The Industry

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!

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!

An Extremely Rare 1950 Royal Pudding Salesman’s Booklet

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The rarest of the rare — here’s a 1950 Royal Pudding salesman’s booklet. It’s the only example I’ve ever seen and was available in an April 2003 auction catalog.

This is an accordion-style booklet containing 11 highly desirable trading cards produced by Royal Desserts during the early 1950’s. The “Royal Pudding” cards (listed as F219 in the American Card Catalog) are super-scarce in their own right. Veteran collectors consider themselves lucky whenever they find a single example from the series, most often at the National Convention or similar large venue. Due to their method of distribution as box panels, the cards are usually in rough shape when they do surface. They’re all tough, and every item in the set is a “key.” The offered mini-collection is even rarer than an assembly of high-grade singles. Carried outside the company only by sales representatives, a few booklets like this one were presented to favored contacts. When folded, the 4-1/4″ × 5″ booklet’s cover only hints at the remarkable contents: “23 New Stars to Help You Crown Your Royal Sales.” Opening the small volume reveals a gallery of nearly perfect Royals, including numbers 1-14 and 16 picturing baseball subjects and 1-6 depicting film stars. (The actual cards total 21 by our count, but the company must have felt its gelatin spoon and batting tips offers, also featured on the booklet’s pages, qualified as additional ‘stars.) Fully unfolded, a long slogan emerges above the cards to act as a display advertisement in banner form. The baseball stars included in the booklet form an amazing roster. Hall of Famers Stan Musial, Pee Wee Reese, George Kell, Warren Spahn, Phil Rizzuto and Luke Appling are among the baseball luminaries whose cards appear on leaves of this booklet. Dom DiMaggio, Andy Patko, Bobby Thomson, Ewell Blackwell and Tommy Henrich are among the other ballplayers present, and Forrest Tucker, Farley Grander, Tony Curtis, Joan Evans, Ann Blyth and Allan “Rocky” Lane represent the promotion’s movie star category. Externally, condition is a well-preserved and gently handled Excellent, and individual pages approach Mint in a number of cases. The booklet is dated “7/50,” in small print on the back cover. This is an almost never-seen item, created to promote an extraordinarily difficultspecialty issue.

Please get in touch if you have more information about this item and happy collecting!

The Original Artwork for Card #13, ‘The Training Station’ from the 1941 Gum Inc. Uncle Sam Set

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Here’s the original artwork for Card #13, The Training Station, in the 1941 R157 Gum, Inc. Uncle Sam set.

It was offered in Mastro’s Classic Collector Internet Only auction held in October 2007. Pricing data for original art from this set is all over the place today, with lots selling for between $250 and $925.

Here’s the final product, plus the back.

Happy collecting!

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!