Things that house that vintage feel in this hobby that I've really taken notice of in the past include goalie masks, card designs and now.....wrappers.
Recently it was reported that Topps has decided to celebrate the vintage-ness of their baseball wrappers by making limited edition prints available to the public. Every single Topps baseball wrapper from 1952 through 1989 will get the art treatment.
Now if you want to collect all 38 prints, it'll cost ya'.
The 10"x14" (numbered to 99) cost $29.99 each. You can also buy decade sets, measuring 5"x7" (numbered to 49 copies) cost $49.99.
I am so struggling with what to do.
And at the same time, I pray they don't do the same with hockey. (ok...yes I do).
In fact.....the last time I went to the Toronto Expo, I saw some gorgeous looking vintage wrapper art. Right up my alley.
Currently there are about 10 different wrapper designs available. Measuring 16"x20" and presented as a canvas wrap, they bite the wallet at $99.00 plus shipping.
Now these don't have the OPC logo in full so I'm guessing that there's some sort of grey area with regards to copyright. Whereas the Topps baseball ones are made and sold by the company itself.
And then there are those who go for the real deal all the way.
I never appreciated wrappers back when I was a kid. Maybe other than the smell of the addictive bubblegum and the card locker redemption....but that's it. But I would have loved to have kept some of the oldies for posterity.
At the end of the day, this throw-away piece of sports card collecting is now anything but. And with the production of new vintage offerings, I don't see the trend slowing down anytime soon.
So, do you have any wrappers in your collection? What are your favorites? What do you think of old becoming new once again? Do these new prints turn your crank at all? Why/why not?
I don't collect wrappers. I guess I wish I had collected one of each over the years, but at this point, I don't want to start. I know Baseball Dad collects them.
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of the prints. I wish they weren't so limited. If I ever get a man cave, I'd love to have the whole run!
Kudos to Topps. It's a great idea and I'm sure they'll be sold out in no time. I'll definitely try to get my hands on a 72 and 83 wrapper.
ReplyDeletewow. reaching back and pulling out JJ Walker. Nice.
ReplyDeleteI'm with you pal. Some of those are fantastic. I wouldn't go for the run or anything... but a select piece would be perfect on the wall.
I do have some wrappers. I didn't really start saving any until the 80s, but I have gone back and bought a few when I thought the price was right. In some sense, I don't think a set is truly complete unless you've got the wrapper. Well worn is fine, as long as you've got it. I think I might actually have a '72 (from an actual pack I bought, though in the 80s) and I know I've got a '65. I've got one hockey wrapper--1971-72 Topps--to go along with my only complete vintage hockey set.
ReplyDeleteTopps little gimmick doesn't really do much for me. Too expensive, for one thing. Not real for another. I mean, is it really a wrapper if it isn't waxy? OTOH, when you look at prices for some vintage wrappers, Topps prices for the prints don't seem quite so insane.