Probably my favorite UK Louis card. Nice pick!

Thank u sir !

Over the last 27 years I have opened hundreds of packs and browsed through countless thousands of other 1991 Kayo cards. I have never, ever seen one of the alleged autographed insert cards until now:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...ure%20Card.jpg

Wow, that's a new one on me. I've probably opened at least a couple cases worth of these, have sold several cases worth of single boxes and have a couple cases put away and have always been suspicious that these never even existed.

I've told people straight out, you're not going to get a signed card in this box, regardless what is says in the advertising on the box.

And I would keep on telling them that, Dave.

Would be curious to know if any others have ever popped up.

Must be Powerball type odds pulling one of these cards.

The only reference I can find to the signature cards is on Jeff Allender's checklist site, where he checklists a red bordered Arguello. Since it references the border color difference I think the report of the Arguello is credible. Allender claims (without foundation) that the insertion ratio is 1:2160 packs, but is "reportedly scarcer." Yeah, no $hit, Sherlock. A total of two cards identified in the hobby over 27 years is definitely scarcer than one every 60 boxes (5 cases). I'm thinking that finding one is more akin to this scenario:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...a%20ticket.jpg

As I recall from reading Shark Tank, when Upper Deck invented the signed insert around this time, the executive who came up with it was inspired by Willie Wonka and wanted it to be like pulling a golden ticket. If Kayo followed suit, the cards may be unique. We didn't really start thinking about larger hit counts until years later.

So Adam under what circumstances did you come across this one?

I can personally vouch for opening 10+ boxes, and not getting any auto cards.

Seriously, 80-90 percent of the print run probably remains unopened.

Does anyone have any contacts to reach Williams and ask him the number of cards he signed?

Picked up 1946-47 Propagandas Montiel Reyes del Deporte - Primo Carnera.

It is Carlos Palomino, not Arguello, who is referenced as a signature card.

http://www.nslists.com/kayobox.htm

This article states "So far, more than 250 million First Round cards have been printed and distributed..."

https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Kayo+...ena-a011423282

Yeah, it's a typical early 90's overproduction run. Totally over-estimated the market for boxing cards.

Similar story with AW (All World) the same year. Differences in distribution. It seems AW produced way less unopened product and way more factory sets, and Kayo stuck to mainly the unopened product, while creating less factory sets.

5 years later Ringside was a lot more savvy and sophisticated with it's release, and was much more transparent with it's chase card, autograph insert strategy. Still overproduced but not quite to the extent of the 91' releases.

I'm not sure of the full autograph insert list for this set. I don't think it's exactly a remarkable line-up of boxers, but at least they are attainable.

Still not successful enough to carry over into another series of cards until the modern day lineup of hobby boxes started coming out with much more limited distribution.

Where did I get Arguello? Brain fart...

OK, each case has 14 x 36 x 12 cards = 6,048. That's 41,336 cases if the 250 million # is used. If the signed cards are 1 per 5 cases, that would be 8,267 signed cards. Surely more than two would have shown up in 27 years.

I don't buy the production numbers. That's a million of each card. At its worst in the junk wax era, Topps was reported to have made 5 million of each card. A fifth of Topps's max run for a minor sport and a first effort?

I also have to wonder how many were destroyed rather than saved for decades.

Did not expect to find one.

Very cool!! Nice find.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

FP had some nice card issues over the years.

T218 Goodman
 

Picked up a high grade T218 Goodman. His record on the back is not very good, but high grade T218's are neat. I'm back into boxing cards because the price is right.

T218 is my favorite T set in any sport. The art just cannot be beaten.

Hey guys, there's lot's of opportunities to start December's Pickups thread right in my auction. T227's, W529's, T219's Oh my.

Also if any of you go to the Philly show stop by and say "hi" I see so few boxing collectors it would be nice to meet some. </hijack>

8 '51 Ringsides, ~20 T218's for the master set, several silver borders, an E77 O'Brian, pair of tough T225 white borders, and some other pickups. Fun mailday today

Took me much longer to find than I expected.

