Topps has some excellent regular issues in the 1960s. One overlooked set, though, is the 1969 Topps Supers test issue. The cards are not only appealing, but much more difficult to find than the standard Topps issues from that time period. 1969 Topps Supers Basics The 1969 Topps Supers are a drastic change from the company's regular issue produced that year. The 1969 Topps … [Read more...]
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1960 Topps Tattoos Among Company’s Quirkier Sets
When most collectors think of Topps, their mind generally goes to baseball cards. But the company produced a wide variety of non-card issues and the 1960 Topps Tattoos release was a unique collectible. Tattoos? Yup...well, sort of. There was no artist needed, no painful procedures--and any regrets could be quickly washed away. Here's a bit more on this oddball … [Read more...]
Photo of the Day: Alfred Eisenstaedt Snaps Willie Mays in 1954
After making his major league debut in 1951, duty called for Willie Mays. He missed much of the 1952 season and all of ’53 in military service, although much of his time in the Army was spent playing ball. When he returned in ’54, the New York Giants center fielder not only didn’t miss a beat, he became baseball’s best player and began drawing attention from major … [Read more...]
Does This Photo Look Familiar?
It had been a whirlwind for Willie Mays as the calendar pushed toward Memorial Day, 1951. His young baseball career had gotten off to a great start in the minor leagues and on May 23, he was at a movie theater when an on-screen message summoned him to call his hotel: The New York Giants were looking for him. A day later, the kid from Alabama was in the big … [Read more...]
Bazooka Changed Things Up In 1964 Release
The 1964 Bazooka set marked the sixth consecutive set of baseball cards produced by the chewing gum company. But while much about it remained the same from past issues, much changed as well. 1964 Bazooka Baseball Basics For the second straight year, the individual blank-backed cards measured a smaller size from the earlier issues. 1964's edition measured approximately 1 … [Read more...]
RMY Auction Opens with Mays Minor League Photo
Sporting a newly designed website, RMY Auctions kicked off its June online catalog auction Wednesday with more than 400 items up for bid including a rare, original Willie Mays minor league photo. Mays opened the 1951 season with the Minneapolis Millers but in late May, got the call to join the New York Giants. After a rough start, Mays homered off Boston Braves' star … [Read more...]
Newly-Discovered 1957 Willie Mays Jersey Generating Bidder Buzz
A new-to-the-hobby Willie Mays jersey believed to have been created for use during the Giants’ final season in New York was recently consigned to auction, where bids are already approaching six figures. The cream-colored #24 home button-down is among the featured attractions in Grey Flannel Auctions’ current catalog. The jersey was apparently a hand-me-down that made its … [Read more...]
Topps’ Double-Zero Cards Of The 1960s Had Some Big Names
Coming up zeros is not always a good thing — unless you were collecting Topps baseball cards during the 1960s. Cards that ended in double zero tended to be big-name stars, and while that also was the case for many Topps cards that ended in 50 — or in a few cases, the pivotal No. 1 card — there was something alluring about pulling a “00” out of a nickel pack of Topps. From … [Read more...]
1952 Berk Ross Baseball Set Offered Joe D, Mantle, Mays, Jackie
While Topps and Bowman began slugging it out to take control of the baseball card market in the early 1950s, another card set was quietly snaring pennies and nickels of young collectors. The 'Hit Parade of Champions' lasted just two years, 1951 and '52, with 72 cards in each set. The inaugural set included 40 baseball players and 32 stars from other sports. The 1952 Berk Ross … [Read more...]
Hires Root Beer Baseball Cards a Tasty Challenge
Charles Hires did not invent root beer, but his marketing and advertising skills helped make his brand one of the United States’ top selling soft drinks by the time of his death in 1937. Hires, a pharmacist by trade, flooded the market with advertising, distributing Victorian trading cards with stunningly beautiful artwork and placing ads in publications like the Ladies Home … [Read more...]
