1950s Topps Production Numbers - A clue

[Exhibitman]

Some fascinating tidbits in the opinion:

Gum Products, Inc. quit making cards because Johnny Mize sued for using his picture without permission.

Leaf lost a suit to Bowman over the 1948-49 sets and agreed to leave the market, then concluded that it wasn't worth issuing cards again because Topps had shut it out of the market by the early 1950s

Bowman sued Topps and won but decided to get out of the business and sold Topps its rights.

How little money the players got was amazing. Topps could bind every player in organized ball for five years for about $32,000 a year, plus another $40,000 to the ones who made the show and were on cards. This against product sales in the millions. No wonder it took Marvin Miller's strategic non-renewal to force Topps to up the pay.

[spec]

Did Mize appear in any Play Ball set?

[Exhibitman]

My error; he sued Gum Products Inc. over the 1941 Double Play cards, not Gum Inc. for Play Ball.

[Bigdaddy]

There is a similar thread on the post-war side. Interesting to make guesses on the survival rate.

[topcat61]

Originally Posted by Exhibitman

Some fascinating tidbits in the opinion:

Gum Products, Inc. quit making cards because Johnny Mize sued for using his picture without permission.

Leaf lost a suit to Bowman over the 1948-49 sets and agreed to leave the market, then concluded that it wasn't worth issuing cards again because Topps had shut it out of the market by the early 1950s

Bowman sued Topps and won but decided to get out of the business and sold Topps its rights.

How little money the players got was amazing. Topps could bind every player in organized ball for five years for about $32,000 a year, plus another $40,000 to the ones who made the show and were on cards. This against product sales in the millions. No wonder it took Marvin Miller's strategic non-renewal to force Topps to up the pay.

Mize's case was dismissed I believe in August of 1941 on appeal.