1991 Topps DESERT SHIELD # 6 Nolan Ryan RB

1933 Goudey baseball cards were issued during the worst part of The Great Depression. The set ended up at 240 cards (239 printed in 1933 and one in 1934). In an effort to attract collectors, several of the games top players were honored with multiple cards including "The Great Bambino" who appeared on 4 different cards.
The Babe was once asked why he made more than the President of the United States, the Babe answered simply: "I had a better year than he did."

The Elusive Nap Lajoie
One of the most important facts regarding the 1933 Goudey set was their infamous marketing ploy. Goudey took "marketing" to a whole new level to keep people buying packs by never issuing card #106. Collectors wrote the Goudey Card Company complaining. They were rewarded with Goudey sending them the un-issued card #106 (Nap Lajoie) in 1934.

WOW ! Few issues compare to the 1956 Topps Pins set. The colorful and attractive 1-1/8" diameter pins were packaged with bubble gum and featured a color photo of player on front with a pin clasp on back. Many of the images for pins are the same as on the 1956 Topps cards. If you collect 1956 Topps cards than YOU MUST add at least one of these 1956 Topps Pin to your collection.

Packed with stars (no Mickey Mantle), the 1956 Topps Pins set also had a few scarcities such as Chuck Stobbs, Hector Lopez & Chuck Diering.

In the end, collectors of the day preferred cards to pins and Topps cut back the 1956 Topps Pin set from a planned 90 pins to just 60.

1968 was an awesome year for Topps test & oddball issues with Game cards, Player Posters, 3-D cards, Plaks, Discs, Punchouts and these "Baseball Action Stickers" also called "Action All-Stars Stickers".

"Baseball Action Stickers" were STAR-PACKED 3-panel sticker strips, some with facsimile autographs. There were (16) different strips in the set but only 12 are totally different. #13 thru #16 re-used panels from #1 thru #12.

Strips were perforated, folded at joints and put in packs. Boxes had 12 packs (10 cents each) with 1 sticker per pack. Sets could be made back then for $1.60. Today, the Mantle panel goes for around $2,000.

Collectors often collect just individual panels as complete strips are so scarce, fragile & EXPENSIVE. Single panels themselves are quite scarce - in 20+ years PSA has graded just over 200 TOTAL compared to over 1,000 1952 Mantles !!!

PROOF sheet below is missing the facsimile autographs.