A 1957 Topps Salesman Sample strip was recently listed on eBay by seller chippercards for $12,995. The front features Jim Piersall, Pee Wee Reese, and Harvey Kuenn. The back includes promotional sales text and the back of a Don Drysdale card.
Drysdale is numbered 37 on the sample. In the final 1957 Topps set, Drysdale is card number 18. The cartoon on the sample also differs from the one used on his actual card.
Here are both backs next to each other for an easier comparison with Drysdale’s #37 sample on top and final card #18 on the bottom.
Card #37 in the final release is Frank Torre.
There are other known 1957 Topps Salesman Samples with different card backs. Examples include ones showing Frank Robinson, Clint Courtney, and Thomas Sturdivant.
These samples were released early to generate interest and encourage pre-orders, so the final checklist likely wasn’t set when Topps printed this one.
Happy collecting!
P.S. I’m currently working on a broader anthology about salesman samples—similar in concept to the one I recently mentioned, covering MSA discs, in my piece A Quick Look at the 1977 Holiday Inn MSA Discs. So, if you have any interesting information to share about them, please get in touch!
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