Forty-five seasons before the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues battled it out for the 2019 Stanley Cup, you could still go to the local drug store and pick up a pack of hockey cards (10 cards plus a stick of that bubble gum that got extra hard in the winter). The cards were colorful and there was something extra inside that was perfect for sticking on the box that … [Read more...]
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Vintage Pack Facts: 1977 Topps Football
Topps football card sets had a long-running symmetry during much of the 1970s and early 80s: 528 cards, all in one series with leader cards, checklists and team checklists. The 1977 set was no different and collectors were still enjoying the ability to plunk down a dollar and get six packs and some change back from the store clerk. This week's edition … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1968 Topps Baseball
With its "burlap" borders, it may not be flashy but the 1968 Topps baseball set actually has a lot going for it. Nolan Ryan and Johnny Bench rookie cards. Mantle. Mays. Clemente. Cards of that legendary Detroit Tigers team. Bob Gibson of the 1.12 ERA. The return of All-Star cards. All of them--and a new set of cards you could use to play a game--took the … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1977-78 Topps Hockey
The Montreal Canadiens were still dominant. Cleveland had a franchise. The Colorado Rockies (no, not the baseball team) were a team (and made the playoffs). The 1977-78 NHL season had a lot going on but American kids collecting hockey cards found a kind of comfort food in the form of Topps hockey cards, which still came with gum and plenty of … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1979 Topps Baseball
With challenges to is long-held monopoly now underway, Topps opted to do some branding with the design of its final baseball card set of the 1970s. For the first time in a regular issue set, they put their logo on the front of each card. Not much else had changed from the year before, but there was one other difference kids noticed right away. This week's edition … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1965 Topps Baseball
It probably took all spring for youngsters to realize it, but the days of going to the candy or drug store with a penny and buying a pack of baseball cards were over in 1965. Nickel packs had been the standard for a long time, but Topps had still produced a smaller amount of 1-cent packs each year. It's likely rising production costs were a factor and it's also … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1975 Topps Baseball
The white borders were gone. In their place was a rainbow of colors. Ten cent wax packs were gone, too, replaced by a 15 cent price tag. 1975 had brought changes to the world of bubble gum cards but Topps kept the presses rolling and there was plenty of unopened material to be had, even decades after the set that brought us a multitude of Hall of Fame rookie … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1969 Topps Baseball
It was the end of the decade...and the end of an era for those who could always count on tossing a nickel on the store counter for a pack of baseball cards. Football season brought more cards per pack but the price of had doubled for good. Expansion had come to baseball in 1969 and Topps' seven series roll out included 664 cards, making it the largest set to … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1972-73 Topps Basketball
After producing in relatively small quantities the year before, Topps made sure there was plenty of 1972-73 basketball for everyone. Even today, it's a relatively easy score, whether you're collecting cards for a set--or want an unopened pack. This week's edition of Vintage Pack Facts from VintageBreaks.com is a look back at the purple pack power of 1972-73 … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1976 Topps Baseball
It was the year of the American bicentennial and everything was red, white and blue...including the lettering on the top of Topps baseball card wax pack boxes. While the number of cards needed for a complete set wasn't changing just yet, there were quite a few ways to attack that 660-card collection. This week's Pack Facts from Vintage Breaks takes us back to the … [Read more...]
