Just a side note, but it's really important not to forget about football/basketball/hockey's role in the downfall of high numbers throughout the Topps years. After collecting baseball cards all summer long and piling up stacks of doubles after stacks of doubles, we used to jump right off the train when the other sports cards suddenly appeared in the stationery store (and squeezed the baseball boxes off of the shelves). Anything NEW!!!! to a kid just takes all the focus away. That was my experience growing up. Plus, in an odd way, it also signified that summer was officially over. You had to go back to school and all of the 'cold' sports were starting up again, so the green grass of baseball was in the rearview mirror...and there was no going back.
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