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GOODBYE TO GUM IN CARD PACKS - The Record (Bergen County, NJ)

PAUL DOTTINO
The Record (Bergen County, NJ)
09-08-1991
GOODBYE TO GUM IN CARD PACKS
By PAUL DOTTINO
Date: 09-08-1991, Sunday
Section: SPORTS
Edition: All Editions -- Sunday
Column: COLLECTING

Mothers and dentists will be glad to know that Topps has ended a
39-year tradition of including bubble gum sticks in its sports card
packages.

The 1991 football series is being distributed in the company's
first non-gum packs since it began selling sports cards in 1952. A Topps
spokesman said the gum might remain in non-sport packs, such as cards
for movies and television shows.

'The decision was a tough one,' said the spokesman. 'Many people
think of gum when they think of Topps. They have fond memories of that
distinctive smell that came with opening Topps cards.'

In 1981, Topps won a suit that gave it the exclusive right to sell
sports cards and bubble gum in the same packages. But the tradition has
outworn its welcome. Collectors and dealers, interested in obtaining
cards in perfect condition, became disenchanted with gum stains that
decreased card values.

MANTLE FOUND -- An Indiana truck driver has won a 1952 Mickey Mantle
card (worth about $8,000) through the Topps' 40th Anniversary
Sweepstakes promotion.

Mark Leffler, 35, of Shelbyville, Ind., found the redemption
certificate in a pack he purchased from his local convenience store.

'When I found that I won the 1952 Mantle, my heart just about went
through my chest,' he said. 'It passed through my mind that it might be
that card, but I was really expecting something like a Satchel Paige or
a Hank Aaron.'

Redemption certificates for the 1953 ($1,750) and 1956 ($800)
Mantles have not been turned in.

WINTER BASEBALL -- Yankees general manager Gene Michael has
announced that ticket applications are being accepted through Sept. 30
for the second annual Yankees Fan Festival, scheduled for Jan. 31-Feb. 2
at the Javits Center in Manhattan.

Don Mattingly, Steve Sax, Kevin Maas, and Stump Merrill are among
those expected to sign free autographs, according to a letter Michael
sent to attendees of the inaugural event.

Applications will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Mail them to Yankees Fan Festival, CN Box 4642, Trenton, N.J. 08650.
Checks ($30 for each ticket per day) should be made payable to the New
York Yankee Foundation. Please indicate first, second, and third date
choices.

Net proceeds will be donated to The Yankee Foundation, The
Children's Health fund, and other metropolitan area charities.

A PIECE OF THE ROCK -- The expansion Colorado Rockies, who will join
the National League in 1993, have been honored by Chicagoland Processing
with a commemorative coin (10,000 issued). The team and league logos are
minted into each coin.

Keywords: SPORT. HOBBY. COLLECTING

Copyright 1991 Bergen Record Corp. All rights reserved.