what are "presentation" cards?

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Posted By: mike mullins

Hi there,

in a previous thread, MW was talking about the differences between "vending" cards and "presentation" cards...could someone please tell me what presentation cards are? It's a term I haven't heard before. Thanks!

mm

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Posted By: Marc S.

Sorry for this non-vintage topic that I brought up.

At any rate, presentation sets are high-quality sets that Topps produced from the years 1960 through 1963. They were produced on a higher quality paper, typically have more gloss, and were cut with more care. They were issued in (four?) black presentation boxes, and I believe that Topps gave those sets away to key executives and friends of the company.

If you were to open a 1962 Topps wax box, and open a 1962 Topps presentation set (besides the disparity in series with the wax box), you would be able to discern a clear and identifyiable difference between the two productions, even though both were produced at the same time and were untouched for the last 40 years.

It is something like a predecessor to the Tiffany sets that Topps produced from 1984 - 1991. Though presentation sets were not produced on different card stock, they were produced much better than Topps' regular issues.

As an example, I know that Steve Verkman is offering many high-grade SGC-graded singles from Topps presentation sets in his January 30 auction. His website is http://www.csauctions.com

Incidentally, PSA will not graded presentation set singles with any particular marker as such. SGC will grade presentation set singles with a "Presentation Set" marker on the label, but only if the Presentation set is opened in SGC's presence. I am unsure of how SGC determines that it is an unopened presentation set, though. (I am confident that MW could enlighten us).

It is actually another sort of "presentation set" that existed with Cracker Jack in 1915. Most of the high-grade examples that are seen today were from the send-away sets that Cracker Jack offered in 1915, but not 1914. Again, that is not my expertise, but it is one of the areas that is fascinating in vintage card history.

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Posted By: MW

Marc,

Generally, Topps Presentation Sets (also known as "Limited Edition Collectors Sets") come in five boxes. In 1961, the boxes were blue, 1962 boxes were green, and 1963 Boxes were brown. I do not know what color the 1960 Boxes were.

As for SGC standards for labeling Presentation cards during the Rosen/Merkle era, I really have no idea -- all of Verkman's labeled "presentation" cards are from this time period.

Finally, the 1915 Cracker Jack Sets were simple factory editions and came in a single box. To call them "presentation" sets would not be entirely accurate.

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Posted By: runscott

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Posted By: MW

I know of one Midwest collector who has one. I recall that the first five or six cards in the set had a bit of wear from handling, but most of the rest were Mint.

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Posted By: Plastic Dog

I remember seeing an unopened CJ set (still unopened in the envelope) for sale in the early 90s at one of the big auction houses. Probably Copeland sale at Sothebys, but might have been Richard Wolffers auctions out of San Francisco.

Tom

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Posted By: Brian Daniels

Michael W.Smith.......minus the Smith