Slide Right

An awesome product box from 1949 was recently hammered down on eBay.  This Magic Photo slide and shell went for a nice sum; deservedly so give its scarcity:

The full box (left) slid out of the green sleeve (right). This is interesting to me as it may mark the end of the little canisters Topps previously used to sell their one cent gum tabs. The product box is clearly scored to allow for that Howdy Doody looking kid's mug to be flipped up so there was no need for a canister.  I have a Tatoo canister but that issue predates Magic Photo (and indeed, is the first Topps novelty). That mascot looks a lot like Bazooka, the Atom Bubble Boy but I don't think it's an exact match.

This was clearly meant to house the  second series (along with the first-Topps ofetn reissued their first series of a set when the second came out.).  I have to say I'm a bit surprised the associated album is not mentioned on the box.

Speaking of the album:

It's not well known but there are two variants of the album. The cover is the same for each, but the second series version has a notation atop the (different) checklist on the inside and is harder to find. Here is the skinny on both:

Topps must have sold a ton of Magic Photo as the cards are pretty easy to find today. The albums? Not so much.

Extremely Focused

A series of posts here a while on the 1948/49 Magic Photos provided a glimpse not only at the cards and packaging of this landmark early Topps set but also the albums that could be ordered to house the cards.  Prior to the introduction of clear sheeting in the mid 1970's, hobby supplies usually consisted of some sort of thick papered album and the use of slitted corners or, less elegantly, postage stamp corners. To house the two, 126 card series of Magic Photos, Topps created two very similar albums.  I'll direct you here for the cover shot and some background materail as I am on about the interior checklist pages today.

The first series checklist, shown in blurry fashion previously, can be seen better in this scan, recently purloined from eBay:

While both album covers are the same, as is this page (the first thing seen when opening the album) in both editions, Topps added a checklist to the back of the album for the second series.  I've included a bit of the back cover, so you can see:

I am not certain what appears on the back page of the first series album-anyone out there in Archives-land have an idea?  I like the ad to sell another album by the way.  Our wee consumer back in '49 was making some very good progress on the set!

Circular Logic

As Steve Martin used to say: "let's get small, real small." As faithful readers of this blog know, probably ad nauseum by now, most early Topps gum products and inserts were quite small, especially in 1948-49, measuring about 7/8" x 1 7/16" at their tiniest. Well lurking on some of the wrappers for these issues is something even smaller.

I first noted today's quarry on a Stop Go wrapper, which would have contained a 1949 License Plate card:



If you look at the upper right portion of the opened wrapper, which is made of very thin paper, on the flap there is a small circle that would have been hidden from view when the pack was sealed. This little circle contains three initials: LBP. Here, take a look for yourself; I made a high-res scan of it:



It took me about three seconds to realize these initials stood for Lord Baltimore Printing, a known producer of the 1954 baseball cards and probably the main printer for Topps until the middle to late 1950's (still working on that part of it folks but they ran off quite a few sets for Topps). I checked a scan of a Pixie Bubble Gum wrapper (not mine) which would have held an X-Ray Round-Up card and found another circle.



Yup, there it is, same spot but in red:



Sorry, that's way blurry but I can't really get it to resolve any better. However, I found another Pixie wrapper without the logo. That wrapper may have been from a second series pack as it was shown with two cards numbered above 100 but I can't say for certain:


(http://www.scottsdalecards.com/catalog/)

It could have been ripped off when the package was opened and it adhered to the other side but I don't think so. Then I noticed it gracing a 1948 dated Magic Photos wrapper (which states Hocus Focus but held Magic Photos:



Same spot, again in red:



I have not been able to spot the underbelly of a 1949 Magic Photos penny wrapper (which may have been used for the second series),nor have I seen the if the World Coins wrapper has it. Varsity does not, at least on this example:



And I can't tell on this Parade wrapper due to low resolution. If it's there it's dead center on the flap:



I also need to see a '48 Tatoo wrapper but am not certain if they were paper. The larger-sized sets from 1948-49 such as Golden Coin and Flip-o-Vision had a different style wrapper that was probably not made by Lord Baltimore Printing. I think it probable the early non-paper wrappers were a Wisconsin product and there is another story or two there someday buckaroos!

I think the little circle is a clue actually and that it appears on the earliest penny tab issues. Tatoo was probably the earliest of them all but as noted above, I need to sight and feel a wrapper. Magic Photos was likely the next small card set issued, followed by X-Ray Round-Up from what I have been able to determine. The License Plates were probably a little bit later, just before Varsity, which would have been late summer or early fall issue. World Coins probably came after Varsity so my guesstimate is that it does not have the LBP logo. Its also possible Topps switched printers or used more than one for some sets.

