Memorabilia

A $50 Deal for Cardboard History: Willie Mays’ Signed Topps Check for His 1954 Baseball Card

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In December 1953, Topps cut Willie Mays a check for a whopping $50 to appear in their 1954 baseball card set—less than what a torn copy of his card is worth today.

Here’s the item description from Mastro’s March 2000 catalog, in which it appeared as lot 663:

In late 1953, Topps Chewing Gum and Willie Mays agreed on the terms of a 1954 baseball card contract with an option for 1955. Mays would receive a lusty $50 for the use of his picture on the 1954 Topps baseball issue (May we note that today, a ’54 Topps May, torn in half, is worth more than this original compensation). We have here for your collecting pleasure that very check. The December 17, 1953 check from Topps Chewing Gum Incorporated is made out to William Howard Mays and signed on the back “William H. Mays Jr” in fountain ink. Sarah Mays, Willie’s mother, has also signed on the back, including her address in Fairfield, Alabama. This unique check shows fold lines and a paper loss on the left border, giving it a technical grade at about Very Good; however, it has a terrific full name autograph and provides that historic link of Willie Mays with Topps. A magnificent relic realized through pitiful exploitation. Kevin Keating and James Spence LOA’s.
Minimum Big $300

Here’s the back of the check with the terms and Mays’ (and his mother’s) endorsement:

Happy collecting!

Another Incredible P.F. Canvas Shoe Advertisement With Williams, Berra, Feller, And More!

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In September 2024, I highlighted a handful of P.F. Canvas shoe advertisements. Well, I ran across another in a March 2000 auction catalog, and I think this one’s my favorite!

I dig the giant baseball in the background.

The piece dates back to the early 1950s when baseball was first on national TV and showcases the game’s top stars endorsing the P.F. canvas shoes (later known as P.F. Flyers). The framed ad was described as 19” x 25”.

In March 2016, Hake’s sold a copy for $707 and they said the ad was a 19.5” x 25-5/8′” stiff cardboard standee w/easel back.

And then, in September 2023, Rockhurst Auctions offered it for sale again, but it failed to meet its reserve.

Happy collecting!

One Of The Sporting World’s Most Historic Signings – The Pete Maravich 1970 Atlanta Hawks Rookie Year Contract

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Hobby and NBA history from Mastro’s December 2007 catalog, Pete Maravich’s 1970 rookie contract with the Atlanta Hawks. A groundbreaking $1.5M moment in sports history.

Long before the jump from high school courts to NBA hardwoods became commonplace, Pete Maravich hit the professional hoops scene to anticipation since unrivaled. The son of legendary mentor Press Maravich. “Pistol Pete” arrived at Louisiana State University along with his father and proceeded to topple scoring standards with amazing regularity. Wowing the masses at the NCAA level like none before, Maravich warranted attention and a previously unheard-of price tag -upon his arrival to the NBA. Here offered is the actual contract drawn up for and signed by the mop-topped Hall of Famer for his 1970 rookie campaign with the Atlanta Hawks. Setting the precedent for a nightly cult-like following, Maravich debuted at LSU in 1966, pouring in 50 points for the Tigers’ freshman squad. In an era during which freshmen were not eligible for varsity play, Maravich performed before a packed arena in his inaugural effort–providing the only show that mattered, the crowd dispersing immediately after the freshman contest, ignoring the varsity tilt altogether! Proving that those opening night exploits were no fluke, Maravich went on to average 44.2 points per game in his LSU varsity career. Posting that stunning mark in the days before the three-point arch was implemented. Plucked as the third overall pick in the 1970 NBA draft. Maravich was signed by the Atlanta Hawks for a record $1.5 million. The offered documents are rife with details and, more importantly, the princely sum promised the Hall of Fame guard. Entitled ” NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION UNIFORM PLAYER CONTRACT,” the seven-page binding document is accompanied by a three-page “RIDER” attachment, a one-page “AMENDMENT” and a five-page “GUARANTY AGREEMENT.” The additional paperwork was necessary as the language in the uniform contract was altered. Sizable passages are blacked out and followed by a typewritten notation of “See Rider attached hereto.” In short, in lieu of the standard one-year agreement. Maravich was to be awarded his hefty sum over a five-season period. The amendment simply altered the increments in which the showy performer was to be paid, allocating less than the original wager for the 1971-72 season and more for the following campaign. Both Maravich and Hawks President Thomas Cousins have initialed each page while, in blue ballpoint or marker, Maravich’s signature appears four different times, all told, projecting “9-10” strength in each instance. With normal compacting folds throughout, the documents are complete (and quite thorough!) in representing one of the sporting world’s most historic signings. LOA from Steve Grad & Zach Rullo/PSA DNA and LOA from James Spence Authentication.

The catalog included a close-up of a few of the signatures.

It looks like Lelands resold the contract in June 2004 for $6,095; I suspect it’d go for quite a bit more today.

Happy collecting!

A Spectacular 1960s Jerry West Wilson Die-Cut Advertising Sign

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Flipping through old auction catalogs is a dangerous game—so much rare memorabilia, and my wish list just keeps growing! Here’s a cool one from Mastro in 2007: a 1960s Jerry West die-cut advertising sign.

