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The Beginning of a New Era

The Beginning of a New Era

Regular price $79.95
Regular price $79.95 Sale price $79.95
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Hand-painted collectible baseball card

From the launch of their of their first card set in 1951, all the way through 1978, Topps never incorporated their brand logo onto the front of a card design. However... this all changed in 1979.

In the midst of a multi-year court battle over a monopolization lawsuit filed by Fleer in 1975, Topps realized times were about to change. With competition on the way, they needed to focus on branding. So, the logo made its first appearance on the '79 set. 

Oddly, they chose not to do the same in 1980. Perhaps they were working on their redesigned logo... or simply overconfident in the pending legal battle? Yet, they lost the case... opening the door for both Fleer and Donruss to market their first sets in 1981. 

A new logo was revealed on all the packaging, accompanied by a new slogan: The Real One! But, for some reason it didn't land on the card. Instead, Topps just printed their name. A weird choice, considering the new logo was on all the NFL, NBA, and NHL sets. Maybe there was a production timeline conflict, while the logo wasn't finalized yet for use.

In 1982, the new logo finally made its way into print production, represented by my pattern. This 1st set of 792 cards marked the beginning of a new era for Topps. The new logo has been the identity of the brand ever since. 

Topps History from 1979 to 1982


About my collector cards

After purchasing some old wax packs to study the size and texture of gum sticks, I developed my own paint techniques in order to replicate it. Now, I hand-paint bubble gum directly onto vintage baseball cards to create small collectibles.

Here's what you'll receive with this order

  • My original hand-painted gum onto a baseball card.
  • Each collector card is paint-marked with it's edition number.
  • These art cards are protected inside an Ultra Pro One Touch magnetic card holder... customized with my matching Rosen signature label.
  • I do not sign these cards by request. However, your package will include bonus items personally autographed by me.

Expected delivery time for pre-orders

Are you purchasing a pre-order? My pre-order listings are for card art that has not been painted yet. In most cases, I already have the card in stock to paint on, and will create your artwork within a few days of your purchase. Thanks for your patience.

Card Checklist

You may reference my growing checklist of collector-owned cards.