Ten years after it made baseball card history with its 407-card oversize debut set, Topps had settled into a regular pattern as the sole provider of bubble gum packs that kept kids busy collecting, trading and flipping from early spring through the last gasp from the final series that arrived in the fall. This week's edition of Vintage Pack Facts takes us back to the "wood … [Read more...]
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Vintage Pack Facts: 1980 Topps Baseball
After having the baseball card market all to themselves nearly every year since 1956, Topps enjoyed one last year as the solo option for collectors as the 1980s dawned. The world would change forever in 1981 when Fleer and Donruss came aboard. This week's edition of Vintage Pack Facts focuses on the 1980 Topps packaging--and there was plenty of it. The first … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1959 Topps Football
Sixty years ago, Topps was preparing to ship the fourth edition of its NFL trading cards to wholesalers and retailers across the country. There would be two series and 176 cards issued before the season ended, the largest football card set ever made. This week's edition of Vintage Pack Facts is focused on 1959 Topps football. Having gold with a red and … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1960 Topps Baseball
After three standard size, vertical designs, Topps shook things up again in 1960. Their baseball card set went horizontal for the first time since 1956, with a split screen type look that featured a head shot for most of the main photos and a posed action image on the side. There were plenty of ways to buy cards as the decade began, too. There have been finds of … [Read more...]
1976 Topps Football Cello Pack Break at NSCC
There were plenty of packs and boxes ripped at the National Sports Collectors Convention. Most were current era boxes were opened as part of the card company redemption giveaways but fans of older material also set free some cards that had been sealed a long time ago. A couple of days ago, we showed you the end of a 1979-80 O-Pee-Chee hockey box break. Topps' … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1968 Topps Football
After four years relegated to producing trading cards for the American Football League, Topps charged back to the forefront in 1968, winning back the NFL and the AFL It was the start of a 21-year run in which they were the exclusive manufacturer of pro football cards. The good thing for (mostly) young buyers of bubble gum? Packs were still a nickel. Courtesy of … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1956 Topps Football
Bowman had left the building for good and the NFL's bubble gum card baton was passed to the aggressive young kid on the block 63 years ago. Topps stepped somewhat lightly into the game with a 120-card set but it marked the launch of a 50-year partnership with the league. In this week's edition of Vintage Pack Facts from VintageBreaks.com we explore the packaging of … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1959 Topps Baseball
If you were a youngster setting out to collect the 1959 Topps baseball set, you faced a huge task. While you may not have realized it until much later in the year, the company had just created its largest set ever at 572 cards spread across seven series. Unless you were able to save a lot of money and buy boxes--one series at a time--it was quite an … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1964 Topps Baseball
After "wood grain" borders in '62 and splashes of color in '63, Topps went back to a more traditional look for its 1964 baseball cards. There was a new type of packaging, too. This week's edition of Vintage Pack Facts from Vintage Breaks examines the packs that came with something completely different on top. Topps went from 576 cards to 587 for its 1964 set, one … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1986-87 O-Pee-Chee Hockey
With the Montreal Canadiens fresh off a memorable Stanley Cup victory, kids north of the border were chomping at the bit in order to get the first hockey card of Conn Smythe Trophy winner Patrick Roy and that piece of cardboard hit them straight in the fact with boxes of 1986-87 O-Pee-Chee. After a era of heavy production, the London, Ontario-based company had scaled things … [Read more...]
