An R327 Diamond Star Wrapper Hoard

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You’d think wrappers from the 1930’s would be super scarce and super pricey. You got the pricey part right, but they’re more common than you’d think; Mastro offered this lot of 11 together in July 1998.

Mastro wrote that it was the largest group ever made available at one time. A few months earlier, in March, they sold a single wrapper for just under $500. They described the wrappers as having a few wrinkles, but none were less than Ex to Mt condition.

They also explained that this blue and red variety was rarer than the yellow version, most likely because the blue wrapper was only used for Diamond Star’s high-number series. That said, 1) I’m not a pre-war expert, 2) I’ve read in a few vintage publications that at least eight different wrapper variations from this set were used between 1934 and 1936, and 3) Memory Lane Inc. has sold two lots of Diamond Star wrappers, which leads me to believe the Mastro lot may be dated to 1935 and that there are ten wrapper variations.

Memory Lane Inc., which has sold a lot of rare wrapper runs over the years, described this first lot of eight as being from 1934-35, with the blue wrappers with red stars described as 1935 variations.

The second lot was for four different “1936 Diamond Star Baseball Wrappers with 2 Candian Versions.” Notice the star is orange on these wrappers.

If you have more insight into these collectibles, leave a comment!

Check out The Unopened Archive for more!

1952-1955 Red Man Tobacco Find of 768 Cards

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REA, then a division of MastroNetInc., offered this massive find of 768 1952-55 Red Man Tobacco cards (760 with tabs) in their July 2000 Baseball Cards and Memorabilia auction. The same auction included a lot of 1971 Milk Duds Giant Assortment of 661 Unassembled Complete Boxes.

They described the lot as the biggest group of Red Man Tobacco cards they had ever seen. It included four 1952 complete sets, six 1953 sets, four 1954 sets, and one 1955 set missing two cards (#AL15 and #AL18). 25% were Nr/Mt to Nr-Mt-Mt, 30% ranged from Ex to Ex-Mt, 35% were Vg to Vg-Ex/Ex, and 10% were lesser.

Here’s the auction catalog cover if you want to own a cheap piece of hobby history.

A 1976 Laughlin Diamond Jubilee Ad

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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.

The Post War Cards Newsletter

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I’m happy to announce the (re) launch of The Post War Cards Newsletter, hitting inboxes every Thursday, starting September 26, 2024!

Whether you’re a passionate collector or someone who loves the history behind the hobby, this newsletter will be your weekly source of vintage card insights. Here’s a sneak peek of what you can expect:

  • Deep Dives: Explore iconic cards, sets, and the stories behind them, taking a closer look at what makes vintage sports cards so unique.
  • Exclusive Insights: Each issue will feature some of the hobby’s most intriguing topics and pictures that you won’t find anywhere else.
  • Curated Content: Get links to the best hobby articles from around the web, all in one place.
  • Rare Collectibles: Discover a rare vintage unopened collectible in every issue-something for collectors to admire or seek out.
  • Stay Updated: Keep up with the latest news in sports collectibles.
  • Hobby Library Gems: I’ll highlight hidden treasures from The Hobby Library, bringing you closer to the roots of the sports card world.
  • Card Show History: Learn about the history of legendary card shows, from regional events to iconic national gatherings that shaped the hobby.

It’s a weekly celebration of the vintage hobby community, curated for passionate collectors and enthusiasts.

So sign up; the lady who sold Mark Murphy (The Baseball Card Kid) 84 1952 Topps baseball wax packs would want you to!

1961/62 Topps Hockey Five-Cent Display Box

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I always feel bad for vintage hockey unopened collectors; finding these items is tougher than tracking down a unicorn. Here’s one of them, a 1961/62 Topps Five-Cent Display Box.

Mastro included this one in their December 2004 Sports Auctions of Distinction catalog.

During the early 1960’s, Topps Chewing Gum Company printed NHL hockey cards in the United States, and then shipped the vast majority of them to its Canadian subsidiary. There, O-Pee-Chee, the affiliate company, produced its own packaging for use in distributing the cards north of the U.S. border. Offered is an original 36-Count display box from the Topps/O-Pee-Chee series of 1961/62. The 8” x 3-3/4” x 1-7/8” box, with the issue’s scarce stamp insert prominently featuring in its front-panel graphics, grades at least NM with only very mild, natural handling faults. This scarce relic is a superb representative of a highly collectible U.S.-Canadia collaborative effort.

The minimum bid at the time was $200; that wouldn’t be close to enough today. In the fall of 2022, REA sold a display box, perhaps the same one, that they described as the first they had ever handled and the only example they had seen available at public auction in the past twenty years for $10,500.

Still interested in vintage hockey unopened? In the market for an authenticated 1961/62 Topps hockey wax pack? BBCE listed this one on their site in August 2004 for $25k. PSA has only slabbed seven.

Check out The Unopened Archive for more!

The PSA 1.5 1909-11 T206 Sweet Caporal Honus Wagner’s History

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I ran across this raw T206 Honus Wagner in Christie’s October 1992 Sports Memorabilia catalog.

I’ve been enjoying tracing T206 Wagner’s sales history lately (number 28 and the Frank Nagy Wagner). Thanks to the Wagner Sales History page and Wagner Gallery on T206Resrouce.com, it’s been made a lot easier. They label this particular example as number 45.

Like I said, Christie’s offered this one raw back in 1992. They provided the following description:

Front depicts Wagner in a color lithograph against a warm orange background with white border, the bottom stating “WAGNER, PITTSBURGH.” The reverse reads “SWEET CAPORAL CIGARETTES, THE STANDARD FOR YEARS” trimmed in red-lined border-2 5/8 x 1 7/16 in.-good to very good.

The T206 Wagner card is the most sought after and avidly pursued collectible card in the hobby today. It has been widely reported that Honus Wagner was vehemently against smoking and therefore requested the withdrawal of his card.However, according to his granddaughter, Ms. Leslie Blair, Wagner objected to the fact that children would have to purchase cigarettes in order to obtain the card; actually, Wanger himself chewed tobacco. To date, fewer than 40 T206 Wagner cards are known to exist.

The expected sales price was $100,000-125,000, but I have yet to confirm what it actually sold for.

The next public sale I have data for is when Heritage Auctions sold the card, now graded Fr 1.5 by PSA, for $2.28M in May 2021. Unfortunately, they didn’t include any information about this Wagner’s provenance.

Goldin then re-sold the card a little over a year later, in October 2022, for $3.72M (a nice 17 month ~$1.5M flip).

Please let me know if you have any more info about Wagner number 45.