Nowadays, they’re painful and permanent. Forty-two years ago, they were something you stuck on with some well-placed spittle and they lasted maybe an hour or two. The 1971 Topps Baseball Tattoos are a fun little product–and fairly rare these days. They are the subject of this week’s Vintage Pack Break from Just Collect.
It wasn’t the first time Topps did tattoos. In fact, if you’re talking inserts and prior issues, tattoos were among Topps’ favorite products. In ’71, they were a stand-alone issue, sold in wax packs with a stick of gum.
1971 Topps Tattoos came one 3 1/2″ x 14 1/4″ sheet per pack, with numerous types of little subjects ready to be ripped off the sheet and attached to youngsters’ arms and hands. Of course, the most desirable form today are the uncut sheets. There are 16 in this tidy little set, which features numerous Hall of Famers along with the usual Topps cartoons, team pennants, facsimile autographed baseballs and other little drawings. They fold out into long pages which, if intact, will sell for $15-25 per sheet depending on the players and the condition. All of the sheets contain the same players.
Unopened packs will cost around $25 each.
Ever seen a pack opened? Here you go:
Just Collect is buying vintage unopened packs and vintage cards. See them online at JustCollect.com. They offer hundreds of fresh items via their weekly eBay auctions.
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