1975 Topps Mini's Distribution

[Harliduck]

Originally Posted by 71buc

I live south of Seattle the minis were all that were available here that year.

Another Seattle guy...only Mini's. I didn't see a regular sized card until the mid 80's while visiting Michael Kramers shop in Lynnwood (Pacific Trading Cards) and was shocked. I had no idea regular sized cards existed. They still look strange to me today.

[brian1961]

The late Charles Conlon assuredly must be mentioned in this thread. As reported, Topps test-marketed the 1975 Minis in Michigan. A native to Michigan, collector - dealer Charles Conlon, once he got wind Topps was indeed test-marketing the Minis in his home state, proceeded to become a silent but deadly, un-stark raving maniac of a hoarder / investor of these. He went absolute nutzo with the Michigan Minis, surely spoiling any valid test results for Topps. Whatever Topps issued in Michigan, you can best be sure Charles scoured any area he thought might have them.

Ever the poker player, once Mr. Conlon cornered the Minis market, most collectors had to come to him to purchase them. Naturally, he never let on the extent of his holdings. He would relate in his frequent SCD ads, in such words, I only have a limited supply, they're running out, buy while you still can, etc. Seems to me he was selling them for about $400 a wax box. Considering what he paid for them, he must have raked in huge piles of dough from glad buyers.

Even at the time of his relatively early death in about 2008, he still had a truckload of '75 Topps Minis. Lest you think I'm pitching you hypo-hyperbole, find one of Robert Edward Auction's then once a year-catologs of about 2009 -2011. The Conlon family chose them to auction off Charles's vast collection, including what "few" cases he STILL had of the 1975 Topps Minis. Moreover, the prices those remaining cases fetched in the REA auction were STILL very, very high, which thoroughly surprised me. Maybe it shouldn't have, but it did.....

Enough said of the small Topps. And no, I did not buy any MINIs from ol' Charlie. --Brian Powell

[Rickyy]

Originally Posted by brian1961

The late Charles Conlon assuredly must be mentioned in this thread. As reported, Topps test-marketed the 1975 Minis in Michigan. A native to Michigan, collector - dealer Charles Conlon, once he got wind Topps was indeed test-marketing the Minis in his home state, proceeded to become a silent but deadly, un-stark raving maniac of a hoarder / investor of these. He went absolute nutzo with the Michigan Minis, surely spoiling any valid test results for Topps. Whatever Topps issued in Michigan, you can best be sure Charles scoured any area he thought might have them.

Ever the poker player, once Mr. Conlon cornered the Minis market, most collectors had to come to him to purchase them. Naturally, he never let on the extent of his holdings. He would relate in his frequent SCD ads, in such words, I only have a limited supply, they're running out, buy while you still can, etc. Seems to me he was selling them for about $400 a wax box. Considering what he paid for them, he must have raked in huge piles of dough from glad buyers.

Even at the time of his relatively early death in about 2008, he still had a truckload of '75 Topps Minis. Lest you think I'm pitching you hypo-hyperbole, find one of Robert Edward Auction's then once a year-catologs of about 2009 -2011. The Conlon family chose them to auction off Charles's vast collection, including what "few" cases he STILL had of the 1975 Topps Minis. Moreover, the prices those remaining cases fetched in the REA auction were STILL very, very high, which thoroughly surprised me. Maybe it shouldn't have, but it did.....

Enough said of the small Topps. And no, I did not buy any MINIs from ol' Charlie. --Brian Powell

Speaking of Charlie, I met him at a show out here in SF back in the old days...and we chatted about the 75's. I told him my experience and how freaked out I got since the cards had shrunk...I then actually started trimming and cutting down some of the regular cards because I thought those were errors so they would fit with the rest of the mini's...we had a good laugh about it....and told him I wish I had his foresight about them!

Ricky Y

[brewing]

If they were limited in release to certain regions (none of big 3, chi, LA, NY), why have they lost the premium they used to carry?

[oaks1912]

Another of those sets that was definitely marketed in California. I bought wax packs in Castro Valley and other East Bay locations, remember buying rack packs at Mervyn's Toy store in San Lorenzo....there was enough gap in the packaging that you could thumb the cards..Hank Aaron #660 was my favorite card / player that year and he was almost always found in the center pack .I've since forgotten who was on top or bottom of him, but managed to accumulate a good sized stack by the summer (100 or so). I attended the Southern California shows across from Disneyland and remember buying a box of cello packs from a So. Cal dealer. Shortly after I bought the box, I found out that they were available in quantity (and priced lower) at Dodger Stadium, in fact into 1976. Southern California was the only locale that I've ever confirmed for the cello packs being sold. I've never seen any other packaging beyond those three methods.... In later years I have purchased collections which originally were assembled in other parts of Northern California as well as Washington (Olympia to Seattle areas)... Initial collation was wild and complete sets were hard to assemble. Not factoring in the size variances and the full bleed edge "miscuts" , it was tougher to put together sets in '75 than it is today..... I guess the next nostalgic sets to cover are Hostess....

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by brewing

If they were limited in release to certain regions (none of big 3, chi, LA, NY), why have they lost the premium they used to carry?

Brent, perhaps you did not read between the lines of my somewhat lengthy discourse of "1975 Topps MINIs and the HAPPY HOARDER, CHARLES CONLON". When Rob Lifson (REA) auctioned off the many cases of '75 MINIs Charles still owned at the time of his demise, the market became rather floooooooooooooooooooooded with them. Think of a beautiful, large balloon getting the needle. --Brian Powell