Bobby Bonilla was a spokesman for Ultra PRO in early 1992. Do you think they’re still paying him today, like the Mets?
If you weren’t tracking:
After being traded to the Los Angeles Dodgers part way through the 1998 season, he signed with the New York Mets for a second time in 1999. When the Mets wanted to release him at the end of the year, he negotiated a settlement whereby the Mets would pay him $1.19 million on July 1 every year from 2011 through 2035, a date that has become known in Mets fandom as “Bobby Bonilla Day”. He is also paid $500,000 by the Orioles every year from 2004 to 2028 due to them also having a deferred contract with him.
Wikipedia
PS, I scanned the Ultra PRO advertisement from the April 1992 issue of Trading Cards Magazine.
If you read modern hobby guides about the 1976 Laughlin Diamond Jubilee set, most will say that the cards were available from the artist for $3.50. Well, here’s an ad from the March 1977 issue of The Trader Speaks proving it!
Note that not only were sets advertised for $3.50, but you could get “2 sets for $6.”
Laughlin described the set as 32 cards based on baseball’s most memorable moments, like Hank Aaron’s 715th home run.
How many of you display pennants as part of your collections? Well, if you don’t and are interested in a nice introduction to them, Michael Solomowitz penned this great piece that Trading Cards Magazine published in June 1992.
I’ve noticed a surge in interest around the 1969 Topps basketball rulers lately. There are more collectors, increased sales, and a growing enthusiasm for the first basketball card inserts. In this article, I’ll provide a quick overview of the 1969 Topps basketball rulers, highlight a few notable sales, delve into the story behind the original line art for the set auctioned at the famous Guernsey’s Topps Auction, and what it reveals about the set’s composition, particularly the intriguing missing ruler #5. I’ll wrap up by showcasing some incredible photos from the collection where many of those original pen and ink drawings ended up.
1969 Topps Basketball Rulers 101
These 2-1/2″ x 9-7/8′ Topps basketball brightly colored cartoon drawings were printed on a paper-like perishable product, folded, and inserted in 1969 Topps basketball packs (one each). However, that year, Topps advertised them as Super-Star Pin-Ups on the wrapper and box.
1969 Topps Basketball Wrapper
1969 Topps Basketball Box
But the insert makes it clear why the hobby renamed them ‘rulers.’
1969 Topps Rulers #9 John Havlicek
Every blank-backed color ruler displays a caricature of the subject to the right of a standard ruler, accompanied by an arrow indicating their height, extending from the player’s depicted height to the ruler. The player’s name and team are in an oval near the top or bottom of the card.
1969 Topps Rulers #11 Wilt Chamberlain
The insert number (of 24) and copyright information are printed in small black text along the bottom right-hand side.
1969 Topps Rulers #10 Lew Alcindor Copy Right and Number
Despite the numbering of 24, the set only has 23 cards. #5 was never released, but we will talk about that later when we cover the original line art. One of the reasons the set is so popular, beyond the bright colors and unique design, is that it’s got huge star power. Twenty of the 23 players are Basketball Hall of Famers. Plus, the cards are relatively scarce; Topps never printed basketball cards as massively as they did baseball – PSA has only grade 3658 1969 Topps Rulers with the most for Lew Alcindor with 360.
Given the folds and paper stock used, ultra-high-grade copies are scarce; there are only 49 PSA 10s and 179 PSA 9s, leading to some really high sales prices.
Before the hobby boom and the set’s resurgence, Robert Edward Auctions sold a complete set in March 2019, advertised as #2 on the PSA Set Registry (8.91 GPA) for $7200. It included nine Gem Mint 10 examples, ten Mint 9s, and four Nm-Mt 8s.
1969 Topps Rulers REA Set – Image 1
1969 Topps Rulers REA Set – Image 2
1969 Topps Rulers REA Set – Image 3
1969 Topps Rulers REA Set – Image 4
1969 Topps Rulers REA Set – Image 5
More recently, in September 2023, Memory Lane Inc. sold the #11 set on the registry (6.04 GPA) for $8065. It had just three PSA 8s to go with seven 6s, ten 5s, one 4, and two 3s.
1969 Topps Rulers Memory Lane Inc. Set
These individual sales exhibit the set’s recent growth in popularity and price:
A PSA 9 Billy Cunningham sold for $2500 in September 2023.
A PSA 9 Gus Johnson sold for $2000 in September 2023.
A PSA 5 Jerry West sold for $1525 in April 2023.
A PSA 8 John Havlicek sold for $528 in March 2023.
A PSA 8 Lew Alcindor sold for $4150 in February 2023.
A PSA 10 Lew Alcindor sold for $9600 in January 2022.
A PSA 10 Gail Goodrich sold for $1560 in January 2022.
Even raw lower-grade lots of cards, without the super-stars, sell for $20-$50/card.