Here’s how they described it:

Presented is a “Wilson 50 Years” store advertising sign displaying the image of hoops legend Jerry West. To commemorate their fiftieth year as one of the top sports retailers in the industry-and to help commence another fifty-Wilson released this splendid marketing device. The 21-1/2″-tall item displays the impeccably crisp image of the basketball Hall of Famer in his 1960s Los Angeles Lakers garb. The All-Star guard is captured holding a basketball with the manufacturer’s label conveniently exhibited. A caption along the bottom reads, “a progressive past…a golden future.” The relic demonstrates superb preservation, exhibiting unobtrusive furrows confined mostly to West’s neck. The advertisement’s colors are every bit as vibrant as the day it was released. Matted and framed to total dimensions of 20-5/8″ x 29-5/8″

Unfortunately, I haven’t come across another example; let me know if you have a lead on one online or have more details about it and happy collecting!

A Majestic Relic: The Stunning 19th Century Football Broadside from Ohio

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I’m not a 19th Century Football expert, so I can’t teach anyone much about the following piece, but I do know that this Football Broadside was appropriately described as “Majestic” in the 2006 auction catalog it was offered in.

Here’s how Mastro described it in that April 2006 catalog:

From a regional, northeastern countryside activity to a widely followed and highly esteemed national pastime and slowly becoming a worldwide phenomenon professional football now needs very little advertisement for fans of any intensity or persuasion to know that, come Fall, the only question that has to be answered is, “are you ready for some football?!” The offered exemplar hails from an era that predates even the leather helmets of the early 20th Century, and in fact, is one of the earliest football broadsides known to exist. Presented here is a truly majestic and impeccably well-kept, 19th Century survivor. This over one hundred-year-old relic bills a contest between two early American football teams from the NFL’s birth state of Ohio a meeting between a squad from Youngstown and the other from Akron. The piece reads, “FOOTBALL YOUNGSTOWN VS. AKRON ** YOUNGSTOWN HAS NEVER BEEN DEFEATED ** Buchtel College Grounds GAME CALLED AT 3:30 Saturday Oct.9.” The bold red and blue print have remained impressively crisp and vibrant, and the large, full body image (21″-tall) of the gridiron athlete at the left of the piece also reveals exceptional clarity. The item’s lower left exhibits the manufacturer’s “Werner Akron, Ohio” notation, and although the relic’s 25″ x 39″ visible area demonstrates slight wear at the unobtrusive and understandably age-induced folds, the piece displays unbelievable condition: EX overall. Set within a 47-3/8″ x 32-1/4″ wood frame. Please note: Due to the size and/or weight of this lot, the cost of shipping may be substantial. Minimum Bid $1,000

Happy collecting!

Mickey Mantle’s 1958 Topps Contract Extension: A Hobby Treasure

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A true piece of hobby history! Mickey Mantle’s 1958 Topps contract extension—signed by Mantle, Frank Scott, and Sy Berger!

The scan above is from Mastro’s November 1999 Fine Sports Millenium Auction, where it sold for $4,119. Here’s the complete item description:

A truly unique document released from the Topps archives over a decade ago. This is the actual contract extension signed by the 26-year-old superstar, giving Topps the right to produce baseball cards with the Mick’s image in 1959. The standard one-page contract extension is typewritten on Topps Chewing Gum stationery and is dated Oct. 1, 1958. It basically states that Mickey Mantle and Topps agree to extend their original agreement dated April 1, 1957, and that all the same terms and conditions apply (meaning he probably got five dollars and a toaster!). Signed boldly in blue ballpoint pen by Mickey Mantle, accepted by Topps executive Sy Berger, and witnessed by Mickey’s agent, Frank Scott. Accompanied by a letter from Guernsey’s, the auctioneers who originally sold the Topps archive. An important document linking the King of Baseball Cards to his maker.

When Guernsey’s auctioned it off as lot BB462 in 1989, they described it as a “Topps extended contract of exclusive 1957 agreement, signed by Mantle on 10/1/58.” It sold for $1,300 ($1,430 with the 10% Buyers Premium).

Guernsey’s also sold the “original exclusive contract signed between Mantle and Topps, 4/1/57, binding for years 1958-60.” Reading the extension, I think the pictured contract just extended the agreement into 1961, and wasn’t about giving Topps the right to produce Mantle’s card in 1959 as Mastro wrote, but, I’m not a lawyer!

Guernsey’s sold 11 different lots of Mantle contacts and checks in their famous Topps Auction; the one I’d most like to see is the original Bowman contract for the 1951 baseball season that Mantle signed on 4/17/1951!

Happy Collecting!

A 1950s Stan Musial Rawlings Die-Cut Advertising Sign

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I’ve shared plenty of vintage advertising signs before, but I think Stan Musial deserves more focus since he had fewer major card releases than his peers. Here’s a great Rawlings die-cut sign from the mid-1950s.

This one was offered in Ron Oser Entperises April 2001 catalog with the following description:

A circa 1955 Rawlings 17″ x 26″ cardboard sign which features a full body photo of Musial with fan-filled stands in the background, facsimile “Stan the Man” signature below. The oddly-shaped sign would fit together to form a store stand-up display. The lower right corner of the display has a few creases, otherwise, the body of the display is very clean. This Musial die-cut ad piece is incredible looking and if you have the glove or just happen to like the Cardinals or advertising pieces, this one will thrill you. Nicely framed to 21 x 28 inches. Minimum Bid $400

Heritage sold the similarly designed Musial Pro Leaguer Advertising Sign in October 2022 for $288, which they described as follows.

1950’s Rawlings Stan Musial Pro Leaguer Advertising Sign. Fine image of “Stan the Man” dominates this heavy cardboard advertising sign measuring approximately 18×16″ at its tallest and widest dimensions. Considerable water damage is apparent, and bat has been restored. We believe this is only part of the full display. Easel on back is missing.

Happy collecting!