So, did the circle disappear sometime between Series 1 and 2 of X-Ray Round-Up? I'll take any and all scans for comparative purposes folks, so send 'em if ya got 'em.

Promotional Considerations

I was flipping through the second chapter of the Great American Baseball Card Flipping Trading & Bubble Gum Book



this morning and noted a comment by Sy Berger that he had been originally hired by Topps to run a special promotion. Well, I said to myself "Self, it would be a fine thing to find out what that contest was." As it turns out, I already knew the answer but didn't realize it.

Friend o'the Archive Jeff Shepherd regularly sends along batches of scans for me to peruse. They are quite useful in researching the early history of the company and in addition to being fun to read are great fodder for illustrating blog posts here. Shep had already sent me a letter that revealed the answer:



Sadly the letter is undated but Sy Berger is clearly shown as the Contest Director for a promotion where a silver dollar was awarded to the winners of a contest relating to Tatoo Bubble Gum. It's hard to be sure but it looks like the contest involved sending in suggestions for the next series of Tatoos. A separate contest for Bazooka is noted in the letter and names were being solicited for a mascot. I believe the winning name was Bazooka, the Atom Bubble Boy.



Bazooka Joe was still a good half-decade off. That scan is from the awesome Comic Book Hall of Fame site.


(From Non-Sports Archive by Adam Tucker)

Tatoo may have been the first Topps penny gum product sold with a novelty and designed for kids-Bazooka was originally a five cent confection. First issued in 1948, it was reissued in 1949 and again in 1953; packaging differs slightly among the three. The first run in 1948 purportedly had 100 different subjects and came in an innovative package called a tourist pouch (color scan needed, big time). The ins and outs of these sets are for another day's post though; it gets complicated. Here is some original artwork from the set for a Buck Rogers inspired tatoo:



There would have been some color added to the final tatoo. I'll get some scans together and do a full writeup on these someday. As for Sy Berger, I think the contest went well, since he spent the next 50 years working for Topps!

New Developments

Well a new year brings a look back at an old one. Yes, it's 1949 all over again and I have to confess it is becoming my favorite year of study when it comes to Topps. Actually, there is a wee bit of 1948 involved too I think.

Friend o'the Archive Al Richter has sent a few photocopies along detailing the five cent Magic Photos Pack and it's contents. We've already seen the panel of six magic photos that came in the pack but I've never had color scans of the packaging and contents, so here goes.

The front of the wrapper essentially replicates the penny pack graphics:



As we know, the term "color" referred to the gum and not the cards! The back is all kinds of wonderful:



You have an ad for the album, a nice Bubbles Inc. reference showing a scarce Manhattan mailing address on a Topps product (not unheard of but unusual and short-lived, especially this one) and a nice 1948 Copyright. Magic Photos were, as all of us Archivists here know, the subject of a November 1948 Topps price list and while a product's copyright date can precede the actual issuance of same by a year, or sometimes two, I think, with about 90% certainty) we are looking at a 1948 date for the first series of Magic Photos, which could mean they were indeed the first Topps cards.

The instruction card reveals what could be considered an alternate name for the set, Quiz Cards:



the back is standard gray cardboard:



The Mystery Paper looks more like a slab of gum but it's the final step in the developing process so it ain't chewable bub:



I am truly sorry I cannot show the different colored slabs of gum, perhaps some day......

Freshman Orientation

The early days of Topps continue to bring surprises. Their first really wide-release, multiple series cards were issued in late 1948 into 1949 and included the 252 card strong Magic Photos, a set oft-blogged about in these parts. These "wet and develop" cards were issued in two 126 card series and deemed worthy of two separate albums, so the set was obviously a stellar seller for Topps. One way we know this is that we can determine at least two, possibly even three print runs for the first series, which if you are up on your sub-setting skills, you would know has eight distinct sub-series, alphabetically identified from A-H.

It has been known for some time that the boxing subset of 24 and some of the wrestling subset of 25 have two different backs. The regularly accepted Magic Photos back has directions on developing the card. Here is a Primo Carnera reverse that shows this:



However, an alternate version exists as well:



As you can plainly see, the instruction to SEE DIRECTIONS INSIDE WRAP is gone and the card and series numbering has been moved to the bottom of the card from the left side.

The fronts look identical, so far as I can see-"Directions" version first, then the alternate wording without:



All of the above scans are courtesy of Rhett Yeakley by the way. Rhett sent along other scans as well which show the more sepia leaning photos are distributed among both backs, so no help there in terms of possible reasons for alternate printings. It does look like however, that the font on the back of the cards without instruction is slightly finer and clearer than the one used on the SEE DIRECTIONS backs.

Well, Stars of Stage and Screen also have the alternate back:



and same holds true for not only the boxers but apparently all of the first series of 126 cards. Look at these mixed series of back scans from Ebay, American Dogs (Series G first, then the full Series F Stars of Stage and Screen:





Both types are presented and may have resided in the same scrap book.

