Vintage Sports Cards – Baseball – Basketball – Football – Hockey
John Here’s a one-of-a-kind proof sheet of 12 three-card 1961 Bazooka panels. It was auctioned off in Ron Oser Enterprises’ April 2001 catalog.
Complete boxes are really rare, too. Robert Edward Auctions sold this PSA-graded 1961 Bazooka Box (tabs missing) #19/20/21 in February 2022 for $4800.
Here’s a card show history throwback to January 1982 when “New York’s Biggest And Best One Day Show” was held at JFK’s Travelodge International Hotel with guest star Bobby Richardson!
The pictured 1965 Topps #115 Bobby Richardson is an oft-graded card with PSA having slabbed over 450. However, there isn’t a single Gem Mint 10.
By the way, did you know Richardson is the only player to win the World Series MVP award for the losing team?
How’s this for a hobby niche—Topps Signed Checks! Here’s an official Topps Chewing Gum Inc.” copy dated May 19, 1961, made out to Henry L. Aaron!
The back has Aaron’s signature and a printed agreement between Topps and Aaron for the rights to use his image on the upcoming years’ baseball cards.
Here’s a photo from Rosen’s book True Mint of his $75k deal for hundreds of low number, black back, 1952 Topps baseball packs.
Rosen wrote that he was at a show in Seattle in 1991 when, right before the show, a man walked in with hundreds of packs of 1952 Topps baseball cards cellophane-wrapped in bricks of six. And since the seller had opened a few, there were also five Pafkos and a bunch of other low-number cards.
The seller told Rosen he got the cards at a garage sale for $50 and didn’t have more, but Rosen wrote that the seller sold several more to other dealers and consigned several low-number boxes in an auction.
A hobby library item I’d love to get my hands on is an 1880s Allen and Ginter Album, one of which you’ll see designated as “A16.” This 6” x 8” page, auctioned off in December 2001, is the most desirable from that album, featuring Cap Anson, King Kelly, Tim Keefe, and Charlie Bennett.
Robert Edward Auctions sold a mid-grade complete 1888 First Series Allen & Ginter “World’s Champions” premium album featuring all fifty cards from the N28 Allen & Ginter set in their Spring 2023 auction for $1380.
I’ll share more about the A17 album for the N29 issue another time.
The marketing blitz is on for this year’s National Sports Collectors Convention, but for a bit of hobby history, here’s an ad for the 4th NSCC show, held at the Holiday Inn O’Hare-Kennedy in Chicago from July 7 to 10, 1983.
The ad is from the April 1983 issue of Trader Speaks.
Here’s the program for the show. More scans from inside of it another time!
This incredible piece of hobby memorabilia, a Josh Gibson signed Puerto Rican Winter League contract, was offered up for sale in the Mastro West Auction March 2000 catalog.
Gibson is considered one of the greatest catchers and hitters in baseball history. Gibson signed this contract with the Santurce ballclub in New York City on August 29, 1945. The contract states, “For the aforementioned services, the team will pay the player the sum of twenty-five dollars per week.”