1948 Topps "Magic Photos" Multi-Sport Complete Set (252) Plus Album

Sold For:

$3,000

Year:

1948

Auction:

2018 Fall

Lot #:

920

Category:

Postwar Baseball - 1950s Cards

Presented is an extraordinary 252-card complete set of 1948 Topps "Magic Photos." Most assume that the first Topps card issues were in 1951. In fact, the very first Topps card issue was the unusual "Magic Photos" set of 1948. This was also Topps' first baseball-card set. Among the nineteen subsets comprising the set are nineteen baseball players including Ruth, Gehrig, Cobb, Wagner, Mack, Johnson, Alexander, Mathewson, Hornsby, Speaker, Young, Sisler, Tinker, and Evers. Other subjects represented include boxers (Dempsey, Tunney, Jeffries, Willard, Johnson, Louis, etc.), and various nonsport topics, including famous movie stars, buildings, famous personalities, cowboys, championship dogs, etc. These "self-developing" cards (7/8 x 1-7/16 inches) were called "Magic Photos" because when issued they had blank fronts, and the sepia photos on the fronts could be developed by youngsters by exposing them to the sun. This set has always been very popular among nonsport collectors, but its great significance as Topps' first baseball card set has never fully been appreciated by baseball-card collectors. This may be due, in part, to the fact that the self-developing process produced very inconsistent results, and many cards that have survived have photos, which are very poorly developed. In terms of overall condition and photo quality, this complete set is better than the norm, with the majority having pleasing contrast and detail. Only a few have images that are partially developed. Condition is 22% Ex to Ex-Mt, 60% Vg to Vg-Ex, and 18% lesser (including a couple with a slight trim). Keys: #6-K Ruth (Gd+), 10-K Mathewson (Vg-Ex/Ex), 13-K Cobb (altered upper-left corner, otherwise Gd), and 14-K Gehrig (10/90 L/R, otherwise Ex). Also includes a "Hocus Focus" photo album in modest condition, with spots of paper loss and staining on the covers, and a neatly marked checklist on the inside rear cover. Two nearly complete one-cent wrappers have been pasted on the inside front cover of the album. This is a very significant and scarce early Topps issue, which has always been somewhat overlooked by collectors, perhaps because of its unusual design and dimensions. Total: 252 cards and one album. Reserve $500. Estimate (open).