye-a-a-a-h!
📂 Unopened Item(s) Of The Week - Already Opened Unopened
In the past few months, eBay has had a handful of "hobby interesting" but under-the-radar "unopened" sales.
First, back in April, a collector started unloading a giant collection of baseball display boxes on eBay, including seven from 1960 Topps with three from the 6th Series.
This lot of seven boxes first sold for $400, but I suppose the buyer didn't pay, so they were re-listed and, to the seller's benefit, sold for $598 on April 24th.
Next, a rare 1969 Topps Wacky Ads wrapper sold for $177.53 on November 14th. According to the Non-Sports Bible, the set was Topps' second experiment with product parody (the first being Wacky Package Die-Cuts).
Next, on November 21st, a display box for the 1959 Nu-Cards Rock & Roll Recoding Stars set sold for $112.50.
Finally, a display box from Exhibits Supply Co. sold on November 21st for $68.99 from the same seller as the Nu-Cards box.
I've written a bit about these Exhibits boxes on the blog before. But the real expert is Adam Warshaw; you can read online from him that "ESCO sold refill cards direct to vendors, although in the 1960’s the company did package its cards into celluloid wrappers for direct sales to consumers (the fact that the company was out of business only a few years after trying direct sales of card packs is proof of the effectiveness of the strategy)." For more, I highly recommend his book Exhibit and Related Sports Arcade Cards.
📝 On The Blog
November 28. 2024: Beyond the Diamond: Fleer's Legal Battle Led to Innovation and the Quirky 1965 and 1966 Weird-Ohs Sets
November 29, 2024: 1950s Ted Williams Moxie Die-Cut Advertising Sign
November 30, 2024: 1950s Baseball Buttons Complete Store Display Sheet
November 30, 2024: Kit Young's Advertisements for Stan-The-Man's Official 1964 Rack-Um-Up Bat Rack
December 1, 2024: Where's Wahoo? The 1993 Cleveland Indians Media Guide Cover
December 1, 2024: The Original Artwork Archive
December 2, 2024: 1960 Topps World Series Cards' Original Artwork
December 3, 2024: The Rarest Rookie Cards: The 1964 Topps Rookie All-Star Banquet Set
December 4, 2024: A Bob Feller Popsicle Advertising Display
📰 In The News
MarketWatch: GameStop Appoints Nat Turner to Board, Tightens Links With Collectors
Sports Collectors Daily: CEO of Beckett Parent Company Pleads Guilt in Insurance Fraud Case
Reuters: Panini and Paige Buickers Tip-Off Exclusive Multi-Year Trading Card Partnership
Sports Collectors Daily: Tallying Recent Card Grading Numbers for Mantle, Jordan, Griffey, More
Nat Turner's X Account: Send PSA Graded Items to eBay
Collectibles on SI: Greatest Facebook Marketplace Find Ever? $75 Buy Yields Babe Ruth, Jackie Robinson
Baseball America: The Most Graded MLB Rookies and Prospect Baseball Cards in 2024
Sports Collectors Daily: Collectors' Night in NYC Brings out the Best
ESPN: Shohei Ohtani Seeks $325k Worth of Baseball Cards from Ex-Interpreter
Shreveport Times: FBI Seeking Louisiana Victims of Sports Memorabilia, Cannabis Dispensary Scheme
Sports Collectors Daily: Tickets Go on Sale as National Sports Collectors Convention Expands
Collectibles on SI: Beckett Grading in Free Fall According to November GemRate Report
Fox Business: Fanatics Fest 2025 Dates Announced as Digital Sports Giant Promises even bigger festival
📈 In The Hobby Library - A Topps Chewing Gum Incorporated Annual Report
You'll often see the following two photos shared around the hobby.
But most people don't know that they came from Topps' annual report for the year ending March 2, 1974.
The first image had this caption, "The broad line of innovative, fast-selling Topps products presents opportunities that attract customers into stores and stimulate sales."
The assembly line photo had this description, "High speed equipment at its 400,000 square foot manufacturing plant in Duryea, Pennsylvania produced a record amount of Topps products during 1973."
The report contains even more fantastic pictures, which I'll share over time on my social media, in blog posts, and future newsletters.
Happy collecting!