Free Downloads The Bubble Gum Card War: The Great Bowman & Topps Sets From 1948 To 1955
In 1951, Bowman's short-lived baseball card monopoly was broken by Topps and the great Baseball Gum Card War was in full swing. Consumers almost always benefit from competition in the marketplace and the card collectors were no exception during the Baseball Bubble Gum Card War. The result was the birth and rapid evolution of the modern baseball card. Each spring during the years of 1952 to 1955, American boys had their choice between two great sets of baseball cards. The boys would cast their votes for their favorite issue of the year by sliding nickels across the counter of America's dime-stores to purchase baseball cards from either Topps or Bowman. These wonderful Topps and Bowman sets of the early 1950s sparked the addiction of an entire generation of boys to the hobby of collecting baseball cards. By the end of the decade, 89% of American boys would be collecting baseball cards. This battle between Topps and Bowman, for control of the baseball card market, became known as "The Great Baseball Card Bubble Gum War." This contest was fought with such ferocity, that shortly after the war began it became clear that only one company would be left standing at the conclusion of hostilities. The winner would take all. This epic conflict for the control of America's favorite collectible is brought to life by the author, Dean Hanley, who is a long-time collector and the founder of DeansCards.com, which has the largest online inventory of vintage sports cards ever assembled. Dean writes a popular blog and has had dozens of articles about vintage baseball cards published in the "Sports Collectors Digest." Mr. Hanley is also the co-author of the eBook, "Before there was Bubble Gum: Our Favorite Pre-World War I Baseball Cards." Mr. Hanley combines his love of vintage sports cards, over forty years of card collecting experience, and extensive research to bring to life this fascinating battle for control of the bubble gum card market. Hanley examines each of these vintage baseball card sets from the era, details the evolution in the design of the cards, the companies that produced them, and the two visionary men that made these wonderful cards a reality and started a hobby that continues to this day. "The Bubble Gum Card War: The Great Bowman & Topps Sets from 1948 to 1955" is a must for baseball card collectors and a fun read for fans of any age.
Paperback: 168 pages
Publisher: Dean's Cards (July 23, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0983543216
ISBN-13: 978-0983543213
Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.4 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #824,352 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #43 in Books > Crafts, Hobbies & Home > Antiques & Collectibles > Sports Memorabilia & Cards > Sports Cards
Dean did his homework for this book; from the phone interviews to the library digs, this book has loads of great information that should entertain both card collectors as well as business book readers. I bought the print version of this book hoping that it would include pictures, which I'm disappointed that it did not. Baseball cards are by definition, pictures and this book would have been perfect if had those photos included. Another issue with the print version is the references in the back have some pretty convoluted links; perhaps using bit.ly or tinyurl would make them easier for us to enter into a browser. I'm sure they are perfect for kindle users though. One last issue is that Dean seems to really want us to visit his website deanscards.com, it's mentioned so often so much so that it becomes a bit spammy.All in all very informative and enjoyable read.
Great story of the history of baseball cards. Having lived through that era, some of the details provided are inaccurate, but it is a good documentation of the Golden Era of Baseball cards, including the strategies and tactics of both Bowman and Topps.
The Bubble Gum Card War answered a ton of questions I have had since I began completing my sets from the 50's! Born in 1945, the 50's were my little league/Babe Ruth league years playing baseball, buying, "flipping", and collecting cards. After reading Dean's Bubble Gum Card War, I now understand why some cards are so hard to find, ie. short prints; why there were no Topps football cards before 1955; what happened to Bowmen cards; why certain stars like Ted Williams, Stan Musial, etc. were not on cards every year, etc., etc. I am presently an avid collector, and have "filled in" most of my sets from the 50's. The Bubble Gum Card War really helped, and Dean's Cards is my online source for hard to find cards.
Dean has done a truly masterful job in documenting the hidden history of the baseall card wars of 1950-1955. I believe that this manuscript could be expanded upon with some documented interviews with some of the major players of that time. Back in the day there were ball players who interacted with the Sy Bergers of the world.These encounters relating to the card wars could be further amplified and collected for a new book. More of this historical information would make an already great read and contribution to baseball card history but it could be elevated to classic status. Terrific job Dean your efforts are recognized and greatly appreciated. Jimmy R.
This book is a must for any baseball card collector who has an interest in the early Bowman and Topps card sets. A great guide that tells the stories behind these early bubble gum sets, which picture some of the truly greats of the game.
Excellent, historical perspective on early years baseball cards. Easy to understand. Author really knows the business. I enjoyed Dean's book very much and also in the past I purchsed cards from him on-line and found him to be an honest dealer.
Includes tons of information and is not a very hard read. It is also helpful to follow the links to get a good look at the cards themselves
Well presented and a wealth of information documenting the early 1950 Baseball card sets and the struggle and inovations BOWMAN and TOPPS went through to bring their product to the colloctors of the day. Highly recommend as it is well worth a read.
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