1969 Topps Basketball Rulers Original Line Art
I mentioned earlier that despite the cards being marked ‘of 24,’ only 23 different rulers are on the market. The hobby learned why in 1989 when Guernsey’s auctioned off a lot of the original line art in their famous Topps Auction – they mislabeled them as pen and ink drawings used for the height scales on the backs of 1958 basketball cards.
The auction included 23 pen and ink drawings, but you might notice a few peculiarities. First, the original card artwork for #12 Nate Thurmond and #13 Hal Greer weren’t included. However, those surfaced in late 2020 when REA auctioned off the pair for $3360.
1969 Topps Rulers Pen and Ink Drawings – Gear and Thurmond
The other interesting thing is the inclusion of Celtic legend Bill Russell and 5x All-Star Rudy Larusso (spelled Carruso on the auction page). The Topps Archives believes because the NBA and Topps knew the 1969-70 Topps season would be Russell’s last, and the decision to make a 1969-70 basketball set was made at some point after Russell’s retirement but before Larusso’s on October 1st, Topps likely intended for Larusso to be the 5th card in the set. He added that it’s also possible Alcindor was swapped in for Russell, and Larusso’s retirement caught them off-guard. The “Carruso” sold for $100 in 1989, and the Russell went for $2250. The Topps Archives shared that Bill Schonsheck bought the Russell and many other pieces in 1989, which brings me to where much of this art is now.
1969 Topps Basketball Rulers Original Line Art Today
PSA wrote an article about the 1969 Topps Rulers in March 2011 and included a few quotes from Christopher Sanchirico, a business partner of Bill Schonsheck. They reported that Sanchirico owns the Larusso artwork and that, over the past 20 years, had acquired the artwork for 15 of the 25 players that Topps had drawings for. When you check out Sanchirico’s collection online, you can see many original pieces of artwork framed with released rulers! However, it looks like some items from his collection have been popping up for sale recently.
1969 Topps Rulers Lou Hudson – Line Art and Cards
1969 Topps Rulers Gail Goodrich – Line Art and Cards
1969 Topps Rulers Walt Bellamy – Line Art and Cards
1969 Topps Rulers Wilt Chamberlain – Line Art and Cards
1969 Topps Rulers John Havlicek – Line Art and Cards
1969 Topps Rulers Jerry West – Line Art and Cards
1969 Topps Rulers Oscar Robertson – Line Art and Cards
1969 Topps Rulers Bill Russell – Framed Line Art
Wrap-Up
The 1969 Topps Basketball Rulers are an incredible vintage basketball insert set appreciated today for its star power, scarcity, and fantastic design. The cards also display incredibly well; I ran across this framed example and got major hobby envy!
Here’s an awesome summary of the Hockey Sheets that Upper Deck distributed at games during the 1991/92 NHL season, as presented in Allan Kaye’s Sports Cards in April 1992.
I had previously written a four-part series of blog posts related to Upper Deck’s commemorative sheets that I may republish here or via a magazine in the future, so if you’re interested in more about them, please contact me. In the meantime, here are a pair of examples from the 1991/92 distribution, as discussed in the article.
This advertisement from the back cover of the February 1977 issue of The Trader Speaks highlights the most gorgeous cards ever produced: 1976 SSPC!
Why would someone call a collector’s issue one of the most gorgeous sets ever produced? Well, because of the set that influenced its design…
1976 SSPC is a 630-card “collector’s issue” released by TCMA. Dubbed the “Pure Card” set, the design was based loosely on the 1953 Bowman set. The set was available exclusively via mail order and was advertised in the nascent Hobby Media, such as it was in the mid-70s.
Despite the cards bearing a 1975 copyright, the set is considered a 1976 set as it was not released until then.
SSPC was not licensed by either MLB Properties or the MLBPA, and shortly after its release, was sued by Topps. As part of the settlement, SSPC agreed to never reprint their 1976 set, and to never attempt to produce a similar product ever again.
Keith Olbermann, then still in high school, edited the copy on each card.
Dean’s Cards added that it was the only full baseball card set ever issued during the Topps monopoly, so the hobby saw it as a refreshing change of pace from the predictable Topps issues.
And lastly, if anyone has any other advertisements offering these cards, please get in touch with me.
Again, the original full-color paintings of Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Bob Feller, Jackie Robinson, and Roy Campanella’s 1953 Topps baseball cards were first made available to the hobby in Guernsey’s Topps Auction in 1989.
Here’s the section’s description in the catalog and the details for the 3 1/2″ x 5″ VG conditioned 1953 Willie Mays original color artwork. It sold for $80k (+10% Buyers Premium).
I’m curious if the owner of the original artwork has managed to pick up a copy of the original news photograph that inspired the piece. REA sold this circa 1951 PSA/DNA Type 1 example for $16,800 in the Spring of 2020.
And finally, here’s a fantastic example of the 1953 Topps #244 Willie Mays card.
