Vintage Sports Cards – Baseball – Basketball – Football – Hockey
How’s this for a hobby niche—Topps Signed Checks! Here’s an official Topps Chewing Gum Inc.” copy dated May 19, 1961, made out to Henry L. Aaron!
The back has Aaron’s signature and a printed agreement between Topps and Aaron for the rights to use his image on the upcoming years’ baseball cards.
Here’s a photo from Rosen’s book True Mint of his $75k deal for hundreds of low number, black back, 1952 Topps baseball packs.
Rosen wrote that he was at a show in Seattle in 1991 when, right before the show, a man walked in with hundreds of packs of 1952 Topps baseball cards cellophane-wrapped in bricks of six. And since the seller had opened a few, there were also five Pafkos and a bunch of other low-number cards.
The seller told Rosen he got the cards at a garage sale for $50 and didn’t have more, but Rosen wrote that the seller sold several more to other dealers and consigned several low-number boxes in an auction.
A hobby library item I’d love to get my hands on is an 1880s Allen and Ginter Album, one of which you’ll see designated as “A16.” This 6” x 8” page, auctioned off in December 2001, is the most desirable from that album, featuring Cap Anson, King Kelly, Tim Keefe, and Charlie Bennett.
Robert Edward Auctions sold a mid-grade complete 1888 First Series Allen & Ginter “World’s Champions” premium album featuring all fifty cards from the N28 Allen & Ginter set in their Spring 2023 auction for $1380.
I’ll share more about the A17 album for the N29 issue another time.
The marketing blitz is on for this year’s National Sports Collectors Convention, but for a bit of hobby history, here’s an ad for the 4th NSCC show, held at the Holiday Inn O’Hare-Kennedy in Chicago from July 7 to 10, 1983.
The ad is from the April 1983 issue of Trader Speaks.
Here’s the program for the show. More scans from inside of it another time!
This incredible piece of hobby memorabilia, a Josh Gibson signed Puerto Rican Winter League contract, was offered up for sale in the Mastro West Auction March 2000 catalog.
Gibson is considered one of the greatest catchers and hitters in baseball history. Gibson signed this contract with the Santurce ballclub in New York City on August 29, 1945. The contract states, “For the aforementioned services, the team will pay the player the sum of twenty-five dollars per week.”
Last week on Twitter, @nightowlcards shared a blog post called Parallels and the ’70s do mix highlighting MSA Discs, particularly the backs. @BeautyOfAGame responded, “An entire volume could be written about the various MSA sets in the 70s and 80s.” I responded by saying, “Challenge…accepted?…” So, an MSA anthology is on the to-do list now.
Anywho, while going through a stack of random cards in my collection, I ran across this 1976 MSA Sports Discs Hank Aaron Blank Back, which looks absolutely incredible in its slab.
When you read about the set, it’s tough to visualize how gorgeous they are and how much bigger the 3-3/8” diameter discs feel in your hand.
I know almost nothing about soccer cards, particularly vintage ones, but I saw this Chix Bubble Gum Football Picture album for sale on eBay and decided to pick it up; the price was right for the hobby library. Inside is a complete 1956-57 Chix Confectionary Famous Footballers Set.
After some research, the set appears to be considered a second series of Chix Famous Footballers following one dated to 1955.
There are quite a few variations to the cards in this set and the album as well; I found this one with a different cover and red text on the inside.
If you know anything else about this set or the albums, please leave a comment.