This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 7/12/2019
The mid to late 1960s spawned several Topps test sets that collectors pay extreme premiums for today, from the moderately difficult Punch Out cards to the very difficult plastic Plaks busts to the famed 1961 Dice Game collection, so difficult that many believe only 2 or 3 examples exist of each card. But here's a test issue from 1989 that most collectors have never even heard of! Thought to be offered by only a couple of stores in the Pennsylvania area with an estimated 24 total boxes produced, the 1989 Topps Heads Up! series would be one of the most exclusive test issues ever released by Topps. Apparently Topps was satisfied with the result, putting the Heads Up! series into production in 1990. It's difficult to tell the difference between the rare 1989 test series and the common 1990 mainstream collection, but the test series display box has a 1989 copyright date on the box bottom. The real difference is in the wrapper, where the player checklist on the reverse shows a small head shot of each of the 24 players issued in the set. The 1989 issue has 12 players that differ from the 1990 release, thus the wrapper has images for the following players who are not in the 1990 set: Schmidt (HOF), Murphy, Greenwell, E. Davis, O. Smith (HOF), Grace, Burks, Boggs (HOF), Jefferies, Viola, Strawberry, Jordan, as well as the 1989 copyright. This complete wax box contains all 24 test packs, just as it did during its brief appearance in Pennsylvania 20 years ago. An amazing find that may never come around again!