John

Tom Seaver’s 1969 Topps Contract Extension

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Here’s another historically significant Topps contract, signed by Tom Seaver on March 8, 1969 – the spring of the year the Amazin’ Mets would win the World Series!

Mastro auctioned off this contract in September 2000 with the following description:

Not just any Topps contract extension, this one is dated 1969! Who would know that Seaver would finish with a 25-7 record fueled by a 2.21 ERA? Or that the Amazin’ Mets would win the World Series? Seaver got the Cy Young, and Topps got a two-year extension for the bonus payment of a whopping $75 or a gift – whichever he wanted to choose. The contract, signed and dated March 8, 1969, has a bold ballpoint Seaver signature that extends over two portions of the typing on the contract. It grades at least a 9.

The contract reads:

Agreement between George Thomas Seaver Player, and TOPPS CHEWING GUM, INC.

We, the undersigned, hereby agree to extend the term of our present contract, plus extensions, if any, for an additional period of two years or two full Baseball Seasons, as the case may be, on the same terms and conditions contained in said contract. This extension agreement shall be governed by the Laws of the State of New York.

A bonus payment of $75.00 (or as his choice an extension gift as offered by Topps in lieu of his bonus payment), will be due the player the first time after signing this extension that he is or becomes an active member of a Major League Baseball Team between May 15 and August 15.

Here’s a cleaner copy of the contract courtesy of PSA’s Tom Seaver AutographFacts page.

And here’s another extension contract signed by Seaver in March 1975. Lelands tried to sell it, but by the final bid of $838 in August 2006, failed to meet the reserve.

Happy collecting!

Fleer’s 18-Year Comeback Fight!

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A few weeks ago, after sharing an article from Baseball Cards Magazine about 1952 Topps cards, a collector wrote how much he missed baseball card journalism’s good old days. So here’s another excellent example about 1963 Fleer cards!

Rober L. Parker wrote this piece, which Baseball Cards Magazine published in their 2nd issue (Vol 1, No.2) in 1981.

“Reports of Fleer’s demise as a baseball card power in 1963 were, as Mark Twain would say, ‘greatly exaggerated.’…”

Happy collecting, but also happy writing!

Warren Spahn, an Original News Photo, and his 1949, 1950, and 1951 Bowman Baseball Cards

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Back in the middle of 2022, I was browsing through X (then Twitter), and a fellow hobbyist shared a photo of a 1951 Bowman Warren Spahn baseball card they picked up for their collection. It reminded me of three things:

  1. Early Bowman baseball cards are incredible.
  2. The hobby underappreciates Warren Spahn (and pitchers in general).
  3. The image Bowman used to produce the 1951 Spahn card was used a few other times.

Warren Spahn won 363 games in Major League Baseball, the most by a left-handed pitcher in the game’s history. He made 16 All-Star Games for the Boston/Milwaukee Braves, leading the team to three pennants and one World Series Championship in 1957, the year he won the Cy Young award. He had remarkable longevity, proven in 1963 when he threw against Juan Marichal in the greatest game ever pitched. He retired in 1965 with those 363 wins, 2583 strikeouts, and a 3.08 ERA. Spahn was a first-ballot hall of fame inductee in 1973 and, to me, is one of the game’s most underappreciated players.

In researching Spahn’s early cards, I ran across an original news photo that REA sold for $960 in the summer of 2019.

Warren Spahn Original News Photo – Front
Warren Spahn Original News Photo – Reverse

The photo’s letter of authenticity from PSA describes it as being from the 1940s and the one used in the production of Spahn’s 1950 Bowman baseball card.

Warren Spahn Original News Photo – Letter of Authenticity

But, that famous pose, featuring Spahn as a member of the Boston Braves (hence it has to be pre-1953), was also used for the 1949 and 1951 Bowman baseball cards.

In terms of early Bowman baseball cards, I’ve long believed that their 1950-52 run is the hobbies best trio from a single manufacturer. Obviously, a lot of collectors love the 1949 Bowman set, too. And the 1949 Bowman Warren Spahn’s bold red background pops and gives the card a great look. This PSA 9, which uses the same image as the Type 1 photo described above, sold for $9k in the Fall of 2021 by Robert Edward Auctions.

1949 Bowman #33 Warren Spahn – Front
1949 Bowman #33 Warren Spahn – Reverse

Spahn’s next card in this identical photo run is his 1950 example, card #19, which is a more complete replica than the 1949 example. There aren’t a lot of high-end copies of early post-war cards, and this 1950 Bowman Spahn example is the only Gem Mint 10 around. Memory Lane Inc sold it for $28k in their Spring 2021 Rarities Auction.

1950 Bowman #19 Warren Spahn – Front
1950 Bowman #19 Warren Spahn – Reverse

Finally, there’s Spahn’s 1951 Bowman card. Memory Lane Inc sold the pictured PSA 9 in their Winter Classic 2019 auction for $3,888. The same card, cert 02107600, was resold on eBay for $5,500 in February 2021. Memory Lane sold another PSA 9, more recently in May 2023 for $17,764. One PSA 10 does exist and appears in Donald E. Spence’s collection on the PSA Set Registry; I’ve never seen a picture of it.

1951 Bowman #134 Warren Spahn – Front
1951 Bowman #134 Warren Spahn – Reverse

Despite Spahn’s popularity being limited by not being an everyday position player on a small market team, his incredible accomplishments warrant any of these cards additions to a post-war baseball card collection, happy collecting!

