Quick question about 1950's issues

[Volod]

Originally Posted by tonyo

I also like the Red Man cards. Hadn't seen the 59 Bazooka but I searched a few and like their look as well.



By my original question, what I meant is: back in the 50's, what were the kids collecting? After topps and bowman issues, what were the most popular sets for kids to collect in the 50's ?

Tony

So excluding all Topps and Bowman issues, and limiting it to sets kids were actually collecting in the 50's makes the question a little more dicey. Since my family apparently didn't much go for pre-packaged meat, the only regional issue I ever saw in the I-like-Ike years was Johnston Cookie cards, which is strange in itself because they are supposed to be regional to Wisconsin, but I was in upstate NY. So, I guess my vote goes to the cards from Redman Tobacco that my old man used to chew to annoy the stuff out of my mom.

[Exhibitman]

I'd go with exhibits; nationally available, not associated with a product that wasn't supposed to be sold to minors, hundreds of cards issued, readily available on the current market.

[ValKehl]

I'm partial to the "meat" cards, especially Briggs. Growing up in the Wash., DC, area, we ate hot dogs frequently when I was a kid in the 1950s. But, I didn't care to save the Briggs cards - they were sorta greasy, but worse, they didn't have any player bios/stats on them like the Bowman & Topps cards did! Oh, how I have regretted not saving a few Briggs panels!
Val

[alanu]

I've always liked the 1952 Berk Ross issue, but I don't think they were all that readily available to everyone.... I always wonder how popular the Fleer 3 Stooges cards were back in the day too.

[tonyo]

Originally Posted by alanu

I've always liked the 1952 Berk Ross issue, but I don't think they were all that readily available to everyone.... I always wonder how popular the Fleer 3 Stooges cards were back in the day too.

Where were Berk Ross distributed?


I'm surprised it took so long for Berk Ross to be mentioned in this thread. My uneducated guess would have put them third after topps and bowman on the list of "most collected cards by kids in the 50's". Seems that I have seen them alot in my sporadic foray into post-war ebay searches.



I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that there is not a clear cut #3 - since Topps spent about 25 years being the only company distributing cards nationwide.

Topps spent about 25 years being the only company distributing cards nationwide. Is that a true statement?

[dougscats]

From 1956 into the '80's, Topps had close to a monopoly, though there were often years that other manufacturers broke in [Fleer, early '60's, Sport, Ted Williams, Deckle [?], O-Pee-Chee [?], etc.].

Bowman fizzled out after 1955. The '55 tv border format was a flop, and the Bowman card dimensions with their flimsier cardboard led to a chronic crease in the middle of their cards. The big, heavier duty Topps cards were also better for playing with, so the Bowmans died out. Even so, I love the Bowmans of '51-52 [there is something ideal about that dimension card, and the artwork is great] and I do like the spectacular photography/color of the '53 set.

In 1957 came the first of the Topps cookie-cutter cards.
There was little competition for the next generation, and they ruled.

That may be oversimplified. I collected from about 1957-1961, and that's what I remember.

Doug

[ALR-bishop]

Topps never really had a monopoly to produce baseball cards. But the contracts they had with players, particularly after they purchased the assets and trademarks of Bowman, was player contracts that gave them the exclusive right to market player likenesses/cards with gum/candy/confections.

Anyone could have marketed player cards by themselves or with cookies ( Fleer) or marbles ( Leaf). And if they could find players who did not have exclusive contracts, they could market those with gum ( 1959 Fleer). As far as I know, the 1963 Fleer set stopped after one series not because of any litigation by Topps, but because of poor sales. Topps had defined the market as cards + gum

The deckle cards, 1969 and 1974 were Topps, as well as OPC