The Post War Cards Newsletter #30

1953 Topps Baseball Uncut Sheet Adjacent Items, 1986 Fleer Jordan Rookies, 1953 Bowman BB/FB Wrappers, And 1959 Topps Baseball Art

Happy Hobby Thursday!

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🐔 A Few More 1953 Topps Baseball Hobby Nuggets

I broke down the history of a pair of reconstructed 1953 Topps baseball uncut sheets back in Newsletter #28, and wouldn’t you know it—soon after, I came across a couple of related items!

First, over on Facebook, on a vintage card collecting club page, Penn Antiques offered for sale the following 1953 Topps 4-card panel, with Mickey Mantle, for $5k (or best offer). While showing considerable wear, it’s the only 1953 Topps panel PSA has graded.

Then, on eBay, and in line with my goal to feature more items from the Topps Archives, is a blank-backed 1953 Topps Baseball Archives 3-Card Strip (with Topps Vault COA). I first saw it as an unsold auction at $24.99, but the seller re-listed it as a buy-it-now price of $44.99.

Next, 1953 Topps Salesman Samples; they’re exceedingly rare and probably the toughest of any baseball example; here’s one featuring Mantle from my archives. Unfortunately, I can't remember where I found it. Interestingly, the three cards are in the opposite order from the PSA-graded panel up above.

You can also find four 1953 cards in the Original Artwork Archive.

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🏀 SCP And RMY Auction Recaps

SCP had two six-figure items in its 2025 Spring Premier Auction, which closed on April 5th: Brian Wilson's 2010 San Francisco Giants World Series Champions 14K Gold Ring ($216k) and a PSA 10 1986 Fleer Michael Jordan ($168k).

There are 326 Gem Mint Jordan “rookies,” though I must say, the print dot/eyeball along the top of this one is a little distracting, but it’s not my money! Also, remember in the summer of 2021 when the ‘86 Fleer Jordan rookie was selling for >$500k, and the talk of the hobby was that this card could be a $1M? That could still happen, of course, but the hobby loves a hype cycle.

SCP also sold a ton of signed baseball cards, which is perhaps still the hobby’s hottest niche. A few notable examples were a 1954 Topps Jackie Robinson ($39k), a 1963 Topps NL HR Leaders Signed by Mays, Aaron, Banks, Cepeda & F. Robinson ($9k), and a 1958 Topps World Series Batting Foes with Mantle and Aaron ($8,400).

RMY, which focuses on vintage photography, had an auction close on April 12th. The big card-related image was a PSA Type 1 Image of George Mikan used for his 1948 Bowman Rookie Card ($18,942). The pictured PSA 8 graded ‘48 Bowman Mikan was sold by REA in 2020 for $96k.

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✍️ Great Hobby Writing

• Night Owl Cards: Prioritizing Heritage

• Japanese Baseball Cards: Hiroyuki Nakajima

• Sports Collectors Daily: Despite a Few Offsides, Topps & O-Pee-Chee Shoot and Score with 1969-70 Hockey Sets – Part 1 & Bristling With Character: A ‘Modern’ History Of Players Sporting Mustaches On Baseball Cards

• Sports Collectors Daily: Them’s Fightin’ Words: A Wacky Look at 1969-70 Topps & O-Pee-Chee Hockey Sets – Part 2

• The Topps Archives: Hoodwinked

• Nachos Grande: Blog Bat Around: Junk Wax Cardboard Treasures

• Baseball Cards Come To Life: 1974 Topps Deckle Dating: Jim Palmer

• Nine Pockets: A Cereal Box Prize Leads to a Card Purchase

• Topps Ripped: 2001 | A Bowman Baseball Odyssey

• Collectibles on SI: The Super Rare 1972 Carlton Fisk Rookie Card PSA 10

• SABR's Baseball Cards Research Committee: An Ambitious Set that Nearly Pulls Off the Impossible

• Cards As I See Them: 42 for everyone

• Sports Collectors Digest: Topps checked into NHL with colorful 1954 hockey set featuring Gordie Howe

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🎨 Unopened Item Of The Week - 1953 Bowman Baseball And Football Wrappers

I did a deep dive into the 1953 Bowman Baseball Black & White Unopened family back in the eleventh Unopened Market Report, but there’s one extra thing I wanted to mention. Isn’t it cool how similarly themed the baseball and football wrappers were that year?! Bowman must have used the same graphic designer for both sets!

These specific wrappers were sold at Collect Auctions in August 2020, with the baseball example fetching $572 and the football wrapper closing for $166.

Enjoying the newsletter? Considering upgrading for the weekly Unopened Market Report! Monday’s featured BBCE Auctions And 1989 Fleer Baseball Cases, A 1970 Topps Topps Football Wax Case, Two 1982/83 OPC Hockey Packs, 1969 Topps Fun Packs, and 1968 Bazooka Panels - Unopened Or Not?

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📝 On The Blog

• Apr 10, 2025: A Quick Look at NFL and AFL Trading Card Rights in the Early 1960s

• Apr 11, 2025: A Near-Set Of 1959 Bazooka Football Cards, Including Rare Promo Tabs, Hit the Auction Block In 2009

• Apr 12, 2025: With $500, Which Hockey Cards Would You Buy?

• Apr 13, 2025: Another Incredible P.F. Canvas Shoe Advertisement With Williams, Berra, Feller, And More!

• Apr 14, 2025: The Only Topps Basketball Release to Feature the San Diego Sails

• Apr 15, 2025: A $50 Deal for Cardboard History: Willie Mays’ Signed Topps Check for His 1954 Baseball Card

• Apr 16, 2025: Rare Vintage Advertising – 1950s Leo Durocher Sugar Crisp Cereal Store Display

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🏛 From The Topps Archives - 1959 (And 1960) Topps Jerry Davie Original Art

A cool piece of hobby history is listed on eBay right now: the original art from the Topps Vault used for Jerry Davie’s 1959 and 1960 Topps cards. It has a $1,200 Buy It Now price.

Davie only played eleven games in Major League Baseball but still appeared in both of these great post-war Topps sets. Unfortunately, Topps used the same picture for both.

If $1,200 feels a bit high, the seller may offer a discount to those who add it to their watchlist. Based on market trends, $500-600 seems more reasonable for common players. The Sports Card Art page on Precious Paper has similar examples in that range.

Happy collecting!