The 1992-93 Topps Archives Basketball Set: A Look at What Could Have Been

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Ever “wonder what Topps basketball cards might have looked like during the hiatus years, 1983-91, when Topps discontinued its hoops series?” Topps presents the 1992-93 Topps Archives Basketball set, with designs matching their baseball counterparts!

That Pippen card was available on eBay in late March 2025 for $145.

Topps highlighted the release in issue 14 of Topps Magazine (Spring 1993) and gave away 20 boxes via a random drawing.

Since I write an Unopened Newsletter and maintain the Unopened Archive page here on the site, here’s a photo of the box, case, factory set (where collectors would find the gold parallels), and factory set case.

For more, check out this great piece from Sports Collectors Daily and the set’s page on TCDB; happy collecting!

A Piece of Yankees History: Thurman Munson’s 1973 Payroll Check

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Here’s an original New York Yankees payroll check signed by Thurman Munson—a tough and highly sought-after autograph from the beloved captain. 

Mastro sold the check in April 2006; here’s what they wrote about it:

In 1973, Thurman Munson had already established himself as a New York Yankee mainstay. He enjoyed one of his finest seasons that year by batting .301 and smashing a career-high twenty home runs. This colorful Yankees payroll check measures 3-1/2” x 7-7’16” and presents in overall EX/MT condition. Dated December 14, 1973, it is made payable to Thurman Munson for the amount of $1,740.54. Munson has endorsed the back “Thurman Munson” in blue ballpoint. The signature is clearly readable, projects “10” in strength and is free from any back stampings. A small area of peripheral paper loss on the reverse is removed from Munson’s quality endorsement. The Yankee captain and seven-time All-Star tragically died in 1979 in an airplane crash. A very difficult signature to acquire on an official New York Yankees check. LOA from Steve Grad/PSA DNA and LOA from James Spence Authentication

Minimum Bid $300

REA sold this exact check in the spring of 2010 for $1,998. But more recently, checks like this have been selling for ~$4k.

Happy collecting!

Another Rare Wilson Die-Cut: John Brodie’s 1960s Advertising Sign

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A couple of weeks ago, I shared a 1960s Jerry West Wilson Die-Cut Advertising Sign celebrating 50 years of Wilson. It turns out they made one for John Brodie, too!

Here’s its description from Mastro’s December 2007 catalog:

During the 1960s the likeness of football star John Brodie helped Wilson, one of the top sports retailers in the United States commemorate its 50th anniversary. And why not John Brodie? He was a collegiate phenom and a figurehead with the popular San Francisco 49ers. The talented quarterback is vividly captured in the die-cut advertising sign offered here, shown in a ready-to-throw action shot and wearing his 49ers attire. Wilson’s striking message-“a progressive past…a golden future”-is printed near the lower edge of the 22-1/2”-tall example. The well-preserved piece shows a few furrows-primarily at the face, left hand and left shoulder-though the bright colors remain unaffected. Matted and framed to total dimensions of 23-3/4” x 30-1/8”

Minimum Bid $200

And just like the Jerry West version, I can’t find another copy of this one either!

Happy collecting!

The 1973 Topps Football Team Checklists

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I’ve mentioned a few times that I’m a checklist collector. However, when asked about team checklists, I say I don’t collect them, but that’s only because I need to focus my collection a little. That’s not to say I’m not a fan, though! I think the 1973 Topps Football Team Checklists are pretty interesting.

1973 Topps Football Baltimore Colts Team Checklists

The set has 26 cards, one for each National Football League team. They’re unnumbered and were inserted in packs. The upper quarter of the card is an action photo. Beneath that is a Topps helmet, the team name, and the words “Team Checklist.” Then, the bottom 2/3 of the card is an alphabetical list of players, with the card number on the left of the player’s name, their uniform number, and position to the right.

The backs of the cards form a photo of either Joe Namath or Larry Brown. Unfortunately, as I said, I don’t have these cards, so I can’t piece them all together. However, I did find one of Joe Namath online and a photo of all the backs, but not in “order.”

1973 Topps Football Checklists – Joe Namath
1973 Topps Team Checklist Complete Set – Reverse

PSA has graded 909 1973 Topps Team Checklists; fewer than 10% have hit ultra high-grade PSA 10 or PSA 9 grades. There are 7 PSA 10s and 76 PSA 9s. However, there are a lot of eights and sevens with 320 and 209, respectively. So in ultra-high-end, these are tough cards, but the eye-appealing 7/8 range cards are readily available (and affordable).

The Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Los Angeles Rams are the most commonly graded checklists. And the least graded are the Chicago Bears with 21, Atlanta Falcons with 22, New York Jets with 23, and St. Louis Cardinals with 24.

1973 Topps Football New York Jets Team Checklists

A couple of years ago, a few higher-end sales included a PSA 10 Dallas Cowboys checklist for $482 in June 2019, a PSA 9 Atlanta Falcons for $599 in early 2020, and a PSA 9 New York Jets checklist for $214 in mid-2019.

1973 Topps Football Atlanta Falcons Team Checklists

Complete raw sets can be purchased for between $50 and $200, depending on condition and whether they’re marked. Just a few years ago, you could commonly find them for between $25 and $50.

1973 Topps Team Checklists Complete Set

There are also variations where one or two asterisks can be found printed next to the copyright symbol.

Once I check off a few of my bucket list checklists, I’ll probably go after the 1973 Topps Football Team Checklists. As you can see above, a complete set of these looks great together and could make an excellent wall display for a football fan. Let me know in the comments or on X if you have any of these cards, and happy collecting!