This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/10/2017
The production of any sports card collection is a long and arduous process that requires a quality control team to monitor progress every step of the way. That process became all the more complicated when the Topps company decided to offer an oversized collection for the 1964 hockey season, a format they would repeat for their 1965 football and 1968 basketball collections. Doing away with their standard sized card sheets, the new "tall-boy" set had to be reconfigured to maximize production, with 11 cards in the series becoming "short prints." Proofs were created that displayed the cards in various stages during their production, likely examined by Topps executives for approval before the next stage of the process commenced. While these proofs were not meant for distribution, some managed to find their way out of the factory, perhaps by executives "taking their work home with them" and not returning the sheet afterwards, or just wanting it for their own person enjoyment. Presented is a stunning 1964 Topps hockey proof sheet of 44 cards that, to our knowledge, is the only one that has ever been offered for public sale. At this stage of production, the black pigment has yet to be added, resulting in some cards missing player names, team names, or backgrounds depending on the layout of the card in question. Making this incredible find all the more enticing, the cards of Gordie Howe and Bobby Hull are present on the bottom row, with Glenn Hall, Ted Lindsay, Harry Howell, Alex Delvecchio, John Bucyk, Jacques Plante, Dave Keon, George Armstrong, Eddie Shack, Frank Mahovlich, Andy Bathgate and Tim Horton leading the list of superstars also making their appearance, along with the short-printed card of Pierre Pilote. The sheet is in remarkable shape for its age, showing the usual moderate wear around the perimeter for a sheet over a half-century old, with mild creases and wrinkles scattered on the surface, the heaviest being around the Howe card, which is breached all the way through. A truly one of a kind piece that belongs in a world-class collection!