Original paintings used to create six cards in the 1953 Topps Baseball set are being offered by Goldin Auctions.
The unique paintings, measuring just 3 1/4″ x 4 3/4″ each, feature Minnie Minoso (who became 
card #56, Bobo Newsom (#15), Hal Jeffcoat (#29), Willard Nixon (#30), Danny O’Connell (#107) and Johnny Lindell (#230).
The 1953 set is renowned for its design, including the use of original art to depict each player in the set.
While a few 1953 Topps paintings were offered at auction in 
1999 and more than 100 from Topps’ executive Sy Berger’s collection were consigned to a Robert Edward Auctions sale in 2009, this is the first time these six paintings are believed to have been offered publicly.
According to art and artifacts scholar David Cycleback, Topps created cards from the paintings by taking photos of them and making a plastic negative. The photographic image from the negative would then be transferred to a printing plate (one for each color) and those plates were used to print the color image of the player.
The six paintings are part of the October Legends Auction, set to conclude Saturday at GoldinAuctions.com.
Related Stories:
Vintage Set of the Week: 1953 Topps Baseball Cards Are Palm-Sized Masterpieces
1953 Topps Mickey Mantle on the Rise
Most Popular Baseball Card Sets to Collect, 1950-1999
1959 Topps Baseball Set Took Collectors Through the Porthole
Clemente Still Revered By Fans and Collectors
Comparing Rarity of Topps’ 1951 Blue Backs and Red Backs
1950 Philadelphia Inquirer Phillies Photos Commemorate World Series Run
5 Bargains Found in the Massive 1947-66 Exhibit Set
