Lot # 3109: 1948 Topps "Magic Photos" Collection (97) Including Johnny Lujack, Joe Louis, and Jesse Owens

Presented is a substantial collection of 1948 Topps "Magic Photos" cards, consisting of sixty-two different subjects plus thirty-five duplicates. Most assume that the first Topps card issues were in 1951. In fact, the very first Topps card issue was the unusual "Magic Photos" set of 1948. This was also Topps' first baseball-card set (not included in this collection). The "Magic Photos" set consists of nineteen subsets, with this collection including wrestling (fourteen different plus four duplicates), boxing (nine different plus eight duplicates), track and field (ten different plus seven duplicates), basketball (three different plus two duplicates), football (four different plus one duplicate), championship dogs (eight different plus seven duplicates), "Stars of Stage and Screen" (thirteen different plus six duplicates), and one "General Sports." These "self-developing" cards (7/8 x 1-7/16 inches) were called "Magic Photos" because when issued they had blank fronts, and the sepia photos on the fronts could be developed by youngsters by exposing them to the sun. This set has always been very popular among nonsport collectors, but its great significance as Topps' first baseball card set has never fully been appreciated by baseball-card collectors. This may be due, in part, to the fact that the self-developing process produced very inconsistent results, and many cards that have survived have photos that are very poorly developed. In terms of overall condition and photo quality, this group is mixed, with many having pleasing contrast and detail and others displaying partially developed images. Condition is 74% ranging from Vg to Ex-Mt (averaging Vg-Ex) and 26% ranging from Pr to Gd (averaging Fr and including some due to extremely light exposures). Keys: #3-A James Corbett (Vg), 15-A Joe Louis (100/0 T/B, otherwise Ex), 6-C Johnny Lujack (Vg), and 1-E Jesse Owens (Ex+). This is a very significant and scarce early Topps issue, which has always been somewhat overlooked by collectors, perhaps because of its unusual design and dimensions. Total: 97 cards.