I am still searching for alternate backs in the second series, which runs from J-T subset-wise (no "I" series was printed). Also, there do not seem to be nearly as many second series cards and grouping are not sighted nearly as often. The second series album, which features the same cover as the one from series one, is also harder to find than the first. But wait, there's more!

One of the boxing cards, Jack Johnson, exists with two different obverses, a normal white border and an esoteric gray border. Here, look:



I am not aware of any other gray borders in the set, so it's a headscratcher; possibly this was the result of a liberal application of developer but there is allegedly a lone front variation with the boxers so this could very well be it. The back of the white bordered card has the standard FOR DIRECTIONS back but I do not know the back of the gray border, although it is described by the seller as part of the Magic Photos set, so it must have one of the two know backs as he was heavily trumpeting the gray bordered front and would, IMHO, certainly have mentioned a strange back.

But wait, there;s STILL more!

Second series cards can be found with perforations:



but I have yet to see perforations on a first series card. Look at the group scans above, no perforations anywhere. Now second series cards are known in panel form:



You can see score lines on this panel, which is second series in flavor and would have come in the uber-scarce 5 card pack (or wrapper), click and scroll to see one. The perforations would have been from panelized cards,although I have to confess I thought the panels were scored and not perforated.

First series cards often seem to have either chipped front borders or super straight edges on their long sides. I have hear rumors of cards with rounded (at the factory) edges; if they exist I suspect they are from the first series.

It look like each series would have gone through two printings at least, with a possible third one to explain the gray border Jack Johnson:

Series 1 SEE DIRECTIONS INSIDE WRAP
Series 1 No Instructions
Series 1 Gray bordered Jack Johnson?
Series 2 Unperforated
Series 2 Perforated

You could order 20 cards direct from Topps for a dime and one Bazooka wrapper and while I have shown this 1949 comic book ad before, it bears repeating here:



Cards from both 126 card series are listed in the ad.

Here is a look at a penny wrapper from 1948 which seems to be the year of copyright:



The fulfillment address was in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, just south of midtown and the fact it was not in Brooklyn supports, at least to my mind, the theory vending boxes were utilized. 1949 is seemingly the year of issue according to standard hobby wisdom but I am not so certain that is correct, look at the November 1948 date on this sell sheet to see what I mean:



Yikes! The cards look ready in November '48 and really the photo must have been shot earlier than that. Perhaps the 1948 and 1949 versions differ, explaining the variations above. Still, it would seem the backs without instructions were either pulled from vending boxes or sold where instructions were posted elsewhere, like on a gumball machine. It's even possible the "No Instruction" backs were sold with the pictures already developed.

The again, perhaps not! I am hoping there is more information out there on these cards; they get more mysterious as each year passes. Would I be shocked to see rule breakers? No sir, I would not!

Text in the City

In the pre-Bazooka days, penny gum tabs were the gateway confectionery item for Topps. Regular readers of this blog may recall they looked like this:



One of the things I try to figure out when idle is what the first Topps cards (or inner wrapper) were. Not to horn in on Todd Riley, who will have a killer Non Sports website up soon, but he has the only two scans I know concerning the subjects of this post. At some point the inside of the outer wrap became a fortune cookie of sorts:



Not really all that imaginative but interesting all the same and a worthy candidate for #1.

Very basic as well but a possible candidate for first Topps insert card was also text based:



Yes Sir That's My Baby was a movie released in early August of 1949 and I would think this little card was part of a series issued in the summer of that year. The bigger question is when did this type of release start? So far as I know, these Mini Movie Lobby cards are not catalogued.

Of course, the first insert may not have been a card:



Yes, I am repeating myself a little but at some point feel like this will be figured out. My opinion at present is that the text based releases and using third party plastic coins would have been an easy (and cheap) way for Topps to issue inserts while they worked on other sets such as X Ray Vision and Magic Photos. However, Magic Photos could certainly pre-date the Mini Movie Lobby Cards if the latter only appeared for the first time in 1949. Based on this sell sheet, there was at least a six month head start for Magic Photos.



If anyone has other lobby cards, I ask you to send me scans as they can be dated quite easily.

1949-A Magical Year

Topps embarked on a two pronged marketing approach in 1949: selling penny pieces of gum, known in the confectionery trade as "changemakers", with small inserts and also issuing larger cards in standalone packs. The changemakers are what I'll be looking at today, particularly the Magic Photos, since they contained the first ever Topps baseball cards.

