The Modern Hobby Guide To Topps Chewing Gum: 1938-1956 (Now Updated, See Post #14)

[toppcat]

This is more of a postwar themed project but not all of you check in on that part of the forum so I figured I would post this here as well-thanks to Leon for letting me announce this here.

My long term project has been completed and The Modern Hobby Guide To Topps Chewing Gum: 1938-1956 is now available for a free color download or online viewing at: http://www.scribd.com/doc/126643197/...m-1938-to-1956 This is a comprehensive history, homage and price guide of all things Topps.

There is also a companion blog for the Guide: http://themodernhobbyguide.blogspot.com/ This will be where updates, corrections, news etc will be archived. I am encouraging readers to send me such corrections and updates as they encounter them. You will see versions 1.0 and 1.1 have already been issued-these were trial runs and version 1.2 as hosted there is the current one. Many more images will be added there for the sets and ephemera covered in the guide. That part of the project will take some time.

A print on demand version in B&W will follow at some point, probably on lulu.com. I have to fix some issues with the checklists before I am comfortable with a print version.

This Topps Archives blog will still be active as well but I am going to reduce my posting frequency to about once per week. Topps Archives will focus more and more on post 1956 issues as I start to contemplate my next project.

Unfortunately Blogger is not letting me add elements to my pages right now but there will be prominent links to the Guide on both blogs once they get over their technical issues.

Enjoy!

[queencitysportscards]

Awesome work...I am checking it out now.

[oaks1912]

Congratulations on a wonderful contribution to the hobby's history. I haven't read the entire manuscript, but it will be a great addition to many collections, including my own

[Wite3]

Wow...David...that is incredible! Cant wait to really get into the details but the intro and history are wonderful!

Thanks so much

Joshua

[Cardboard Junkie]

Aloha Dave, Much mahalos for such a detailed and scholarly work. I appreciate all this wonderful info you have assembled for the advancement of the hobby. Put me on the top of the list for an autographed hard copy when it comes to print. Thanks VERy Very much again. Dave Pierson. ps regarding the pic of woolworths 52 topps display, I believe Levi at 707 owns the original photo.

[FirstYearCards]

Just wonderful work!

[ethicsprof]

congratulations on your much needed and expert research on this period of Topps cards. I'm eager to take a thorough look at your work!
You certainly were the fellow to provide this to the community of vintage
baseball scholars.
all the best,
barry

[tedzan]

Hey guys,

This is absolutely one of the best researched and well-written books on any BB card company that I have seen. Dave has excellently provides us with the history
and insight into the early years of the TOPPS company. Dave's work here is a reflection of the great stuff that makes this forum the best.

I was away on a 10 day trip, and just got around to reading this thread today. It brought back many of memories from my youth. Especially, collecting the 1952
Topps cards and the BOWMAN cards.

Thanks Dave for the "flashbacks" to my younger days.


P. S. regarding distribution of the 1952 Hi # cards,I can attest to the fact that our local pharmacy/soda fountain store in Hillside (NJ) had many of them. Friends
in Philadelphia had them. Also, a long-time friend of mine acquired them at Ben Franklin 5 & 10-cent stores in the Smokey Mountain region of North Carolina.


Best regards,


TED Z

[tcdyess]

Wow, can't wait to get home tonight and dive in!!! What an impressive accomplishment and thanks for sharing all your work with everyone.

Tim

[toppcat]

Originally Posted by tedzan

Hey guys,

This is absolutely one of the best researched and well-written books on any BB card company that I have seen. Dave has excellently provides us with the history
and insight into the early years of the TOPPS company. Dave's work here is a reflection of the great stuff that makes this forum the best.

I was away on a 10 day trip, and just got around to reading this thread today. It brought back many of memories from my youth. Especially, collecting the 1952
Topps cards and the BOWMAN cards.

Thanks Dave for the "flashbacks" to my younger days.


P. S. regarding distribution of the 1952 Hi # cards,I can attest to the fact that our local pharmacy/soda fountain store in Hillside (NJ) had many of them. Friends
in Philadelphia had them. Also, a long-time friend of mine acquired them at Ben Franklin 5 & 10-cent stores in the Smokey Mountain region of North Carolina.


Best regards,


TED Z

Hi Ted-glad you like my guide so far-some of your 52 hi # info made it into the book. Things were so much more regionalized back then with distribution, it's like a big puzzle trying to piece it together.

