BOOK UPDATE

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An Ode to the Classic 1952 Set

of your father’s beer that your mom was to never know The latest book in Tom and about. Ellen Zappala’s card collecting The senses also serve as a powerful tool for recol- lecting the past for those who were sports card collec- series offers up sensory delight tors as kids. Few things hold the sensory vividness as the smell in the backstories and current- of gum wafting up or the sight of a much sought-after day fascination surrounding the card in a freshly opened pack of cards. What can pull a card collector back in time more than remembering the legendary Topps issue feel of wax packs in your hands while waiting to pay for them at a candy store counter and wondering what may ur five senses have an amazing power that can be inside? Offering an equally intense sense of men- draw us back in time, even as far back as our tal time travel is recalling the sound of a card wedged childhood. For those who grew up loving the through a bike’s spokes that made it tick like a motor Ogame of baseball and were fortunate enough to the faster you rode and the taste of those pink rectangle attend a Major League game as a kid, that is especially strips lightly dusted with powdery white sugar. true. As a kid growing up just outside of Boston in the Just close your eyes and you can recall the smell of late 1950s and early 1960s, Tom Zappala’s senses were a field’s freshly cut grass; the sight of a favorite player stirred by the game of baseball and the men, equip- stepping into the batter’s box; the feel of the soft pocket ment, venues and cards associated with it. of a perfectly broken-in glove you hoped would be used “I was passionate about baseball and cards; al- to capture a fouled treasure; the sound of ash or pine though, my friends and I thought of them in the way the hitting horsehide followed by the crowd’s immediate re- manufacturers originally did: That they would be some- action; the taste of a hot dog and, perhaps, a tiny sip thing to play with,” says Zappala. “We flipped them and

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played a game called scalers, in did you also got all the cards.” which you would kneel down about Having started to collect cards 15-feet in front of a brick wall and in the late 1950s, Zappala says he toss your cards. If you landed your has vivid memories of walking to card on another card, you won all a local store where he would pur- the accumulated cards. If someone chase packs. tossed a card and it landed against “As soon as I got outside, my the wall, you would try to knock it story was the same as that of thou- down with another card, and if you sands upon thousands of American kids at the time. I would rip open the packs, stick a piece of gum in my mouth, and go through the cards to see who I got.” In 1959, when Zappala was 7 years old, there were, of course, no card guides or Internet. So unless a kid had a father, uncle or older brother who collected cards when Ellen Zappala they were young, saved them, and then passed them down along with in 1952, the same year he was born, information about them, there was the Topps Gum Company of Brook- really no way to get any sort of his- lyn, , had put out a set of torical perspective on the cards that 407 cards that had been the brain- had come prior. child of , a Topps em- It was for that reason that a ployee who teamed up with design- young Tom Zappala had no idea er to create what Tom Zappala that just less than a decade earlier, sports cards historians would many

108 AUGUST 2020 S MR years later deem to be the most im- him and his wife, Ellen, to produce a portant postwar baseball card set beautiful coffee table tome to add to ever produced: the 1952 Topps set. their award-winning series of base- Using the kitchen table of his ball collectors’ books. apartment on Alabama Avenue in Just released, Baseball & Bub- as their workspace, Berger ble Gum: The 1952 Topps Collec- and Gelman came up with a de- tion, beautifully documents the 1952 sign that included a colorized photo Topps offering that, along with the of the featured player along with a 1909-11 set and the 1933 facsimile autograph and his team’s release, has come to be re- name and logo on the front. On the vered within the sports card collect- back, the new design called for in- ing hobby as one of “The Big Three.” formation that included the player’s Initially preparing to release height, weight, birthdate, stats and a Baseball & Bubble Gum: The 1952 short biography. Topps Collection in late July at the The set, which was the largest 2020 National Sports Collectors ever produced at that time, became Convention in Atlantic City, those the standard for sports card design plans were dashed when the con- and, as time went by, saw Berger vention was postponed due to the recognized within the hobby as “The COVID-19 pandemic. Father of Modern Baseball Cards.” The original plan was to roll out That backstory, as well as the their latest book with events that cards themselves, would have been were to include personal appear- lost on the then-7-year-old Zap- ances, discussions and signings by pala who, back then, never even the Zappalas; a special guest ap- knew such a set existed. Little did pearance by one of the surviving he know the day would come when players featured in the ’52 Topps he would become so enamored by set; and a discussion with Joe Or- these cards that they would inspire lando, the president and CEO of Collectors Universe, parent com- pany of Professional Sports Authen- ticator (PSA), who contributed the foreword and the fourth chapter in the new book. Although they hope to continue with those plans in the winter dur- ing the now-rescheduled show, Zappala says he wanted to keep on schedule for the book’s release and is more than pleased with what it offers to those who love baseball, sports cards, and this historic set. Sports Market Report (SMR) re- cently met with Zappala to discuss Baseball & Bubble Gum: The 1952 Topps Collection, which he calls the most enjoyable book he, his wife, and their team have ever worked on. We began our meeting with Zappala by asking him what made this book so special. Tom Zappala (TZ): Since we started this collection series, we

