1975 Topps Mini's Distribution

[brewing]

I understand the hoarding by Conlon. I'm thinking of the total distribution. Even if he possessed 50% of the MI market, the total of the test markets had to be smaller than the rest of the country.


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[brian1961]

Originally Posted by brewing

I understand the hoarding by Conlon. I'm thinking of the total distribution. Even if he possessed 50% of the MI market, the total of the test markets had to be smaller than the rest of the country.


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Hi Brent. I would have responded sooner, but I was at work. From the response of other board members, it would seem I sit corrected as to the breadth of the distribution regions of the 1975 Topps Minis. Guess I needed some time to think about this.

OK, the connotation of a test issue comes down to a print run vastly fewer than the regular issue. And you are quite right in asserting "the total of the test markets had to be smaller than the rest of the country". I dare say it was much, much smaller, given what Topps cranked out for their standard nationwide release.

The key in this discussion is still Charles Conlon. He alone had the foresight, or rather forceful avarice, to hoard and hoard the MINIs. I know there may have been a few collectors who bought a wax box or two and saved them for posterity, and maybe 1-2 actually bought a case. However, in the case of Conlon, he wound up accumulating a truckload of cases. Then sat on them--until the hobby began to blossom with each year of the 80s. Alan Rosen's purchase of one case of MINT 52 high numbers and semi-highs was a major catalyst at getting collector - investors, accumulators, hoarders, and speculators jacked up about buying new old stock in the form of unopened boxes and even cases. People were buying new stuff and just "putting it away for the future". All the major card companies obliged and fed this frenzy.

When Mr. Conlon finally began to offer boxes from his haul, 1975 seemed long enough ago for those cards to "seem" semi-vintage. They were a nice, colorful design. Gorgeous Nolan Ryan. Revered rookies Yount and Brett. As I communicated, Charles never let on how many he had. Again, the public thought of the MINIs as a test issue. = Scarce. = Good investment. Please do not misunderstand what I have said about Charles Conlon. Hoarding is not against the law. Buying low and selling high is not wrong; we all like to enjoy such financial success. Mr. Conlon sensed a good thing in the MINIs, and he was right! But he was a shrewd wheeler-dealer, and a tough negotiator. We could all wish he was giving us help.

Flash forward to when Charles Conlon passed away in about 2008-09. He was still very active selling his cards. All this time buyers thought they were getting a case or box of an issue few in number. The grading industry had been in full swing for over 15 years. Any serious collector knew the big money cards were those having been graded. For a '75 Topps, that means anything PSA 9 and preferably 10. To my LITTLE knowledge, no one, with the possible exception of major dealer Larry Fritsch, had any left-over cases of the regular issue 1975 Topps. They were bought, collected, and handled back in the day. But Conlon had brand new stuff, the stuff cardboard dreams are made of. So, when he died, collectors discovered the truth---he had a whole lot more than he let on. The REA auction of Mr. Conlon's holdings still brought big money. The pictures in the REA catolog of all those cases painted a vivid scenario of flooding the market, even if some buyers sat on them for 30 years.

The potential number of pristine specimens coming from all those cases, and we are not talking about a dozen cases but a LOT more, spoke in clear terms that the value of the MINIs was now minimized. That is why I wrote of a beautiful huge balloon getting the needle.

Could you imagine what a find of say ten cases of '52 Topps high numbers would do to THAT market. Most of us, myself included, would be overjoyed. Those who had labored hard and spent a fortune to furiously build a run of the HIGHs would be fuming furiously. The demand would be there, but a fresh supply of that magnitude would Richtor-Scale their value several notches down.

Supply and demand stands.

Sorry Brent. I better shut up. ---Brian Powell

[GeorgeBailey2]

I bought my regular set from Renata Galasso that year, so I wasn't buying packs (and promptly used a black marker on the checklists). However, I am fairly certain that the regular size was the only one available.
I do recall for either that Halloween or for Halloween 1976, that whatever packs were included in mixed candy bags (Woolworth's, grocery stores, etc.) were 1975 minis, as I did get a couple trick or treating. I believe the reaction was: "What the....?"

[brian1961]

Aside from the distribution discussion, one question I have mused about is precisely why Topps made the decision to create and test the MINIs in the first place.

I know it's just my opinion, but I think it was to ascertain whether kids and the new wave of collecting adults would accept or reject these new puny cards. Duh--obviously, but let's go a bit deeper.

