This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 9/15/2017
Here's one of the most interest pieces of unopened sports material we've ever seen and it originates from the land down under. Scanlen's, an Australian trading card company since the 1930s, moved into the sports card market in 1963 by producing a very limited collection that featured 18 players from the Victorian Football League. Now over 50 years later, the cards from the initial series are extremely rare and pricey, and the 1963 Scanlen's series is often considered Australia's version of the 1952 Topps baseball series, but much more scarce. During their run, which lasted until 1989, Scanlen's expanded to feature soccer and rugby players as well as their beloved Australian rules football, and the featured item was manufactured early in the company's tenure; a 1965 Scanlen's salesman sample display box with wax packs. In order to give prospective merchants an idea of what this box would look like on their candy counter without having to carry around the weight of a full wax box, this display piece features just six packs on a cardboard base that fits inside the box to simulate a full box. The packs are covered with plastic wrap, which is taped to the bottom of the base so that they cant be removed. The packs are the genuine item, with five wrappers featuring a soccer player and one displaying Australian rules football. The pack with the footballer shows a card of Carl Ditterich on top, an 18-year veteran known as "The Blonde Bombshell" who began his VFL career in 1963. It is not known if this is a multi-sport set with various wrappers or if the sport on the wrapper contains only cards from that league inside. The box shows moderate wear and tear commensurate with its age but is still intact without the need of glue or tape. The bottom of the box features a black and white image of the Scanlen's factory in New South Wales and the back panel advertises Metro Gum, "Young Australia's Favourite." An amazingly unique item for sure!