Gambo and T_Wil1 Photopack

[Braves70]

Cleveland Indians of 1960-1962

Red Wilson (1960 Photo) / John Romano (1960 Photo) / Jim Perry (1961 Sport Mag) / Mike De La Hoz (1962 Topps Vault)

[rrb77]

1918-29 Cincinnati Reds

[tnfoto]

I traced Purnell to a suburban Philadelphia amateur team (Frankford), where he played and managed for a decade. This photo comes from a 1904 Frankford team photo published in the Philadelphia Inquirer on 14-May-1905.

[Merkle923]

I can't say for certain that Topps will resume posting and selling its baseball negatives on eBay, but I can tell you without fear of contradiction that if they don't, it won't be because they've run out.

As somebody who actually saw the Topps photo archive before it was broken up to be auctioned off, I can tell you that it was probably the largest baseball photo collection in the world. I believe it filled 16 or 18 large-sized, three-drawer filing cabinets, plus countless boxes and tubs. In the 1956-1981 era there tended to be multiple shoots of each player, every year. Each shoot included from three to ten different poses. Topps missed very, very few players in that span and they shot everybody they could find - coaches, instructors, trainers, announcers, minor leaguers, non-roster spring training invitees - if it was in uniform, they got it.

A fellow like Dave Campbell, the former infielder and broadcaster, had a total of 80 or so images. And he was on the low end. You can do the math on some of the players who lasted far longer, remembering that between late 1967 and early in spring training 1969, the MLBPA asked its players NOT to pose for Topps until the company was willing to do a deal with the union as a whole (that's why there are so many capless and blacked-out-cap cards in the '68 and '69 card series).

My estimate would be that the total in those filing cabinets was at least 1,000,000 images. I could be wildly wrong; it might have been twice that. Add in the football images (oddly I saw almost no basketball or hockey) and lord knows what the grand total really was.

Anyway, if they had sold 10 negatives a day via Topps Vault since 2004 (and I think that's a guess that's wildly high), they'd have only sold 32,850 by now. Meaning there could be 967,150 left. Meaning that at ten more a day they would still be selling them off through around the 22nd of December of the year 2278.

When I say they shot everybody, I mean it. There was a hanging folder labeled "MAUCH, GUS." It contained just one shoot of him -- at Candlestick Park in San Francisco in 1965. He was the Mets' trainer.

[bobb49]

Absolutely fascinating information. Several years ago I became acquainted with a professional newspaper photographer who worked games and training camps of almost all the California teams (baseball, football, and basketball) from 1965 thru 1995. He estimated he had shot more than 2 million pictures in that time frame, many contracted by Topps and it was not uncommon to shoot more than one roll of film on a single player. It is too bad Topps cannot be convinced to provide those photos to the HOF or to SABR for preservation. It is more than half of a century of history.

[FatJack]

History Schmistory. Topps is a for-profit company in the business of making money. They aren't "providing" anything to anybody, for preservation or otherwise, unless its bought and paid for.

[tnfoto]

1911 Cleveland Naps, as shown in the 08-Sep-1911 Cleveland Plain Dealer.

[Braves70]

Thanks to all for the excellent info regarding the Topps Vault! It is nice to know that there are still countless gems left to be unveiled. As a side note for anyone who might not be aware, I recently read on Bob Lemke's blog that he has acquired a large collection of images taken by J.D. McCarthy in the 60s & 70s.


Lemke blog: Bob Lemke's Blog: September 2013


The 1963 Jesse Gonder photo below is one of the images featured on Mr. Lemke's blog.


Jesse Gonder (1963 photo) / Jim Duffalo (1965 photo) / Charlie James (1965 Topps Vault) / Len Boehmer (1966 Topps Vault) / Gerry Arrigo (TCMA Stars of the 60s - probably from ca. 1966)

[Braves70]

New York Yankees of the early 60s


Jesse Gonder (1960 or 1961 Photo) / John Gabler (1959 or 1960 Photo) / Joe DeMaestri (1960 or 1961 Photo) / Johnny James (1960 Topps Vault) / Bill Short (1960 Topps Vault)

[okcochise]

He did in fact buy a huge collection but via email about 2 weeks ago he told me he sold it.

Originally Posted by Braves70

Thanks to all for the excellent info regarding the Topps Vault! It is nice to know that there are still countless gems left to be unveiled. As a side note for anyone who might not be aware, I recently read on Bob Lemke's blog that he has acquired a large collection of images taken by J.D. McCarthy in the 60s & 70s.


Lemke blog: Bob Lemke's Blog: September 2013


The 1963 Jesse Gonder photo below is one of the images featured on Mr. Lemke's blog.


Jesse Gonder (1963 photo) / Jim Duffalo (1965 photo) / Charlie James (1965 Topps Vault) / Len Boehmer (1966 Topps Vault) / Gerry Arrigo (TCMA Stars of the 60s - probably from ca. 1966)

[tnfoto]

Pictured as a member of the 1910 Saginaw Wa Was in the 08-Jun-1910 issue of the Saginaw (MI) News.

[Buccos]

Here's one I haven't seen before. Vada Pinson, coach for the Seattle Mariners.

[KenRaffensberger16]

Originally Posted by tnfoto

I traced Purnell to a suburban Philadelphia amateur team (Frankford), where he played and managed for a decade. This photo comes from a 1904 Frankford team photo published in the Philadelphia Inquirer on 14-May-1905.

Tracking down Jesse Purnell's photo was great work, TNF. Thanks - KRaff16.

[bobb49]

Originally Posted by FatJack

History Schmistory. Topps is a for-profit company in the business of making money. They aren't "providing" anything to anybody, for preservation or otherwise, unless its bought and paid for.

Fats you need to learn to express your real feelings and stop hold things back.

[Expos 1969-2004]

Pictures published in different years...

[Expos 1969-2004]

Images published in 1991

[Expos 1969-2004]

Image published in 1987

[Braves70]

Philadelphia Phillies of 1963 from Topps Vault

Don Hoak / Paul Brown / Roy Sievers / Dave Bennett / Dennis Bennett

[tnfoto]

Newspaper articles in the Wilkes-Barre Times-Leader make it clear that major leaguer Monte Pfeffer and minor leaguer Monte Pfeffer are the same person. The player currently pictured on major league Pfeffer's B-R.com page is actually minor leaguer Harry Pfeiffer. Here is the real Pfeffer, pictured with the 1913 Wilkes-Barre Barons.

[cheech411]

anything color on don?? thanks