Topps Printers

[toppcat]

I just posted a response to a query in another thread but it may get buried there. I've come up with the following from Topps printers through the early 80's and thought it might be worth an airing out to see what else people know.

Four or five firms did most of the Topps printing over the years:

1948 to late 50's, most work went to Lord Baltimore Press. Prep work done in NYC, printing in Baltimore.

~1960 to early 80's, mostly done by Zabel Brothers in Philly. Zabel did Bowman's work and after Topps bought them, they started using Zabel sometimes. After Zabel went under around 1982, work was farmed out more and more to lowest bidder.

A firm in Baltimore called A. Hoen also did work, possibly when Lord Baltimore Press got bought out by International Paper in the late 50's and phased out third party jobs and Topps was transitioning to Zabel.

Chromographic Press, of Hampden, Connecticut did some late 60's and early 70's jobs. It was owned by a Topps director named Peter Shorin. Shut down about 1971. At a guess,this firm may have done specialty work like decals, etc. since it appears the Chromagraphic Process differs a little from the Lithographic process used to make cards. Maybe one of the printers here can distinguish.

And I think a firm called Stecher-Traung in Rochester, NY did overflow work in the early 60's and printed one of the infamous 2nd series Baseball runs in 1962.

I think they may have used a firm in NYC (possibly in Brooklyn) from their beginnings in 1938 until the mid 60's to do some work as well, possibly only for their various candy and gum wrappers and interior packaging, which required attention to sanitary detail. I can't locate a name though. The glassine/foil/wax papers used in manufacturing seem to have been handled separately from the cards but I'm not 100% certain of that point, especially from the 60's onward.

[The-Cardfather]

You seem to have a lot of information here, and I'm certainly no expert regarding Topps printing locations.

However, I grew up in Brooklyn, NY and had a distant (3rd?) cousin who worked at the Topps plant in Brooklyn in the 1960s. I had a conversation with him about 20 years ago, and I remember him telling me that they used to manufacture (print) the baseball cards at the Brooklyn plant. He also said that after the company bought a plant in Durea, PA, in 1968 or so; the Brooklyn plant was gradually phased out after a few years.

According to him, the product manufactured at the Brooklyn plant was of very little value and if anyone wanted to take a small quantity home (of anything) for their kids; it was acceptable. His point was that if he took a small quantity home of the baseball stars of the day (Mantle, Mays, Koufax, etc.) a couple of times a week, he would have been a very rich man. But who knew?

I don't know if any of this helps, but I thought that I would pass it along.

[Mark70Z]

Dave,

That is definitely some great information. Thank you so much for taking the time on the research and also sharing your wealth of information on the site.

[toppcat]

Charles-

Interesting connection you have with Topps-thanks for posting.

I think your 3rd cousin is close-the cards were delivered to and cut and packaged in Brooklyn until early 1966. The gum and candy manufacturing operations were certainly based in Brooklyn until then as well. Len Brown confirmed this in an old interview I have, which I will post if I can dig it out. I should find it, as I plan to reorganize all my clips and notes this month.