Quick question about 1950's issues

[alanu]

I've always liked the 1952 Berk Ross issue, but I don't think they were all that readily available to everyone.... I always wonder how popular the Fleer 3 Stooges cards were back in the day too.

[tonyo]

Originally Posted by alanu

I've always liked the 1952 Berk Ross issue, but I don't think they were all that readily available to everyone.... I always wonder how popular the Fleer 3 Stooges cards were back in the day too.

Where were Berk Ross distributed?


I'm surprised it took so long for Berk Ross to be mentioned in this thread. My uneducated guess would have put them third after topps and bowman on the list of "most collected cards by kids in the 50's". Seems that I have seen them alot in my sporadic foray into post-war ebay searches.



I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that there is not a clear cut #3 - since Topps spent about 25 years being the only company distributing cards nationwide.

Topps spent about 25 years being the only company distributing cards nationwide. Is that a true statement?

[dougscats]

From 1956 into the '80's, Topps had close to a monopoly, though there were often years that other manufacturers broke in [Fleer, early '60's, Sport, Ted Williams, Deckle [?], O-Pee-Chee [?], etc.].

Bowman fizzled out after 1955. The '55 tv border format was a flop, and the Bowman card dimensions with their flimsier cardboard led to a chronic crease in the middle of their cards. The big, heavier duty Topps cards were also better for playing with, so the Bowmans died out. Even so, I love the Bowmans of '51-52 [there is something ideal about that dimension card, and the artwork is great] and I do like the spectacular photography/color of the '53 set.

In 1957 came the first of the Topps cookie-cutter cards.
There was little competition for the next generation, and they ruled.

That may be oversimplified. I collected from about 1957-1961, and that's what I remember.

Doug

[ALR-bishop]

Topps never really had a monopoly to produce baseball cards. But the contracts they had with players, particularly after they purchased the assets and trademarks of Bowman, was player contracts that gave them the exclusive right to market player likenesses/cards with gum/candy/confections.

Anyone could have marketed player cards by themselves or with cookies ( Fleer) or marbles ( Leaf). And if they could find players who did not have exclusive contracts, they could market those with gum ( 1959 Fleer). As far as I know, the 1963 Fleer set stopped after one series not because of any litigation by Topps, but because of poor sales. Topps had defined the market as cards + gum

The deckle cards, 1969 and 1974 were Topps, as well as OPC