Now, Bazookas were always a nice, smaller box card, few in number, with built-in scarcity, star players, and at a much higher price per card (though you were technically just buying the large quantity of gum and the cards were simply part of the package, though obviously an inducement to purchase that much gum).

Historically, Topps had reduced the size of their cards in '57. The difference was stark, but kids got used to it. Now it's 1975. Our country was trying to get out of the terrible recession of 1973-74. We were about to be hit with one of the worst periods of double-digit inflation, during the Carter administration. In 1975, Topps had increased the cost of a wax pack from 10 cents to 15 cents. The MINIs would have trimmed Topps' overhead costs by perhaps 25%. Maybe it was about this time that Topps trimmed the size of their stick of gum tucked in the wax pack.

Somehow the Topps people got the message their standard size had best be status quo, and don't monkey with the size any more, or else. As George Bailey aptly said, "What the ....!" Just my fifteen cents.

Anybody know for certain? --Brian Powell

[Cardboard Junkie]

Charlie Conlon and I drove down to a warehouse in Toledo Ohio in 1976 in my pickup truck and bought out the leftover stock. He paid for the gas. I only wanted one set. I think the total was about 30 cases. He also had a few regular size 75's in there too. Charlie was a great guy, and the best negotiator I ever met. I Sold him about 1000 54 topps Hockey cheap and he actually had me thinking he was doing me a big time favor taking them off my hands Telling me 54 topps hockey cards were worse than slow death. He was also big into 53 Glendales and bought all my extras. A very nice man, and he loved basketball. 75 minis and regular size were available in South Eastern Mich.

[nolemmings]

The minis were not available in Southern Minnesota. I don't recall seeing them until a card show in Brooklyn Park (Twin Cities suburb) in 1978, but I didn't get around much

Historically, Topps had reduced the size of their cards in '57. The difference was stark, but kids got used to it. Now it's 1975. Our country was trying to get out of the terrible recession of 1973-74. We were about to be hit with one of the worst periods of double-digit inflation, during the Carter administration. In 1975, Topps had increased the cost of a wax pack from 10 cents to 15 cents. The MINIs would have trimmed Topps' overhead costs by perhaps 25%. Maybe it was about this time that Topps trimmed the size of their stick of gum tucked in the wax pack.

I don't think the recession had anything to do with it--I think it was strictly a marketing experiment. BTW, double digit inflation occurred before Carter took office. During his administration, inflation was in the modest or so single digits until his final year, when it went it over 10%. And to be clear, the recessions technically occurred before and after Carter was President-- one on Ford's watch, the other on Reagan's (both saw double digit inflation for longer than Carter). These things are clearly cyclical, and the numbers certainly can lag economic policy, so I am not laying blame or being overly political. I just get tired of Jimmy Carter being treated as a whipping boy.

Back to cards. I believe Topps was merely looking to change it up and see what happened. If they truly were treating their bottom line as paramount, they would have simply stuck to their guns with the smaller size (and the price increase), at least absent a total rejection of the product by the market, which I do not believe occurred. IOW, the minis would have survived longer.

[brian1961]

Todd--Honestly, I was not trying to stick the blame on Jimmy Carter. I liked President Carter. I was using his administration as a point of reference. As for double-digit inflation, I would have to check the numbers because I thought I remember seeing a chart of inflation through the years, and the late 70s stuck in my mind. Perhaps I am confusing the chart I saw with the mortgage interest rates. Anyway, I am sure you are correct about skyrocketing inflation taking place during the years of President Ford, and the early years of President Reagan. We must include the last term of President Nixon as well.

However, I stand by my opinion about why Topps would test the reduction in size of their cards to save money. Any time a business is contemplating a major change such as this, it is to reduce overhead. Perhaps Marvin Miller had negotiated a better deal for the players with Topps. The recession of 73-75 was tough. Coca-Cola stock sank about 74% during the '73-'75 recession. Price of a car shot up dramatically during the 70s. In '73 I recall going to see "The Sting" and paying $3.50. Never had I paid so much to see a movie.

I never saw the MINIs, because by '75 I had become virtually disinterested in current MLB, and was enraptured with vintage baseball cards and baseball history. I believe around that time I was doing a research project to convince the Veterans' Committee of the Baseball HOF to enshrine Addie Joss. Never got it done, but at least they enshrined Mr. Joss.

Well Todd, have a pleasant day. --Brian Powell