1989 Topps Guernsey Auction – Post Auction Pickups?
 

I have been meaning to pick up a copy of the auction catalog for many years, and finally did a few weeks ago from a fellow board member. For those of you Net54ers who have been around for a while, I would definitely, in the parlance of the two Bruces, be referred to as a minnow as a opposed to a whale in the hobby, but for many years I have picked up Topps production items, as I find them interesting and one of a kind, even if they are not the highest demand items out there! I especially enjoy the line art drawings from the backs of cards, and have picked up more than a few over the past 10-15 years. I missed the auction in 89 –had just gotten married and didn’t have a ton of disposable cash at the time, so I probably would have cried throughout most of the auction anyway! But back to the catalog – I was interested to see how some of the lots were described and sold. I have several pieces of art that have the Topps 1989 auction stamp, but many that don’t, so I had always assumed they were sold through another means. I had often wondered why some of them had pencil notations of FF or BB followed by some numbers. I had always assumed that was some type of Topps filing system notation, but I was surprised to find out in the catalog that these were the lot numbers that Topps used in the auction. I also read that the Topps stamping was optional, so folks could have their items stamped after the auction if they desired. I just assumed everything was stamped before the auction.

So, the auction was 31 years ago – plenty of time for some of these gems to change hands once or twice. Anybody have pics of any auction items they have picked up post auction that they would like to share? Was pleasantly surprised to see a couple of things I picked up that I did not realize were Topps auction items that were actually shown in the pictures in the catalog. Will try to share a few pics when I get my scanner fired up again!

Happy collecting!

Missed the 89 auction too, but
 

I picked up a bunch of items when the Topps Vault was selling on Ebay and I know at least 1 other board member who has access to stuff from the 89 auction - not sure if he'll read this or want to chime in, but I presume he can't be the only one either.

I have bought many Topps Vault items, mostly cards proofs.

I have wanted the catalog, but mainly to see what kind of oddball Steve Garvey stuff might have sold then. Stuff pops up now and again that I have never seen sold or shared online, but I am sure there is more that never sees the light of day now.

I was semi out of cards in 1989, while going to school in San Diego most of the year with the Navy. I would pick up things when I was home on leave and my mom would buy things for me here and there, but I was not what you'd call active. I certainly would not be looking for or monitoring a Topps sell-off auction, although I wish I had been aware and interested then.

I would be assigned to my sub later in that year (not sure exactly when in 89 the auction was) and would not really think much about cards again until 1993.

Someone shared a catalog a while ago that I downloaded but unfortunately it only shows item number and price realized. It doesn’t show me what the item number represents (title/description). It also had this article attached.

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Here are the few items I’ve gotten over the years. Personally, I can’t stand Beckett slabs and always cross over my graded cards to psa and sgc but I feel like there’s a certain level of provenance that goes with these slabs so here they’ll stay.

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Hey guys - thanks for sharing! I'm sure there were a ton of items that were sold that all of us would love to have had a shot at!

It's interesting that I also see proofs that are attributed to the 89 auction, but from what I can tell looking at the catalog, most of these were sold as proof sheets that I am guessing must have been cut up. The break up value of some of these I am sure is/was much higher than the full sheet, as the individuals appeal to team and player collectors. I have seen the same thing with some of the original line art sheets. Any production items I have I have kept intact, but I certainly understand the motivation to cut up for selling, or ease of storage or display.

Here is the beginning section of the progressive/proof section, so you can get a feel for how they were listed in the auction.

Any scans of the 1962-66 material offered would be greatly appreciated.

I was in middle school and at the height of my baseball fever when I saw this article! I still have the copy I cut out of the magazine. I wonder if Marriott still owns those drawings?

Topps Vault
 

1989 was the year I graduated high school and baseball cards were the last thing on my mind at the time so I missed the auction. I did pick up lots of Topps Vault items on ebay in the early/mid 2000s though. My favorite (that I still have) is the original card art for the '64 Koufax.

http://www.collectingbrooklyn.com/ne...sKoufaxArt.jpg

It is true that it was optional to get the Topps stamp put on the items from the original auction. I won a couple of lots and chose not to get the stamp put on the back, mainly because I was worried it would bleed through to the front.

