It was one of many ideas drummed up by Topps decades ago to create more sales. There had been pins, stand-ups, posters, stamps and glossies. For two years, the company gave its standard cards the super size treatment, creating sets that filled up a good chunk of the shoebox. The 1971 Topps Super baseball set would be the end of the brief experiment. … [Read more...]
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Broadleaf/Cycle Shortprints are the Keys to the T207 Set
Issued in 1912, the T207 release is a different kind of tobacco baseball card set. We've written about the set here before and, personally, it's a favorite of mine. From the dark and mysterious aesthetics and somewhat odd player checklist, it's significantly different than most other tobacco sets from the same time period. The set is difficult to complete for any number of … [Read more...]
Short 1920 W520 Strip Card Set Full of Surprises
The 1920 W520 strip card set has a total of only 20 cards. Despite that, it's one of the more, shall we say, odd strip issues out there. Here's a closer look at this somewhat interesting set. W520 Strip Card Basics As stated, a total of only 20 cards are found in the W520 strip card set. That's certainly a bit on the short end but not really all that odd for strip card sets. … [Read more...]
1959-1961 Morrell Meats Dodgers Were Big League
Dodger fans who opened their morning newspaper in southern California on April 30, 1959 probably read about Johnny Podres of the Phillies beating his old team. The Dodgers were in the midst of a grueling 17-game early season road trip across the country as their second season in Los Angeles unfolded. In another part of the paper, fans learned of a new promotion that … [Read more...]
1925 W504 Strip Cards Featured Four Teams
The W504 Strip Cards set is not quite as well known as some others. But given the roster and rarity, it's difficult to understand why it isn't more celebrated. Here's a closer look at this release that is somewhat difficult to find. W504 Strip Card Basics Believed to have been printed in 1925, these unique cards include black and white player images. These strip cards were … [Read more...]
1955 Topps Doubleheaders Have Pre-War Roots
Forty-four years after smokers of Mecca cigarettes pulled them out of packs, Topps reincarnated the interactive design for a "double folders" set of its own. The 1955 Topps Doubleheaders set was the company's first sidebar baseball issue and continues to be popular with collectors of vintage cards. 1955 Topps Doubleheaders Basics Topps Doubleheaders were issued with … [Read more...]
15 Cards for 50 Cents: 1989 Topps Baseball Set Turns 30
There are some collectors who cringe about the 1989 Topps baseball card set. After all, it was one of the sets that was mass produced during the glut of cards from the late 1980s to the mid-1990s. Here's something more cringe-worthy, however: The ’89 Topps set turned 30 this year. Collectors who were 10 years old in 1989 are fast approaching middle … [Read more...]
Topps’ “Other” 1969 Baseball Sets Were Small, Tall
Fifty years ago, collectors were beginning to pull the first of what would be Topps' biggest set to date at 664 cards. Baseball was expanding and so, too, were the number cards you needed to make a set. Still issued by series, the collecting would continue for the next several months but in addition to its standard bubble gum card set with the famous (or infamous) … [Read more...]
1941 Goudey Set Marked End of an Era
Goudey Gum Company sailed across the pre-World War II landscape with a busy run that included standard issue baseball cards, premiums and some non-sport sets. The 1941 Goudey Baseball set would mark the end of a relatively brief but impactful run. The Boston-based firm got off to a huge start with its ultra-popular 1933 set that featured four Babe Ruth cards. The ’34 … [Read more...]
A Look Inside the Surprisingly Rare T332 Helmar Stamps Set
In the early 1900s, tobacco companies were stuffing packages of cigarettes with trading cards. Cards are the items that are most collected today but some companies used other types of premiums instead of them. In 1911, for instance, Helmar Cigarettes distributed packs of their product with small stamps featuring baseball players. T332 Helmar Stamps Overview The 1911 Helmar … [Read more...]
