[ALR-bishop]

From 1948 through 1994 I have tried to collect one of every item Bob Lemke listed for Topps baseball in the big book. Every once in awhile he would list something weird that started me looking again.

Two examples---I think he has two listings in the book for "fake" Topps items. One, I think, pictured a "small" card that looked like a 62 Mantle. It was apparently prepared by cutting out Topps Surf book pictures and pasting them to cardboard stamped with "sample" on the back. The listing says it has no collectible value. Well, it was in the book so I had to have one. I bought one on ebay.

There is also a listing for "fake" Gallery of Champion ingots. Gallery of Champions were put out from 84 to 91 or thereabouts...little boxed sets of metal cards ( 12) of star players in aluminum, bronze and silver...and one pewter for some years. For some reason someone forged a bunch of them in a pewter type metal. I think Bob mentioned it in an article and one is pictured in the Catalog with a note that it has no collectible value. Well, it was in the book so I had to have one....so I found one on ebay.

Then for 3 or 4 years in the 70s he lists some panels of regular Topps cards that appeared in the Dynamite Magazines. Not sure why he lists the particular panels that are in the book, because numerous magazines had such panels during the 70s and 80s. They show up on e bay regularly. Well, I had to have the listed ones. I think I have them for 3 of the 4 years he lists. Still looking for the other.

Not sure these items are what you mean by odd....and maybe it is just me anyway.