1952 TOPPS BASEBALL UNOPENED “BRICK” OF 8 FACTORY SEALED UNOPENED 5¢ WAX PACKS.

This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 2/1/2023

In the fall of 1951, Bobby Thompson rocked baseball fans everywhere with the “shot heard round the world,” before the mighty New York Yankees, led by Yogi Berra and Joe DiMaggio, defeated Thompson and the Giants in the NY fall classic. That World Series also featured the World Series debuts of Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, who had their tiny pasteboard debuts in the 1951 Bowman set. Meanwhile, at a kitchen table inside a small Manhattan apartment, 28 year-old Sy Berger and his friend Woody Gelman created the 1952 Topps set. Wanting to make a splash with kids everywhere, their vision was a “giant” card and bubble gum, released in series throughout the summer and fall, to entice their young purchasers into a lasting sugar and cardboard habit. Topps released this set in the spring of 1952 to fantastic fanfare and success, although later series were a sales disappointment given their late release and purchasers attention turning to fall sports like football. By 1960, the ill fated overproduction of the later series products resulted in (at the time) useless overstock taking up valuable warehouse space, and a barge trip where Berger and Gelman personally oversaw the dumping of these cards into a watery grave. Such are the stories legends are made of, especially when the product became the most widely collected trading card issue of all time, with 1952 Topps being the centerpiece of the post war collectors portfolio. As baseball card collecting became more popular throughout the advancing decades, collectors increasingly focused on the 1952 set as the gold standard and any remaining unopened packs were quickly opened to reveal the cardboard gold inside. As is the case with modern day treasure hunters that comprise the card collecting community, the search continued for more of these amazing pasteboards in their original wax wrapped state, until 1991, when a small find of 1952 Topps packs was located in Seattle. “Bricks” of 8 packs each, including the one offered here, with unimaginable contents, purchased from the original owner by 2 collectors. One collector sold his packs individually, and opened a few himself, revealing (amongst other cards), what would become a PSA 10 Andy Pafko (#1) card, to this date, the only example to ever achieve that lofty status. The other collector opted to hold his original “brick” of 8 factory sealed 5 cent wax packs, preserved just as they were when they left the caring hands of Topps in 1952... until now. Morphy Auctions is pleased to present this once in a lifetime opportunity to acquire the perhaps the most important piece in unopened trading cards. These 8 packs of 5 cards each are most likely from the 1st series based on the cards that have been revealed from those previously opened from this “find,” however there is no way to know for sure without opening, so any cards from the issue are possible. They are wrapped together in cellophane, and from what can be seen of those showing on the top and bottom, appear to be fresh as the day they were made. An unknown series PSA 7 graded individual pack sold for $100k at auction immediately prior to this offering. The packs themselves appear in outstanding condition, and most importantly, have been inspected and deemed authentic by Steve Hart, the owner of Baseball Card Exchange, and the preeminent authority on unopened product authentication. One of the the packs has a wrapper that was applied slightly “off centered,” and one appears to have a tiny corner fissure visible in the high resolution auction photos. Only 19 1952 Topps packs have ever been authenticated and graded by PSA, with none ever achieving a grade higher than 8. Could the first PSA 9 wax pack be inside this brick? Some 70 years ago, in 1952, the popularity of baseball cards, and this premier issue that put the Topps Chewing Gum Company on the map could not have possibly been imagined by even the most optimistic hobby card enthusiast. If only we knew then what we know now. Inquiries and private viewing arrangements are welcomed for this very important and special piece.

Item Dimensions: 4" x 2 - 3/4" x 1 - 3/4".