A Rare Piece of Card History
A rare brick of eight 1952 Topps Baseball card packs, one of only three such collections known to exist, is currently being auctioned by REA. The lot, discovered near Seattle in the early 1990s, offers a tangible glimpse into the formative era of Topps' baseball card production.
The 1952 Topps set, comprising 310 cards, does not feature Hall of Famers such as Mickey Mantle, Jackie Robinson or Eddie Mathews, with Willie Mays serving as the most recognizable name in the series. Of the 84 packs unearthed, three remain intact, making this brick a scarce artifact for collectors.
The offering is part of REA’s Summer Catalog Auction, which will stay open until August 16, a timeframe that overlaps with The National Sports Collectors Convention in Rosemont, Illinois. The convention, already famous for drawing Hall of Fame athletes, also highlighted industry moves such as PSA’s $400 minimum grading fee aimed at easing a 12 million‑card backlog, and Fanatics Collect’s introduction of FanCash, a payout option that waives up to 12 percent of transaction fees for collectors who opt in.
FanCash can be spent only at Fanatics.com, the Fanatics Collect app, or Topps.com, and eBay has announced a new authenticity‑guarantee packaging, developed with PSA, that will roll out later in 2024. The marketplace also unveiled a digital price guide that consolidates pricing data, population statistics and comps from PSA, CGC and Card Ladder, giving collectors a single reference point for market values.
The convention floor played host to a who’s‑who of sports legends. Cal Ripken Jr. posed for photos with young fans, while Mike Schmidt fist‑bumped a child collector. David Ortiz, known as Big Papi, received a surprise hug from fellow Red Sox icon Jim Rice during an autograph session. Lynn Swann and Rocky Bleier signed simultaneously, drawing a crowd of Steelers supporters, and Emmitt Smith, Edgerrin James, Jim McMahon, Lawrence Taylor, Jim Kelly, Ozzie Smith, Johnny Bench, Ozzie Guillen, Jay Cutler, Matt Forte and Richard Dent added their signatures to the growing list of memorabilia seekers.
Local enthusiasts gathered at Giordano’s in Rosemont, where TTMCast hosts Drew Pelto and Arron Littleton organized a listening party for their audience. The event paid tribute to Jeff Baker, the podcast’s founder who passed away in 2023, whose influence continues to shape the collecting community. Luci Yang, eBay’s Senior Director of Collectibles for the United States, praised the convention’s vibrant, family‑friendly atmosphere, while Brian Dwyer and Jordan Lyons, among the event’s behind‑the‑scenes organizers, helped coordinate the myriad appearances.