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have had many people suggest that For many people, the 1952 we do books on the 1933 Goudeys Topps set is much more than just an- or the set. Those are both other great group of baseball cards. great ideas and not ones we have It is a set that changed the game – ruled out, but there is just some- not the game of baseball, but the thing about the 1952 Topps set that collecting card hobby. It ushered in resonates with so many collectors. a completely new era of how cards There is no doubting that it ranks were designed and collected. Be- right up there with the T206 set, and cause of those reasons, and more, I think one of the reasons for that is we thought it was a natural for our because there are still people alive next book. today who collected those cards as Sports Market Report (SMR): kids. That makes them something What were some of the other rea- more than historically significant, sons? such as is the case with the T206 TZ: That set was produced cards. The ’52 Topps cards still have during an extremely interesting the power to bring back childhood time in history – the history of memories for those who got them the world, of America, and of the when they were first released. game of baseball. The careers of It is also the set that started the many players in this set were inter- second generation of collecting and rupted by service in World War II or has become iconic due to all the the Korean War. It was also when whom we cover in the book. great Hall of Famers that are fea- the color barrier was being bro- SMR: For those who may not tured in it. On top of that, you have ken in baseball, and Major League be familiar with your other books, the card, which is Baseball fans were introduced to can you give an overview of what one of the most famous and sought- players like Jackie Robinson, Roy readers can expect to find in this after cards in the hobby. Campanella and Monte Irvin, all of book?

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TZ: This is both a history book the collection. His chapter is written released. The company couldn’t un- that will appeal to those who love purely from the standpoint of a col- load the cards on anyone. In the late Americana and popular culture and lector. I really feel that this book is 1950s, just to get rid of them, they an incredible resource for those who our best attempt at blending the his- were being offered for next to noth- are serious sports card collectors. tory of the game and the hobby to- ing and still nobody wanted them. We cover the history of the game gether. To me, those are the things So, around 1960, to make room and the players of that time, as well that made it the most enjoyable in their warehouse, Topps decid- as provide a look at the ’52 Topps book we have done. ed to dump thousands of cases set from the collecting perspective. SMR: Most serious card col- of these cards into the ocean. Joe We also include extensive narratives lectors know a lot about the ’52 Orlando goes into detail about the on each individual player found in Topps set. But for those who are now-infamous “dump” in his chapter the set – something about both his not that well-versed in the set, and reveals how Sy Berger rented a professional and personal life. We can you share a bit about what barge and had them dumped be- cover their stats, but we also offer readers can expect to learn about cause they were deemed worthless. interesting, funny and touching per- these cards from reading your Joe also writes about the big find sonal stories about some of these book? of ’52 Topps cards that surfaced in amazing men – things that very few, TZ: Well, I’m sure anyone who 1986 and how that sent shock waves if anyone, knew about them. collects cards knows it is the set with through the hobby. We have broken the book into Mickey Mantle’s first Topps release, What I think people will re- chapters that highlight the Hall of which is the pinnacle of the set and ally be fascinated to learn about is Famers and those who are not as one of the most important cards in something I didn’t know, and that well-known – the Uncommons and the hobby. And yet, even though is how many of the players who are the Commons. The final chapter, that card and the entire set are so featured in the set served in World “A New Era Begins,” written by revered by today’s collectors, when War II and the Korean War, many of Joe Orlando, focuses on the cards it came out, that was not the case whom fought overseas and came themselves – the specifics on each by a long shot. The sales started out back as war heroes. Some of them card, the rarities and the nuances of strong but waned as each series was were even Purple Heart recipients.

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And then, of course, the set coin- feel this book in particular has been Chrissie, and her photos appear cided with the breaking of the color greatly enhanced by the magnificent throughout the book. To make a barrier in baseball. photography. The cover is amazing. book like this work, the visuals are From a collector’s standpoint, It is a photo of these two young boys of paramount importance, and she I hope it sparks an interest in our who are really brothers – Roman and really captured our vision with her readers to collect the set. I think Luis Curiel – flipping cards. They are amazing images. there are too many collectors out dressed in period clothing with bikes We also owe a debt of gratitude there who think you must have zil- of the era. Getting that shot was a to John Branca, the nephew of the lions of dollars to put this set to- real team effort. That photo shoot pitching great Ralph Branca. John gether, but that’s not the case. Of was done in Southern California on allowed us to use images of his course, a set like this is extremely a hot summer day, so I have to throw complete 1952 Topps set. As many expensive in high grades, but in low out a big salute to the boys for put- serious collectors know, his collec- grades it is a very doable set. Let’s ting up with a long day in the heat. tion is one of the finest in existence, face it, very few collectors can pay That photo also came together and it was very kind of him to share

