TOPPS 75 TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AUCTION
123. 1955 Topps Hocus Focus Near- Complete Set (19/23) In 1955, Topps released a throwback to their 1948-49 series of Magic Photos, which were similarly small cards that required the application of moisture and sunlight to “develop” the picture that revealed the answer to the very basic question on the card’s reverse. They were issued in two sizes, a “large” format edition of 96 subjects measuring 1” x 9/16”
124. 1955 Topps Stamps Don Mossi - PSA FR 1.5 MINIMUM BID: $500
and a “small” edition featuring 126 subjects and measuring 7/8” x 1 7/16”. Movie stars, world leaders and several other groupings of subjects were created, with baseball stars among them. The first 96 cards in either size consist of identical subjects, with 30 “high numbers” added to the larger set. The “small” series of 126 cards were issued as a true insert, with one small card wedged between the inner and outer wrapper of a piece of bubblegum. As a result, the small cards are several orders of magnitude more difficult than the large, and they are, indeed, the rarest regular issue cards ever released to the public by Topps. The Baseball Stars comprise a particularly desirable portion of the issue, the small-format series numbering to 23 and including Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ted Williams, Warren Spahn, Jackie Robinson, Eddie Mathews and more. Each card carries both a number within its particular subject series and a separate number identifying its position within the larger Hocus Focus set. The unusual photographic process was part of the fun, but it also helped ensure the issue’s scarcity today. The cards needed to be physically handled, wet (typically with the saliva of a young collector) and exposed to light in order to see the photograph, and the small size of the cards made them vulnerable to loss and damage. The Hocus Focus cards survive in much smaller numbers than Topps’ more mainstream issues of the era, particularly those with well-developed images. Presented here is a nearly complete set from the elusive issue, missing just the cards of Ted Williams and Lou Gehrig for completion (those two cards are featured elsewhere in this auction as single cards due to their extreme rarity). The cards are largely in low technical grade, although the image quality is strong with most. A truly exceptional Topps rarity, virtually never found at this level of completion.
125. 1955 Topps Doubleheader One-Cent Wax Pack - GAI EX-MT+ 6.5 MINIMUM BID: $200
126. 1955 Topps Doubleheader One- Cent Wax Wrapper MINIMUM BID: $50
127. 1955 Topps Hocus Focus Instruction Card MINIMUM BID: $50
MINIMUM BID: $3,000
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