Very nice card, my favorite Jack Johnson image

previously mentioned T218 Tolstoi arrived...

Wow that’s a nice card for being a 6, nice centering and color to it

Happy New Year to all you boxing fans! For my last one of the year:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...livan%20PC.png

Now the earliest boxing PC I have.

Very excited to add this one!

Wow! Very nice.

Hello,

I am new to the board and also new to collecting boxing cards. As a kid I collected baseball cards, but now I focus on boxing. I am slowly, piece by piece, putting together the 1951 Topps Ringside set, and yesterday Johnny Saxton came in the mail.

nice centered card welcome to the board! Hope to see more cards and talk about the sport , not a lot do

Thanks! I am a huge boxing fan and love boxing history. The cards for me are really just an extension of that.

Ditto. That was how I got into it.

Nice to have new boxing blood in here. The 51s are a classic set choice. I am still kicking myself for acquiring then selling off a partial set of signed Ringsides some years ago. I bought the lot to get at the Ray Miller but I really wish I'd kept the rest too. It had most of the possible (living at time of issue) signers. If you're a Ringside fan maybe these will be of interest:

Salesman sample w/Marciano RC:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...Sample%201.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...Sample%202.jpg

Contracts for the set signed by Ruby Goldstein, Barney Ross (Topps watermark is in the scan, not the contract), Ray Miller:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...20Contract.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...oss%201uto.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...t%20Miller.jpg

Those contracts are amazing. $1!

I picked the 51 set by accident. I think I had watched a couple old fight films of Jimmy Carter, the lightweight champion from the early 1950s, and decided to look him up on EBay and found the Topps Ringside card, which I promptly ordered. I also ordered a copy of your book, which has been a major help as well.

I like using the cards as a way to track my education of the history of the sport. I learned a lot about baseball as a kid through card collecting, and so the boxing cards are a way of carrying that forward.

Good god that Salesman Sample is GORGEOUS.

Wow Adam! That is terrific. Thanks for sharing.

Definitely one of my favorite pieces. I think 1951 Ringside is the nicest looking sample Topps ever made.

Thanks to JeremyW for finding this one... Chickering cabinet of James J. Corbett

Beautiful cabinet. Even the back is great!

A Couple of Giants
 

Arrived in today's mail, Andre the Giant by Boyd Pierce X 2. Puts me over 100 different. Anyone have any for sale or trade? Especially looking for DICK THE BRUISER. PM me.

Thanks, David. Nice going, Jerry. I remember the old days on TBS with the former Minnesota Governor and all those guys.

Picked up a couple of T220's..

Wow, RCMcKenzie!

As Mr. Mint would say, "Those are blazers!" Both the colors and white boarders. Super nice!

1950s Arte y Deporte (Mexico) Juan Zurita:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...e%20Zurita.jpg

questions? answers? A magazine addition?

The set is catalogued on page 69 of my book, though I hadn't seen the Fitz before. It is a very tough issue to find. Appears to be a 1904 issue based on the record backs. They're not from any publication I know of. My SWAG is that they were issued in the West because of the Britt and Nelson cards. Those two were San Francisco-based in 1904.

ETA: coincidentally, I came across a George Dixon today:

http://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...ixon%201_1.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/exhibit...0Dixon%202.jpg

Adam, thanks for the info. I had seen this "stats" issue on your website a while back when researching other cards and again when I got the Fitzsimmons in a lot from Lelands. BTW the lot had 2 Adam Hats promo photos with Zivic and another boxer. Rob

Who was the other guy?

Lou Ambers, the same as #450 posted on your website. I was thinking you already had these two, if not let me know.

Just wanted to make sure my checklist was up to date.

This is the nicest Peter Jackson cabinet I've ever seen. The clarity is remarkable in person.

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...ackson%201.jpg

These two ain't too shabby either

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...l_%20Monte.jpg
https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...%20Wolgast.jpg
(Ad Wolgast)