On July 24, 2025, a rare 1969 Topps Wacky Ads 5-cent wrapper proof sheet sold on eBay for $179.0, which the seller said came from a former Topps employee.
The Wacky Ads set was released two years after the debut of Topps’ successful Wacky Packages stickers and featured larger-size versions of the popular parody art pieces.
The cards arrived as Topps was tinkering with its box sizes and price levels, and I’ve read most of the release was issued in display boxes containing 10-cent packs.
However, the infamous “Good and Empty” card, believed to have been pulled early from production, may have only been available in the 5-cent version.
It’s difficult today to determine which pack format is rarer on the market today, especially since PSA doesn’t note 5-cent vs. 10-cent versions on its flips, but the Pop Report shows they’ve only graded 16 anyway. Also, very few boxes, some of which are partials, have ever surfaced publicly.
The proof sheet sold is a fascinating artifact from a quirky moment in Topps packaging history and highlights how short-run materials continue to surface decades later.
Happy collecting and be sure to check out The Unopened Archive for more!
P.S. For more about 1969 Topps Wacky Ads check out WackyPacks.com and LostWackys.com.
P.P.S. If you’re into unopened, I write a premium newsletter, The Unopened Market Report, that comes out every Monday.
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