100 from 1961

I was able to get a 100-count '61 lot that stayed within my price range. The cards were in pretty good physical shape for a "low grade" lot, but most of the cards did have writing of some sort.

Of the 100 cards, 52 were keepers for me. When Topps put a good photo on there, the '61s are really nice cards. It's a bit hard to see, but Johnny Romano in the upper left might be the oldest "parking lot" card.

I'm not offended when vintage cards show signs of prior use. I have lots of cards where kids re-wrote the name, team or position. This is the first time I've seen football positions written on cards. I think the kid was making some football game out of his cards. (Both Long and Williams played football in high school, with Long turning down an offer from the Packers - as a fullback, not a linebacker.)

This was even more interesting to me. Some of the cards had Gold Strike Savings Stamps on the back. Most only had one or two - Leo Posada was the only one to get this many. In the mid-20th century trading stamps were very popular - people would buy a book of stamps and redeem them for merchandise in catalogs, or at participating stores. Most department stores, grocery stores and gas stations accepted them. They declined in popularity in the early 1970s and the last stamp company closed in 2008.

Here's their 1961 catalog. Gold Strike was based in Utah and I guess served the western US. These cards came from a seller in Georgia so I guess they moved around a bit.

52 keepers means 48 to trade! This was strictly a commons lot so not many big names - I highlighted the more recognizable names in the photo. Maybe you are working on a '61 set or need some for your team collection?