1961
TOPPS 75 TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION AUCTION
The Topps Dice Game issue has been one of the great hobby puzzles, a mystifying set of 18 cards that do not mention Topps anywhere on the cards but have long been considered Topps cards 244. 1961 Topps Dice Game (Issued Circa 1962-63) Del Crandall - PSA VG-EX 4
245. 1961 Topps Dice Game (Issued Circa 1962-63) Al Kaline (HOF) - CGC GOOD 2 MINIMUM BID: $2,500
due to their photography and font style, and attributed to 1961 due to their resemblance to the mainstream Topps issue of that year. The set was designed for a simulated baseball game similar to Strat-O-Matic or APBA, which was played by rolling dice, and by most accounts, was never actually issued. The cards are rare enough that the checklist was known for years, but three of the cards - Dick Groat, Norm Siebern and Bill White - did not appear until 2019. It was the card of Groat, which pictured him in a St. Louis Cardinals uniform, that enabled hobbyists to date the set to late 1962 or 1963, as Groat was traded to the Cardinals in November of 1962. Earlier this year, Topps confirmed that they did, indeed, produce the cards, intended for 1963 release. Sixteen of the issue’s 18 subjects were members of the 1962 All-Star teams (the players are identified by league, as opposed to by team), and the set has an extraordinary percentage of Hall of Famers: Don Drysdale, Al Kaline, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Bill Mazeroski, Stan Musial, Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson are all represented. The cards are rare enough that despite the incredible completeness of this auction, we were able to secure just three examples from the set. This,featuring Braves catcher Del Crandall, is one of just two examples of the card to have been graded by PSA (which, for some reason, no longer will grade the issue). Graded VG-EX 4, the card is quite attractive, well-centered with a strong image and square corners, a card that would not look out of place in an EX holder. An incredible rarity, a true white whale from one of the most desirable of all the Topps baseball issues.
247. 1961 Topps Stamps Complete Set and Album (208) MINIMUM BID: $150 246. 1961 Topps Dice Game (Issued Circa 1962-63) Leon Wagner - PSA PR 1 MINIMUM BID: $1,000
248. 1961 Topps Magic Rub-Offs Complete Set w/Variation (37) MINIMUM BID: $100
MINIMUM BID: $1,000
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CLOSES OCTOBER 31, 2026
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