1972 Topps FB #225 Fran Tarkenton [#a] (Vikings)

The 1969 Topps Team Posters set was made up of 24 large 11 1/4" x 19 3/4" colorful posters, 1 for each team. The posters, the largest printed item by Topps to date, were very colorful picturing 9 or 10 players with their facsimile autographs. The Posters were sold one per pack at .10 cents each. Because they were folded many times and usually placed on walls with tape or pins, high grade posters are very scarce.

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.

Auctioneer Guernsey's went thru Topps offices gathering over 3,000 items for the auction. Topps spokesman reported auction sales of OVER $1.5 million !!! Additional sales were made from a mail-only auction. Collector Keith Olbermann, at the auction, described it as an archaeological dig.

Topps archive material continued to accumulate after the auction ending up with another treasure of over 250,000 transparencies, uncut sheets, color separations, art, photos, slides, proof sheets & wrappers, canceled checks, contracts and one-of-a-kind items to sell.