$2.8 million dollars for a high-grade thanks to Jackie Curiel, who is the it in our book for the enjoyment of Mickey Mantle card. But collectors boys’ aunt and the chief of staff at our readers. should know that a low-grade exam- PSA. She is a great person who did I also have to say thanks to ple can be obtained for far less than amazing work in making this book Chris Ivy of Heritage Auctions, Levi you might expect. come together. Jackie is talented, Bleam of 707 Sportscards, Leigh- SMR: Along with the stories, dedicated and fun to work with. Her ton Sheldon of Vintage Breaks, Pete this book contains beautiful pho- help was truly invaluable. Putman,“Staten Island Joe” Marino, tos that are works of art suitable The cover photo was shot by and collector Tom Killeen for con- for framing all on their own. Chrissie Good, who is a very tal- tributing images and memorabilia TZ: Yes. We have always made ented senior photographer for Col- that we used in the book. sure the images we use in our books lectors Universe. This was the sec- And while I’m talking about are of the highest quality, and we ond project in which we worked with the team that made this book hap-

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pen, I have to say that beyond the had great stories beyond their base- images, there were a lot of people ball careers. Whether it was fighting who made this collaborative effort a in the war or the jobs they had in the real success. John Molori provided off-season – working in factories, us with great research and historical farms or restaurants – that is what narratives on many of the players. makes some of the cards stand out His knowledge of baseball gave this to me. book a depth of information and en- From strictly a visual standpoint: joyment it would otherwise not have I like the Gus Zernial card. It is this had. great shot of him giving the “OK” This is the sixth book project El- sign and it looks like there are six len and I have produced with Peter baseballs by his bat that are defying E. Randall Publisher, and because gravity and just hanging in the air. I of their knowledge and expertise, also think the Eddie Matthews and along with the help of so many tal- Andy Pafko cards are interesting ented people, it is one of which we due to their rarity. They are very hard are all very proud. to find in high grades, and Joe Or- SMR: As someone who knows lando explains why that is. The Pafko this set so well, is there any one was the number one card in the set card that stands out to you for any and the Matthews was the last card, reason? so, as collectors know, the first and TZ: For me, I am most fascinat- the last card of any set take the brunt ed with the cards of the players that of the damage that comes from han-

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dling and, sometimes, having had as a part of his contribution to the ever played the game: Mantle, Yogi rubber bands put around them. book, he shared his memories of be- Berra, Robinson, Warren Spahn, SMR: Most books and peri- ing in the Topps gum plant as a kid. Duke Snider. This book offers so odicals that feature stories about We even have images in the book much, including insightful glimpses collecting sports card sets leave of old pieces of gum from the ‘52 of what life was like for these ath- out an important element: the Topps packs. letes during such an amazing period gum. That is not the case with SMR: This beautiful book will of our nation’s history. It was a true your book. be a true treasure for those who joy to work on this book, and Ellen TZ: [laughing] No. In our book, are passionate about the game and I are so grateful that we can we even have stories about the gum. of baseball, cards, and especially now share it with those who appre- You know, I think some people for- this storied set. It’s easy to see ciate this magnificent set of cards. get, or maybe never even knew, that why you found it to be the most Along with being educational and Topps was originally formed in 1938 enjoyable one you and Ellen have informative, I think it will also give as a chewing gum company. As done to date. those who love this set a lot of won- the competition in the gum market TZ: It’s a great story about the derful memories and a great sense grew, Topps first unveiled Bazooka most iconic postwar baseball card of nostalgia. with the little comics and that led to set in the hobby’s history. Between putting the gum in packs with base- the end of two wars and the advent ball cards. And so, when Sy Berger of television, which gave everyone came to Topps and produced the the opportunity to see their favor- For more information and to or- first card set, you would get a pack ite players and teams play from the der copies of Baseball & Bubble of six cards wrapped in wax and a comfort of their homes, this set was Gum: The 1952 Topps Collec- piece of bubble gum for five cents. created during an era that made it tion, or any of the Zappala’s other Sy’s son, Glenn Berger, wrote historic, even though it wasn’t re- books, click on www.tomzappa- a tribute to his father for our book. ceived that way at the time. lamedia.com. It is also available I had the opportunity to meet with And then there’s the players – through Amazon. Glenn up in New Hampshire, and some of the biggest legends to have

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