1952 Topps 6th Series - Were They Really Dumped in the Ocean

[Zach Wheat]

The baseball season was well under way and Sy Berger and other Topps execs were debating about whether to issue a 6th and final series in their 1952 baseball Topps set. Sy Berger stated in interviews they debated about issuing the last "set" (Sy called the 6th series a "set") due to timing of the release. The final series of 97 cards came out later than anticipated at the close of the baseball season with many cards not reaching stores until well after the World Series had ended. The 6th series cards did not sell well.

Sy Berger, always the salesman, claimed that Topps was running out of warehouse space and the remaining inventory was dumped in the ocean off of a barge in the 1960's.

Is that really what occurred? Let's hear your thoughts.

[jchcollins]

I’ve always found this story dubious at best.

Berger did not start telling it until decades later when he was an older man, and from what I know - there were no other Topps employees at the time who ever confirmed it.

Realistically, why not just use the dumpster to get rid of the stuff instead of renting out a garbage scowl or whatever and sailing off into the East River?

Don’t get me wrong. It’s a great story. I would love for it to be true. But it doesn’t make a ton of sense. The idea that it’s fiction born when the hobby became popular and Berger and others started getting more requests for comments and interviews makes a lot more sense to me.


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[Volod]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

I’ve always found this story dubious at best.

Berger did not start telling it until decades later when he was an older man, and from what I know - there were no other Topps employees at the time who ever confirmed it.

Realistically, why not just use the dumpster to get rid of the stuff instead of renting out a garbage scowl or whatever and sailing off into the East River?

Don’t get me wrong. It’s a great story. I would love for it to be true. But it doesn’t make a ton of sense. The idea that it’s fiction born when the hobby became popular and Berger and others started getting more requests for comments and interviews makes a lot more sense to me.

Agree with John's assessment...but, found this old photo somewhere, forget where.

[G1911]

It is a tale that can not be fact checked now and nothing in it is impossible, but it was probably a lie as most tightly-constructed stories decades after the fact that don't really make much sense if you think about it are.

[ALR-bishop]

Warehouse expense or expense of giving them away versus hiring trucks, loading trucks, unloading trucks, renting barge, loading barge, hiring crews for trucks, barge, dock workers....and Topps being cheap. Stuff of legends ?

[Zach Wheat]

In one interview Sy indicates Topps rented a garbage scow to dump the cards because they did not want them stolen from the dumpster. However, there were other ways to get rid of them.

I hope Toppcat is able to chime in...as always, his Topps Archives gives some very insightful and interesting details of the story

[toppcat]

Originally Posted by Zach Wheat

In one interview Sy indicates Topps rented a garbage scow to dump the cards because they did not want them stolen from the dumpster. However, there were other ways to get rid of them.

I hope Toppcat is able to chime in...as always, his Topps Archives gives some very insightful and interesting details of the story

My current thoughts are here:

https://www.thetoppsarchives.com/2021/08/highly-doubtful.html


This is the Sports Illustrated article I mention in the above linked post: https://www.si.com/mlb/2021/07/06/to...ow-daily-cover

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

Warehouse expense or expense of giving them away versus hiring trucks, loading trucks, unloading trucks, renting barge, loading barge, hiring crews for trucks, barge, dock workers....and Topps being cheap. Stuff of legends ?

Supposedly they tried to give them away at fairs and carnivals for years - at least in some version of the story - and when this ultimately never worked, they dumped them in the river. Again, I don’t believe it but it’s a great story.


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[ALR-bishop]

It is a great hobby story, true or not

[ALR-bishop]

Double post