While flipping through Mastro’s October 2008 Classic Collector Auctions catalog, I came across a piece of original Topps artwork tied to one of the hobby’s more overlooked early-1950s sets: the 1953 Topps Who-Z-At Star #72 Barry Sullivan card.
What immediately stands out is just how faithful the final card is to the original art. In this case, Topps essentially took the artwork as-is, added a white border, and dropped in the familiar name and title box in the lower left corner.
Today, original Topps artwork that surfaces at auction tends to skew toward sports issues, so it’s refreshing to see a surviving example from a non-sports set, especially one as quirky and relatively obscure as Who-Z-At Star.
Happy collecting!
Check out The Original Artwork Archive for more!
P.S. In the early 1950s, Topps and Bowman were competing on more than just the diamond. Bowman kicked things off in 1952 with its 36-card Television & Radio Stars of N.B.C. set. Topps responded the following year with Who-Z-At Star.
P.P.S. REA sold the original artwork for Elizabeth Taylor’s Who-Z-At Star card for $1,150 in the Spring of 2004.
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