This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/1/2022
Here's the companion piece to the other 1968 Topps 3D proof sheet available in this auction, and while it doesn't match the star power of a Roberto Clemente, the sheet does offer examples of Rusty Staub and Boog Powell, two unissued proof cards (with no team name or player designation) of Rick Monday and John O'Donoghue, and "no dugout" variations of Ron Fairly and Jim Maloney. The additional players featured on the sheet are Mel Stottlemyre, Jim Lonborg, and Curt Flood. Any advanced collector, especially the avid hobbyist with a fondness for difficult Topps test issues from the 1960s, knows that individual examples of the 1968 Topps 3D series are extremely tough to come by, but an uncut test sheet like the pair in this auction are virtually unheard of. This particular Topps issue is one of the more mysterious as it has never been confirmed that they were issued in stores. There have been rumblings that a few boxes were leaked into the Brooklyn area to judge how they would be received by the "Big Apple" crowd, but without evidence, that remains folklore. The more likely scenario is that the cards (and the sheets) escaped the factory of Topps or Xograph (the company that partnered with Topps to produce the cards) through an executive of one of the respective companies. This sheet was saved before the application of the textured surface, which was so prone to cracking and chipping that it is the likely reason the project was scuttled, and save for a few mild scratches on the surface, remains in NM or better condition and presents all of the fiery colors that exists on the finished product. The blank reverse is surprisingly clean overall. An amazing and possible one-of-a-kind example of this nine-card sheet!