Also, the auction descriptions were not always accurate. I won one group of 1965 back artworks and it was described as 1966 in the catalog.

I wonder how many of the items are still with the original purchasers 31 years later. Some would certainly see even more spirited bidding if they were looking for a new home!

Love that Ty Cobb/Sandy Koufax piece. I have been meaning to start a thread about just the back artwork at some point. I think a dual HOFer (card/subject) is definitely a prized piece!

I noticed the same thing, Troy - I think I have some 1966 Topps football line artwork marked FF158, which is listed in the catalog as 1964 artwork, I think.

Koufax card art is amazing!!!

Here is one of the 7 Johnny Bench 1975 proof cards I have.

https://www.collectorfocus.com/image...-proof-sgc-9.5

I think those progressive proofs, especially when displayed as a set, are really cool! That Bench set, especially given the colors of his 75 card, must be great!

Actually 9 instead of 7. Here are the other 8.

https://www.collectorfocus.com/image...ch-proof-sgc-8https://www.collectorfocus.com/image...-proof-sgc-8.5https://www.collectorfocus.com/image...ch-proof-sgc-7https://www.collectorfocus.com/image...-proof-sgc-7.5https://www.collectorfocus.com/image...-proof-sgc-7.5https://www.collectorfocus.com/image...-proof-sgc-7.5https://www.collectorfocus.com/image...-proof-sgc-7.5https://www.collectorfocus.com/image...-proof-sgc-7.5

I was right - that IS a great set! Thanks for sharing!

Hey Kev!

I went through the catalog looking for 1962-1966 production, proof, and progressive sheets, and it looks like the lots offered started with material in the early 80's and worked it's way back by year to 1967. I don't see any sheet offerings for the years you were looking for - must be the ones that are out there made it to collectors through a different means, or were offered in lots not listed in the catalog.

Picked up this pair of Ranger flexichromes about 10 years ago - just love the colors!

Did you get that recently? Someone was selling several sets on ebay a bit ago (I don't recall when, maybe 1 year or more ago).
I ended up with the Garvey set.

Yep, picked these up recently. Let's see your Garvey pickups.

Can someone who owns a copy of this 1989 catalog please check it to see if it has any pics of a 1967 Topps Baseball 6th Series Proof Sheet? It would be invaluable for those of us trying to recreate the 1967 Topps 6th Series Sheet. Keith Olbermann has talked about it extensively, the proof sheet contains a card of Tommie Reynolds that is spelled Tommy Reynolds on the front of the card. Olbermann said that in his 55 years of collecting his biggest regret is not winning the 1989 auction of the proof sheet that contained the Tommy Reynolds error card.

Here are the sheets and partials illustrated in the catalog, in order of appearance:

1976, 1979, 1974, 1983, 1975 (partial) 1972 (partial), 1978, 1971 (highs), 1972 (1st), 1967 (partial, highs, no new info), 1952 (4th), 1974 Deckle (partial), 1981, 1976, 1972 (another partial), 1975, 1978 (partial), 1982, 1970 (partial), 1980, 1977,

Well, that sucks. Olbermann says that the 1967 6th Series proof sheet was hung on an art easel at the auction site in New York in 1989, maybe a picture someone took of it will pop up someday.

I looked through the cataloge and I only saw 1 partioal sheet of 33 cards for 1he 1967 Topps 6th series. Item #BB219.

Mike

Attachment 522280

I did figure that it was either a 33 card (3 rows) or a 44 card (4 rows) proof sheet but even that would have been a goldmine for trying to reconstruct the 1967 Topps 6th Series Sheet.

More support for which (key) cards were printed 3 times and which were printed 4 times on 1967 6th and 7th series 264 card sheets

1989 auction
 

Well, we know that Durocher, Killebrew, Perez, and Tommie Reynolds are in that 33 card block. If only there was a pic of that 33 card block.

1965 Topps production proof
 

Recently obtained these 1965 Topps Transfers Production Proofs that originated in the 1998 Topps Guernsey’s auction.

Will be looking to move them soon

Pretty cool, Fred! Are they about 3"x5"?

Hi Marty:

They are actually 2'' x 3 3/4"