After exploring the fascinating world of Topps File Albums in the first two parts of this series, I now turn my attention to another aspect of Topps’ treasure trove: the file copy binder pages. While many Topps file albums were sold in the famous 1989 Guernsey’s Topps Auction and subsequently resold to new owners, hundreds of others were retained in the files. Topps later authenticated and sold many individual pages as file copy binder pages, both through their own website and on eBay. In this article, I’ll delve into some of the file binder copy pages that have entered the hobby.
You’ll see that Topps utilized Beckett Grading Services to encapsulate the individual file copy binder pages that Woody Gelman kept in the archives. I haven’t seen any given a numerical grade, as individual cards from the Topps files were given (more on them in Part 4). You’ll also notice that none of these file copy binder pages were sold in Guernsey’s Auction; as I said in the introduction, Topps authenticated them later. With that said, let’s take a closer look at the Topps File Copy Binder Pages by year of release, just as we did in Part 2 of the Topps File Set Series.
1959 Topps Baseball File Copy Binder Pages
Robert Edward Auctions (REA) auctioned off a slew of Topps baseball file copy binder pages that all featured an Ernie Banks card in their January 2023 Encore Auction. The oldest, featured card 147 (Cubs’ Clubbers) on the back) – It sold for $156 and included a Topps Vault Certificate of Authenticity (all the REA items did). Notice the Beckett flip calls it a “1959 Topps Baseball File Copy Binder Page,” then lists each card on the page, along with a certification number (that matches the COA) and a grade of Authentic. The flip also highlights that it’s a Topps Value File Copy. Woody Gelman looks to have put 1959 Topps cards on both sides of each page.
In the same auction, REA included a 1959 Topps file copy binder page with Ernie Banks base card, 350, Hoyt Wilhelm, Earl Torgeson, Robin Roberts, Curt Flood, and Pete Burnside. This one sold for $390.
This next 1959 Topps baseball file copy binder page was sold on eBay on January 26, 2023, for under $200. It features a few commons.
1959 Topps Football File Copy Binder Page
This 1959 Topps football file copy binder page featuring Don Owens and Ed Beatty is available on eBay, at the time of writing, for $74. Baseball had 12 cards (fronts and backs) on each page, but it seems they only included four cards for football.
1961 Topps Baseball File Copy Binder Pages
REA sold this 1961 Topps file copy binder page featuring Ernie Banks Sporting News All-Star card for $300 in that January 2023 auction. In 1961, Topps didn’t put any cards on the back side of their file pages.
A file copy binder page featuring Luis Aparicio’s base card is available on eBay right now with an asking price of $400; it also doesn’t have any cards on the page’s backside.
1961 Topps Football File Copy Binder Page
Just like their baseball field copy binder pages, Topps also put football cards on one side of the pages. This one, featuring Sonny Randle, Leo Sugar, and Jerry Norton, has been listed on eBay for $115.
1963 Topps Baseball File Copy Binder Page
PWCC sold this 1963 Topps file copy binder page for $43 in April 2015. We can see it has just six cards (there are none on the other side). The Cardinals team card presents well, doesn’t it?
1964 Topps Baseball File Copy Binder Pages
The 1964 Topps file copy page REA auctioned featuring Ernie Banks’s base card sold for $144. The set appears to have been archived on just one side of each binder page. I think it’s neat that you can see the card fronts through the sheet.
A seller on eBay has the following pair of 1964 binder pages listed on eBay for $90 each (or Best Offer).
1964 Topps Baseball Giants File Copy Binder Pages
I’ve found a pair of 1964 Topps Baseball Giants file copy binder pages for sale. The one pictured above with Ed Brinkman was sold for $155 in May 2016. These cards are fantastic, and when you see a front with the back, you realize what an incredible piece of Americana the Topps Giants set is.
The file copy featuring Max Alvis is listed on eBay for $85.
1965 Topps Baseball File Copy Binder Pages
The 1965 Topps baseball file copy binder pages were also single-sided, so they had just six cards. The one featuring the pair of Banks cards sold for $168 during REA’s January 2023 Encore Auction.
Heritage sold the following file copy binder page for $192 in October 2022 featuring a trip of leaders cards, notable the NL ERA leaders feating Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.
1965 Topps Embossed Baseball File Copy Binder Page
Heritage Auctions sold this 1965 Topps Embossed file copy page in October 2022 for $216. It features Carl Yastrzemski, Bill Skowron, and Sandy Koufax. The cards are only slightly smaller than regular cards, so, interestingly, they put nine on a single page; since the set has 72 cards, I presume eight more such pages exist. I’m not sure whether they were included in file sets with the base cards or not. And technically, the backs of the cards aren’t blank, so I’m surprised Gelman didn’t include the embossed cars in pairs to showcase the card numbers.
1966 Topps Baseball File Copy Binder Page
The last file copy page REA auctioned in January that featured Ernie Banks was from the 1966 Topps set – it sold for $180. His card was on the back side, so in 1966 Topps appeared to have double-sided their sheets.
1968 Topps Football File Copy Binder Page
This is one of my favorite binder pages; the Football card fronts and backs present so well together. For 1968 Football, Topps double-sided the cards on each page. This one has been listed for sale on eBay for $175.
1968 Topps Football Posters File Copy Binder Page
Topps put a 1968 poster on each side of their binder pages, probably because they’re lightweight. This version, featuring Gary Cuozzo and Les Josephson, is listed on eBay for $95.
In conclusion, it’s fascinating to see the individual file copy binder pages that Topps authenticated and sold in later years (there are countless more out there). It’s also interesting to note that in the late 1960s, Topps stopped keeping two copies of each card and pasting them onto binder pages. Stay tuned for Part 4 of the Topps File Set series, where I’ll delve further into this shift. And don’t forget to subscribe to The Post War Cards Newsletter for more updates!
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