All of these penny piece inserts were, as you might imagine, quite small, only 7/8" x 1 7/16". This is my curiously attired Connie Mack, off centered though he may be:



Topps had a working relationship with Connie Mack, who was writing his memoirs at the time. They would, in 1951, issue a set of cards featuring the Tall Tactician's all-time all-stars but that is a story for anon. The cards could be found in Hocus Focus Gum (not to be confused with the 1955/56 Hocus Focus sets, which are confusing enough all on their own but do say "Hocus Focus" on their backs to aid in identification).

Nothing else from here on down is mine, by the way; I am in full vulture mode today. Most of it likely belongs to Jeff Shepherd, although not this scan, whose origin is lost to me:

The photos were "Magic" and required some 'hocus pocus" because you wet the card, which presented a blank front when taken from the pack and then pressed it to the inside of the wrapper (how sanitary!) which was chemically treated to develop the photo. If you were flush enough to have a nickel, you could have purchased a pack with 6 attached cards and a piece of orange developing paper! If I had a scan, I would post it but alas, I do not. I do know, however, that the nickel pack advertised "Bubble Gum In Color" which may have been enough to deceive some young-un's into thinking the cards were in color. Predictably, it was the gum that had that distinction!

Each series of 126 Magic Photos had overly complicated numbering. The "K" series featured baseball players, and a number of different topics were included in this true General Interest set. An album was issued for each series (the cover did not change) that shows how diverse the subjects were.



Here are views of the inside front cover and an interior page, with apologies for the fuzziness. I stole 'em from Ebay, that's how they were when I found them:





Magic Photos were issued in two 126 card series. The first of these may have hit the shelves before Christmas in 1948 (there are photos from the World Series of that year in the set) based upon this sell sheet:



The second series came out in early 1949 as this was from a confectionery trade ad dated January 18, 1949. Notice the Topps reference is gone, replaced by one for Bubbles Inc. (a "Second Label" for Topps, used occassionally into the 1960's for various reasons). Perhapes because the first series was likely reissued when the second came out, Topps didn't want to seem like they were double dipping.


Why 126 cards? Well, that was the size of the uncut sheet:



As they were prone to doing, Topps also sold cards via ads in comic books of the day:



Other tiny Topps sets were available in 1949; you could stroll into your local candy store and hand the shopkeeper a nickel for a few one cent items and then take your change as a piece of gum. That gum would often be found in a circular container on the counter in packs like these:



There was a fruit variety as well, in a similar wrapper and there may have been a few others. Flags of All Nations/Soldiers of All Nations were inserted into these penny pieces and the use of the generic Topps gum wrapper for this set may indicate it was among the first issued by Topps. These cards were two-sided, meaning one side depicted a flag of some nation and the other a soldier, usually in full dress. The cards were also distributed in their own wrapper, advertised as "Parade". Scans are scarce at present, this is really just to provide deep background. Flags/Soldiers is alleged to be a 100 card set; I believe only 94 are known today, which shows how many of these little cards were thrown out over the years. Later years saw larger reissues (and new issues) of the Flags.

Another small set from 1949 is License Plates, which also featured the first Topps scratch off's on the reverse, which featured an automobile quiz. You had to scratch off the coating to name the car shown. The cards were sold in a penny pack titled "Stop & Go". License Plates were also reissued over the years.

Finally, we have X-Ray Round Up, marketed with Pixie Gum. Here is a trade ad that nicely sums the set up:



You had a nice picture album for the 200 X-Ray cards, magic x-ray paper and bubble gum-nice! Topps also placed ads in comic books to sell these direct to the card buying public. 100 of these cards were made into stamps at some point, possibly by Topps.

Topps started small and strange with their first card and novelty issues in 1949. In addition to the four small card sets shown above, you had Flip-o-Vision and Funny Foldees interactive cards, a series of larger interiors known as It Happened to a President issued on, according to Chris Benjamin, tissue-like paper affixed to the reverse of a Golden Coin Wrapper, which also came with a plastic President Coin (A "Golden Coin"). Another plastic coin set, entitled World Coins, aka Play Money of the World was sold in gum packs and also larger 12 lollipop Pay Money Pops boxes. There was even a Santa themed Christmas goodie bag!

Funny Foldees proof:



Bazooka wrapper interiors featuring the Spalding Sports Show comics, the first appearance of "Bazooka, the Atom Boy" (which I believe is the first artwork created especially for Bazooka gum), Famous Events, the non-Bazooka Tattoo Transfers (the first Bubbles Inc. "second brand" and a worthy candidate for a lengthy post someday) also saw the light of day.

But wait-there's more! Bazooka nickel gum also had trays featured some combination of World Famous Stamps, The Story of the Atom Bomb (!) and Famous American Heroes, although these three linked, somewhat crude "extras" may have been issued for a few years after as well.

World Famous Stamps tray:



Whew! 1949 was indeed a magical year for Topps. More stories will be told about this year....