We’ve uncovered a great old quote from the legendary late Topps executive Sy Berger in which he spoke of how the radical change in how men groomed themselves was impacting his company.
Eagle-eyed collectors often noticed that in the 1960s, Topps sometimes used the same player photo across multiple years.
In a September 6, 1970 United Press International Story on the company, Berger indicated Topps was having to shoot more photos more often to keep a player’s look current.
“In the past, we used to snap three or four different pictures of the players in spring training—with and without hats to protect us from trades—and then use them for two or three years. Now, the mod hairstyles and the long sideburns that have become so prevalent among today’s ballplayers have forced us to take new pictures every spring to keep up with the styles. The kids are aware of this too and they can’t be fooled.”
By kids, he means the youngsters who were still Topps’ primary marketing demographic nearly 50 years ago.
Little did he know, things would get even more complicated a few years later.
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Collector Jimmy Mahan (@KentuckyCards) who pulled the 1/1 Zion Williamson/RJ Barrett dual autograph card from Contenders Draft and pledged to turn the profits over to charity, has put the card back up for auction after the winner reneged.
The card received quite a bit of online attention after Mahan chronicled its discovery inside a pack he opened last month, then flew to Dallas to have the card graded by Beckett. He pledged all proceeds to Crossnore, a North Carolina home and school for neglected and abused children where he had once worked.
The original auction for the card ended at over $15,000 last week.
However, late bid retractions and a canceled sale forced him to re-list it. It’s currently at over $6,000 with less than 72 hours remaining. Mahan says if the winning bid is less than the original $15,200 auction price, he’ll make up the difference.
You can check out the auction here.
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StockX is offering the chance to land a 2003 Topps Chrome LeBron James rookie card graded PSA 10 for $1.
To enter, you’ll need to place a $1 bid between now and Thursday on the company’s website. After all entries are received, the winner will be charged just a buck for a card valued at over $2,000. More info is here.
StockX bills itself as “the world’s first stock market for things.” It’s a live ‘bid/ask’ marketplace in which buyers place bids, sellers place asks and when a bid and ask meet, the transaction happens automatically. Originally a platform for popular sneakers, the company opened a trading card platform this fall.
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A collection of 23 high-quality photographs from the U.S. victory in the 2019 Women’s World Cup is now being offered for sale.
Classic Stills, a Los Angeles-based publisher of rare and iconic photographs, has collaborated with the U.S. Soccer Federation, U.S. Women’s National Team Players Association and Getty Images on the project.
The collection includes images from the team’s opening game against Thailand through to the victory over the Netherlands in the World Cup final.
The photographs are being sold as hand-framed fine art prints and are created in various sizes. Only 150 numbered copies of each photograph are available. All are hand-numbered and come with a COA.
Prices range from $149 to $1,000.
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