1949 Leaf Cards Skip Numbered?

[steve B]

Thanks Ted. I'd heard years ago that the 1960 set was a different company, it's good to get the right story.

I never doubted the skip numbering as a sales ploy.

Didn't Topps get in trouble over a few missing numbers in the late 50's sets?

Steve B

[tedzan]

Due to conflicts with Bowman, the 1953 Topps set is missing 6 numbered cards.

Also, 4 #'s are missing in the 1955 Topps set.

I'm not aware of missing cards in the subsequent Topps sets.


Regards,

TED Z

[tedzan]

My responses to your inquiries......

1st......"I saw a post in another thread about your 52 Mantle that you personally pulled from a pack."

I opened up my very last BB card pack as a kid in the Fall of 1952 to find Chapman, Herman, Jeffcoat,
Spencer, and Mantle.


2nd......"Again, simply amazing, and even more so that you kept your cards all through the years."

I credit my dear Aunt Anna for saving all my cards while I was in the Air Force (1960-64). She lived with us after my Uncle passed away.


3rd......"Did you follow the Yankees - Red Sox pennant race in 1949? "

I did....I was a Yankees fan, since Phil Rizzuto lived 2 blocks from our home in Hillside, NJ. My favorite players at the time were Johnny
Lindell (who hit the 9th inning HR to beat the Red Sox in the last weekend of the 1949 season)..,.,and Joe Page, who would come into
relieve (as early as the 6th inning) in a game and completely shut down the opposing team.


4th......What cards were the favorite pulls from packs?

Besides the 1952T Mantle.......

In 1948 opening up a LEAF pack and getting Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis cards.

In the Spring of '49, opening up a LEAF pack and getting a Babe Ruth card.

In the Fall of '49, opening up a BOWMAN 5-cent pack and getting a Johnny Mize variation.
Mize had been traded to the Yankees in August 1949 which made me very happy. Johnny has always been one of my all-time favorite
BB players. When I got back into the hobby in the 1970's, I met Johnny several times (including visiting with him in Demorest, GA).

In the Fall of '49, opening up a BOWMAN 5-cent pack and getting George Stirnweiss as my final Yankees card in this set.

There are others; but, I remember these the best.


Regards,

TED Z

[Griffins]

Originally Posted by tedzan

Due to conflicts with Bowman, the 1953 Topps set is missing 6 numbered cards.

Also, 4 #'s are missing in the 1955 Topps set.

I'm not aware of missing cards in the subsequent Topps sets.


Regards,

TED Z

Ted, '58 Topps is missing #145 Ed Bouchee, after he was charged with some sort of sex crime.

[PolarBear]

Thanks Ted, neat stories!

Originally Posted by Griffins

Ted, '58 Topps is missing #145 Ed Bouchee, after he was charged with some sort of sex crime.

Yup, #145 missing. What always annoyed me about that though is when Topps got Musial on the hook late in the season and issued an all star card, they didn't go ahead an issue a regular Musial card as #145 to fill in the set. 1958 Topps would be an almost perfect baseball set if they had done that.

[tedzan]

The last major BB card issues to have Stan Musial in them were the 1952 and 1953 Bowmans. It was my understanding that Stan did
not sign with Topps in 1952 or 1953 since he had a contract with Bowman. And he was under contract with Wheaties in 1951 & 1952.

In 1954, Sy Berger (Topps biggie) signed Ted Williams (Berger was a huge Ted W. fan). Somehow, I feel that herein lies a connection
why Topps did not portray Musial in their 1954 - 1958 sets. Finally, Topps included Musial in their 1958 (late) series of All-Star cards.

Furthermore, consider the following pattern of Bowman issues......

1948......Musial
1949......Musial
1950......Ted Williams
1952......Ted Williams
1952......Musial
1953......Musial
1954......Ted Williams....but, Topps forced Bowman to discontinue their Ted Williams card (#66).


TED Z

[PolarBear]

Yup, closest Musial and Williams came to being in a Topps set together was the 1958 all star card of Musial, but no regular card.

I've read that the reason Musial did not appear in Topps was they just didn't offer him what he wanted.

Another story I read was that Sy knew the owner of the Cardinals and agreed to have Topps (or Cy personally, can't remember) donate to one of his charities. He agreed if the owner would get Musial to agree to be in the Topps sets. He did, but it was late 1958 and he only appeared in the late series all star sub set. I just wish Topps would have though about it and given him the missing #145 as a regular card as well.

Ted of course was in Korea in 1952 and 1953. If not, I believe he would have been in the two Bowman sets with Musial, barring an exclusive contract with Topps. Ted then jumped to Fleer in 1959 when Musial finally got a regular card in Topps, so we never really get them both in a Topps set as regular cards.

They did appear together in the 49 Leaf set, as well as the Red Man set. Musial also appeared in the 1954 Red Heart set and the 1955 Rawlings set. Not sure if those were exclusive contracts. If so that would explain why he wasn't in Topps those years.

Not sure about 1956. There's another disappointment. If Musial had been in the 1956 Topps set, it would have been a perfect set.

[PolarBear]

Topps releases special cards every year at the National. in 2005 they released the "missing numbers" in the 1955 set, which includes the Musial.