March 19, 2020: Spring Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/19/2020
The elusive 1971 Topps Winner baseball cards were part of a unique Topps Baseball Card Contest run in test markets during the 1971 season. To enter the contest one had to fill out and send in an entry blank found on special boxes of 1971 Topps cards provided by a participating store (this contest was extremely limited in its scope, with only a handful of test markets known, namely Pittsburgh and Baltimore). After filling out the entry form, one had to send it to Topps in Duryea, Pennsylvania, where 25 Grand Prize Winners were randomly chosen to “Get their picture on real baseball cards.” 1000 Runner Up Winners received a 1971 Uncut sheet of baseball cards (which accounts for some of the volume of those sheets in the marketplace). The 25 Winners were informed by a letter from Sy Berger himself, who gave them the choice of: A. 1000 copies of their own baseball card, along with a box of 1972 Topps with each pack containing one of their cards; or B. a complete set of 1972 Topps cards, containing all the series. We know today that at least 19 of the Winners took choice A. and received their personal stash of 1000 cards and box of 1972 Topps cards sometime during the 1972 season. Over the decades, a small amount of these cards have trickled into the hobby, some being much scarcer than others. Offered is what is undoubtedly one of the rarest of all 1971 Winners cards, Carl R. Scatena, a card whose existence has only recently been confirmed. Graded BVG Excellent 5, it may be the first offering of its kind on the market.
1972 Topps '71 Winner Carl R. Scatena No. 16 BVG 5
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