I ran across the original color artwork used for Whitey Ford’s 1953 Topps baseball card while flipping through Sotheby’s February 1992 Important Baseball Cards and Sports Memorabilia Catalog. It represented a quick flip from its sale in Guernsey’s 1989 Topps Auction.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.postwarcards.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Soethbys1953ToppsFord-1.jpeg?resize=723%2C900&ssl=1)
First, Sotheby’s included few details, just that it was a full-color original artwork and that the lot included an example card in near-mint to mint condition. They described the original artwork as being 3 1/2 by 5 in.
But like I said, Sotheby’s wasn’t the first auction house to offer this Topps original artwork. It was first made available to the hobby in Guernsey’s Topps Auction in 1989, along with the original full-color paintings of Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Bob Feller, Jackie Robinson, and Roy Campanella’s 1953 Topps baseball cards.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.postwarcards.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/1952BaseballCardPaintings-1.jpeg?resize=750%2C254&ssl=1)
Guernseys included cropped color photos of all six art pieces in the front (page 17) of the catalog; here’s a scan of the Ford.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.postwarcards.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Guernsey1953ToppsFordArt-1.jpeg?resize=518%2C750&ssl=1)
The specific auction lots were found later in the catalog. Ford shared page 72 with Jackie Robinson. Notice the expected $2,000-3000 price.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.postwarcards.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Guernsey1953ToppsFordArtLot-1.jpeg?resize=746%2C800&ssl=1)
The Ford did a little better than that; it sold for $35,200. Interestingly, less than three years later, Sotheby’s expected the Ford to be sold for only $20,000-25,000.
To round things out, here’s the original news photograph from the early 1950s that inspired Ford’s 1953 (and 1954) Topps baseball card. Heritage sold this PSA/DNA Type 1 example for $1,920 in November 2017.
![](https://i0.wp.com/www.postwarcards.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/WhiteyFordType1Fr-1.jpeg?resize=549%2C700&ssl=1)