1948-49 TOPPS 75 TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AUCTION
T he first Topps baseball were small postage-stamp sized cards slipped in as singles between the inner and outer wrappers of a one cent piece of bubble gum. Shortly thereafter six-card panels were introduced in a nickel pack format. Commonly known today as Magic Photos, two series of 126 cards, each covering a wide range of subject matter, were issued. The second series included a nineteen card-subset of Baseball Stars that highlighted a handful of contemporary images from the 1948 World Series plus fourteen star-studded cards, all of which depicted Hall-of-Famers. The cards included all-timers like Lou Gehrig, Christy Mathewson, and the recently deceased Babe Ruth. The Baseball Stars subset used slightly muddy black-and-white photographs with images licensed from news and photo services since Topps had no players under contract at the time. There was a twist however, as each card appeared blank until moisture (spit, or water) was applied and a special “developing paper” used to bring the image out. Despite their tiny size, they are grossly overlooked today and historically significant as the Baseball Stars subset contains the first ever Topps baseball cards. Due to the nature of the developing process, the saturation of the images can vary widely. Also, there are variations on the backs of the cards, including the nineteen Baseball Stars, most easily identified by the subset numbering either appearing under the text or rotated ninety degrees to one side.
3. 1948 Topps Hocus Focus Magic Photos One-Cent Unopened Pack and
Developing Wrapper MINIMUM BID: $150
4. 1948 Topps Magic Photo Wax Wrapper MINIMUM BID: $50
2. 1948 Topps Magic Photo #14K Lou Gehrig (HOF) - PSA AUTH MINIMUM BID: $50
1. 1948 Topps Magic Photo #6K Babe Ruth (HOF) - PSA VG-EX 4 MINIMUM BID: $250
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