The late Sy Berger, who reinvented the baseball card for the baby boom generation and transformed it into a staple of baby boom culture, has been elected to the Baseball Reliquary’s Shrine of the Eternals. The Reliquary, a Southern California-based nonprofit organization dedicated to fostering an appreciation of American art and culture through the context of baseball … [Read more...]
What’s Hot in the Shop: The 2014 Mikey Awards
Hello fellow card maniacs, It’s time for the second annual Mikey Awards. This is easily my most favorite piece to share each year and yes, I do put more than 20 minutes into this article. I still write it after midnight just like my other reports just to make it as cool and culturally relevant as possible.Since I’m writing this on Christmas morning, I hope that you were … [Read more...]
Sy Berger, Long Time Topps’ Executive Dies at 91
Former Topps Company executive Sy Berger, regarded as the "father of the modern baseball card" died early Sunday at his home in Rockville Center, NY, according to friend and former Topps employee Marty Appel. He was 91. A Bucknell graduate, Berger went to work for Topps before it produced baseball cards. He served in World War II, then became part of a small team that took … [Read more...]
1953 Topps Missing Numbers Revealed
It drove youngsters trying to complete the set a little batty 61 years ago and for years collectors have wondered about the identities of the six cards that were apparently pulled from the last series of 1953 Topps Baseball cards. Apparently, we now know. On his ESPN show Monday night, Keith Olbermann shared images of an old piece of paper long-time hobby … [Read more...]
Sy Berger on Baseball Reliquary Ballot
Retired Topps executive Sy Berger is among those on the Baseball Reliquary’s list of 50 eligible candidates for the 2013 election of the Shrine of the Eternals, the membership organization’s equivalent to the Baseball Hall of Fame. This year marks the 15th annual election of the Shrine, a major national component of the Baseball Reliquary, a Southern California-based … [Read more...]
How Topps Bested Bowman in Bubble Gum Battle
Topps owns the name today but there once was a time when Bowman was its own brand--a post-War pioneer in the business of bubble gum and trading cards. In the early 1950s, just three years after their debut, Bowman was being pressured by a new kid on the block. Topps dipped a toe in the water in 1951--and their red and blue-backed game cards weren't exactly … [Read more...]