[oaks1912]

Dave...Still reading and enjoying the project. Regarding '52 High numbers. Two more regions that can be added. A few collections have turned up in Western Canada (Vancouver area) and one area that Teddy Z forgot. About 20 years ago, Ted was visiting me and went with me on a call where I purchased a full set of '52 Topps from the original collector. He collected the set while living near Chicago in 1952. I've never found an original collector that bought '52 High numbers (out of packs) in the SF Bay Area....Mark

[toppcat]

Mark-

Thanks for that tidbit, I will add it to version 2.0 along with some other updated information which is coming in fast and furious. Vancouver does not surprise me as that was, I believe, where a vending find of X-Ray-Round up cards originated from a couple of years ago. Perhaps another set will surface at the Natty in August?!

[E93]

Dave,
Thank you for an incredible contribution to hobby knowledge.
JimB

[toppcat]

The update has been completed and the latest version of The Modern Hobby Guide To Topps Chewing Gum: 1938 To 1956 is now available for free download (in color).

There is now a DRM free PDF version at The Internet Archive: https://ia601805.us.archive.org/9/it...Copy%202.2.pdf

The scribd.com edition, which some people had Facebook sign in issues with, has also been updated: http://www.scribd.com/doc/126643197/...m-1938-to-1956

A seriously large number of people requested a print on demand version and one from lulu.com will be available in about a week; it's actually done but I am awaiting a review copy before I post the link. This is a black & white edition and it will sell for $24.95. I tried to do a color version but it priced out at almost $100, so abandoned any hope of that. Except for the nicer cover, this exactly replicates the free, downloadable versions.

Thanks to all of you who clicked in to scribd.com-I am at 3,500 reads and counting!

[Leon]

Great job Dave. Thank you.

[ethicsprof]

dave,
many thanks for the update. Congratulations.
I'll be eager to purchase the hard copy from lulu when it's available.
all the best,
barry

[Rich Klein]

Dave:

As I wsa reading your review of the 1955 Topps set you mention "Beckett alleges" there are foud DP's in thei high number sheet.

Again, just as we agree to disagree on the 1967 Hi #'s --- those four numbers are far more available than other 1955 hi #'s.

I'd love to see proof either way bit as a dealer I will tell you that I always have seen and owned far more of those four 55 hi #'s than any other cards from that series. In fact, I'd wager if you found a few dealers on this board they would correlate both the 55 and 67 discussions we have had

Rich

[toppcat]

Originally Posted by Rich Klein

Dave:

As I was reading your review of the 1955 Topps set you mention "Beckett alleges" there are found DP's in their high number sheet."

Again, just as we agree to disagree on the 1967 Hi #'s --- those four numbers are far more available than other 1955 hi #'s.

I'd love to see proof either way bit as a dealer I will tell you that I always have seen and owned far more of those four 55 hi #'s than any other cards from that series. In fact, I'd wager if you found a few dealers on this board they would correlate both the 55 and 67 discussions we have had

Rich

Hi Rich:

Well I am certainly open to looking into it further: I am more confident on the 67's but can say in '53 the missing cards were actually pulled after production and I think it possible that happened in '55 as well. On the other hand there are some Quadruple prints in the low series in '55.

I think I'll put a feeler out on the 55's either here or on one of the blogs and get some more opinions. One thing I like about all this digital publishing is that updates are a breeze.

[rdwyer]

Great job! Thanks!

[Rich Klein]

And would love to see your theories on the quadruple prints (you can PM me or email me) and I'd like to do my research to match yours.

We'll compare notes and see what we come up with.

This is one of the fun type of side projects I would do when I was at Beckett.

Rich

[toppcat]

Rich:

I actually have a sheet scan from 55, although it's a little murky. Let me get my paperwork together and I'll send you something by e-mail. I hope to get it done before vacation and the Natty.

[toppcat]

I will move the 1955 Topps Baseball subthread over to the Postwar side but for any of you following this, here is the paragraph from my book Rich was referring to:

"The 1955 high numbers have four cards that were withdrawn from distribution and have never been identified except by number: 175, 186, 203 and 209. These were probably newly signed players that also had a Bowman contract that took precedence and the timing of this indicates Topps and Bowman were still engaged in legal wrangling well into 1955. It is alleged by Beckett that nos. 170, 172, 184 and 188 were double printed to fill in for the four missing numbers. If true, this means the players were identified early enough to have been changed out no later than the final proofing process and were not pulled after printing and cutting as had been the case in 1953."

[toppcat]

Books is now available at lulu.com

http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?t...ch=lulu.com&q=

[toppcat]

Just a bump on this-over 8,000 downloads (and a few actual purchases) and some of the new guys may not know about this. It's a free color download, the book if you buy it is B&W: http://themodernhobbyguide.blogspot.com/