The Post War Cards Newsletter #44
The 1st NSCC Show, Vintage Non-Sports 20th Auction, A '70/71 OPC HK Case, Original '63 Topps Cartoon Art, And Card Room Live
Happy Thursday!
🧳 The 1st National Sports Collectors Convention
With the 2025 National Sports Collectors Convention kicking off next week, it’s a good time to look back at the first one, held in 1980 at the Los Angeles Marriott Airport Hotel. Here's the program cover, which sold for $119.50 via Leland’s in January 2016. You can browse the entire thing on the net54baseball forums.
Collectors can also hunt down 11” x 17” show posters, which have sold for more than the programs (I need both; let me know if you’ve got one).
For more on the show's history, check out these pieces:
📇 Vintage Non-Sports 20th Auction
Back on the 13th of July, Vintage Non-Sports cards closed their 20th auction. A few of the pricey highlights included an E50 John Dockman Wild West Gum General Geo Armstrong Custer ($5,207), an N412 Marburg Seal of North Carolina Statesmen and Actresses "General U.S. Grant" ($4,804), an “N” and “T” Type Card Collection of (322) Cards in Early Album with Key Cards ($4,356), an R73 Goudey Gum Indian Gum Complete Set of (216) cards ($4,356), and an R145 Gum Inc. Superman #1 Superman SGC 2.5 ($4,212).
But the real highlight, and treat to see, was a Tobacco Card Album Collection of (32) with A16 Ginter Champions and More that sold for $6,545. As they wrote in the description, the lot included a substantial portion of all the tobacco albums issued. Reassembling a group like this again would take years.
The lot of 7 PSA-Graded 1960 Bazooka Presidents Uncut Panels (that I shared in NL #41) went unsold with a minimum bid of $400.
Finally, they also sold a copy of James C. Watson’s Non-Sports Bible for $350, it’s a must-have for any hobby library and was limited to 500 copies. I shared a 2008 advertisement for the book in NL #34.
✍️ Great Hobby Writing
Cereal & Geatin: The 1955 Through 1964 Post Cereal and Jell-O Gelatin Sports Promotion (Volume One)
SABR's Baseball Cards Research Committee: Unpacking the 1981 Topps Thirst Break test issue
The Topps Archives: Salad Days
The Chronicles of Fuji: On This Date
Japanese Baseball Cards: A Brief History Of NPB Collectible Card Games - Part 1 - Takara
Sports Collectors Daily: Hands, Hats & Heads Hijinks: Topps Vintage Box Zaniness – Part 5
Nine Pockets: Completed Set: 1981-82 Topps Hockey
Night Owl Cards: C.A.: 1979 Warner Brothers Records Promo M
Number 5 Type Collection: Bucket Cards: Five Lesser-Known Babe Ruths
🏒 Unopened Item Of The Week - A 1970-71 OPC Hockey Case
I shared the following linked video in the 24th Unopened Market Report (consider upgrading your subscription), but I feel it’s been underreported. I can’t remember the last time a vintage hockey case popped up in the hobby! Here’s a link to a video featuring the “Unbelievable Find” of a 1970–71 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Case.
📝 On The Blog
July 17, 2025: The Trader Speaks, May 1976
July 19, 2025: The Hidden Brilliance Behind Dallas Green’s 1960 Topps Rookie Card
July 20, 2025: A Rare Relic: 1970-71 O-Pee-Chee Hockey Shipping Case Surfaces After 55 Years
July 21, 2025: Heritage Sold a Signed 1953 Roger Maras Card for $22,570—Here Are the Details and Related Items
July 22, 2025: 1958’s Rare Regionals
July 23, 2025: A 1957 Topps Salesman Sample With Don Drysdale On The Back Surfaces on eBay for $12,995
July 24, 2025: A Rare 1965 Topps Baseball Box Topper Promoting “Press-Ons”
🏛 From The Topps Archives - 1963 Topps Joe Schaffernoth #463 Cartoon Art
The following cartoon art from the back of Joe Schaffernoth’s 1963 Topps card went unsold at $50 a few weeks ago.
What’s interesting, beyond its provenance to the Guernsey’s Topps auction, is that, unlike a lot of Topps cartoon art, which is often just the illustration, this piece was designed to span the full width of the card back, including space for the card number and player vitals box.
⚾️ Card Room Live
Kudos to Bowman53 (Alex) and his Card Room Live show on YouTube, a hangout for vintage collectors. Keep up the great work! I am concerned, though, that the 1953 Bowman Color only has 160 cards, and you’re already at session 135!
Happy collecting!