Please Help Identifying "Bazooka" back on 1957 Topps (with F Robinson)

[KC Doughboy]

I have never seen a 1957 Topps with a back like this. Can someone give me any background on this type of back?
It's interesting that it also has the Frank Robinson name on the back. It makes me wonder if they ran some sheets that had the Bazooka background on certain cards.
Thanks for your help
Eric

[jcmtiger]

Looks like it is cut from a box.

Joe

[horzverti]

It looks to be the middle card cut from a three card salesman sample panel.

United Grocers is (was?) a warehousing company in Appleton WI (as it is stamped on the back). United supplied product to grocery stores in Northeastern Wisconsin. If I remember correctly, United was also named or was referred to as United Foods. United was the middleman between the product manufacturers (in this case Topps) and the stores.

Back to the card...cool card.

[Tripredacus]

Advertising Panel/Salesman Sample
http://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=132990

BUT yours is different where it says "Order today" and it looks that store is stamped on there and would have originally been blank. The panels in the linked thread do not have that space nor say Order Today.

[horzverti]

Here is the back of a different three card salesman sample panel which has the same space beneath "ORDER TODAY!". Sorry for the fuzzy image.

[KC Doughboy]

Thanks for all of the input. I wondered about the salesman samples when I got it, but when I checked the PSA pop report, none of the listed samples had either Zuverink or Frank Robinson.

I had only compared the names but didn't think about checking the other part of the card. Thanks to your input, I see it is an exact match of the Salesman Sample backs, excluding the grocers stamp.

Is there anyone who is recognized as an expert on '57 Salesman Samples?

[ALR-bishop]

Don't know about 57 specifically but if I have questions about Topps Salesman Samples I go to Griffins( Anthony) who posts on this board. You could contact him through a pm

[Griffins]

Here's the back of my '57 panel. Looks like they did different back printings, interestingly.

[toppcat]

Topps had two major ways to distribute cards. The most well known method was to the old tobacco jobbers, who had branched out into confectionery wholesaling. The stamped Zuverink was distributed to the likes of these jobbers.

The second way was direct to retail accounts like department stores and groceries, although usually through a centralized system. They would need point of sale advertising and I suspect that's why two different type panels exist.

[Volod]

Dave - Do you know of - or perhaps post at your website - any detailed information on Topps' retail distribution in the company's early years, such as 1951 - 53? I would really enjoy reading about that subject.

[KC Doughboy]

Wow, you guys are flippin' amazing!

Anyone know of a database of all known '57 Topps Salesman Sample Panels? PSA Pop Report only lists five variations. Obviously there are more since Griffin/Anthony posted one above and I have the Frank Robinson.

[Rrrlyons]

I have 57 salesman sample of Piersall

[Rrrlyons]

Here's the back

[ALR-bishop]

This is my 57 panel. I think Anthony should collect all variations from all years

[toppcat]

Originally Posted by Volod

Dave - Do you know of - or perhaps post at your website - any detailed information on Topps' retail distribution in the company's early years, such as 1951 - 53? I would really enjoy reading about that subject.

In addition to a reference to Rexall Drugs on the West Coast buying large amounts of 1952's I have somewhere if you click the link to my blog I have posted a bit more, including a 1949 order form for Consolidated Merchants Syndicate, which had 3,000 member stores.

http://toppsarchives.blogspot.com/2015/02/the-dimesthey-are-changin.html

Topps also used two different unions to ship product. One to the old tobacco/confectionery jobbers and one to the retail accounts like Consolidated. At one point in the mid 70's one union went on strike while the other one didn't!

[CurtisFlood]

Interesting and for me a timely thread. At the Chicago Fanatics Show I picked up what appeared to be two cards cut from a salesman sample as described above. The gentleman who sold me the group of cards was a walk in from Wisconsin. They were Aaron and Clemente, and the narrative appeared to be continued from one card to the next. Unfortunately they were cut by an apparent 6 year old kid and are more of a novelty than a rare collectible. Fun to look at though.