The Post War Cards Newsletter #36
A 1966 Topps Salesman Sample, Sy Berger's 1952 Topps Autograph, Gilligan's Island Wrappers, A 1953 Topps Mantle Card, And A FB Proof Back
Happy Thursday!
⚾️ A 1966 Topps Salesman Sample
If you weren’t sure what a salesman sample is, REA described them really well in this lot:
Salesman-sample panels were issued for use exactly as their name suggests: Salesmen were provided these panels in very limited numbers to show and distribute (in person or by mail) as samples to prospective vendors to illustrate what the upcoming series would look like in the hope of promoting sales. The front of the panels appears just like regular-issue cards while the reverse features a short advertising pitch about the new product.
I’ve been studying the niche for years, intending to release a magazine-like product about them, so I get excited whenever I see one pop up for sale. On May 18th, this one from the 1966 Topps set sold on eBay for $331.
These are actually some of the easiest samples to find today. There’s a story about 30 on eBay in September 2017, discussed on the net54 forums. That same month, Mile High Card Company sold 21 of them for $1,172.40. I also recall seeing a large lot on eBay more recently.
👨💼 2004 Topps All Time Fan Favorites Sy Berger Auto
Here’s another super cool item that sold on eBay: a 2004 Topps All Time Fan Favorites Sy Berger FFA-SB on card auto! It went for $220.50.
The 2004 Topps All-Time Fan Favorites set focused on retired players and baseball personalities, on classic Topps Baseball designs. But be careful if you want a Berger auto insert; he also signed a bunch of his base cards, #137, after the set’s release. If you didn’t know, Berger was a pretty big deal in our hobby’s history.
And P.S., Topps produced this set for baseball in 2003, 2004, and 2005.
✍️ Great Hobby Writing
The Topps Archives: Change Of Paice
1939 Bruins: At the one-yard line
The Shlabotnik Report: Three More From 1961 Topps Sports Cars
Sports Collectors Daily: Baseball Cards of the Man Who (Almost) Never Struck Out
Topps Ripped: Topps and Memorial Day | Honoring Heroes Through Trading Cards
Nine Pockets: A Smorgasbord! 1979 Post Raisin Bran Steve Garvey's Baseball Tips
Hobby News Daily: Magnetic Appeal
Sports Collectors Daily: These 3 Players Appeared In 1955 Topps Set — But Never Played A Game In The Majors
🏝️ Unopened Items Of The Week - 1965 Topps Gilligan’s Island
The 1965 Topps Gilligan’s Island set is one of the more interesting non-sports releases of the ‘60s, mostly because of backs that make them so hard to find in good condition. But it also isn’t easy to pick up their wrappers either! On May 15th, this sunglasses variation sold for $174.48 on eBay.
But if you’re a wrapper collector, there are three other variations you’ll need to track down: Sea Shell Hobby Kit, Magic Circle Club, and Bazooka.
PSA graded packs sell for a few thousand dollars, and empty display boxes were going for ~$2k 20 years ago!
Enjoying the newsletter? Considering upgrading to also receive the weekly Unopened Market Report! Monday’s highlighted a 1984 Topps Sticker Factory-Sealed Unopened Counter Display Case, 1980 Topps Baseball Vending Boxes, 1952 and 1953 Topps Wrapper Sales, and 1974 Topps Baseball Factory Set Boxes.
📝 On The Blog
May 22, 2025: Five Underrated Baseball Rookie Cards
May 23, 2025: The Flip Side – The Backs Of Topps Cards
May 24, 2025: How Rare Are 1993 Finest Basketball Cases?
May 25, 2025: 1991 Topps Desert Shield – A Gift From Topps To The Troops
May 26, 2025: The Trader Speaks, Vol 4 No 4 March 1972
May 27, 2025: A 1976 Topps Joe Theismann Progressive Proof Set in Acu-Card Holders
May 28, 2025: Rough But Rare: 1952 Topps Uncut Panels & Strips Featuring 199 Final Process Cards
⚾️ The History Of A Specific 1953 Topps PSA 8 Mickey Mantle Card
I ran across this PSA 8 graded 1953 Topps Mickey Mantle card in Mastro’s November 1999 Millennium Auction. It sold for $8,419, including the 15% buyer’s premium. Then I looked up the cert on PSA, and it had been reslabbed, so I was curious if it had been resold…
Yup! Twice (at least). First, Heritage sold it in 2018 for $33,600 (before the reslabbing). Then, Memory Lane Inc. sold it, after reslabbing to the “w/ Fugitive Ink Technology” slab, in October 2021 for $89.398.90. Other 8s have sold for over $100k at this point, but this is a slightly weaker 8 to me, given its centering. It’s still cool to have been able to trace this one’s history, though.
🏛 From The Topps Archives - 1978 Topps Lyle Alzado Proof Back
Here’s a style of Topps proof I don’t recall seeing before—a layout proof of a card back. This one features Lyle Alzado’s 1978 Topps football card. I’ve included a final version of the card for comparison.
Each section of the back appears to be pasted onto a template for format proofing. The front is blank, and the case has a Topps Vault sticker. It sold on eBay on May 8th for just $5.56.
Happy collecting!