Brian is always very informative. He bases much of his information on his buying experiences over the years. I spoke with him recently and just wanted to pass along some of the info about these two sets as he sees it.

1966 Topps USA Test

Keith Olbermann began the story that these cards were given out through ice cream trucks in Los Angeles back in 1967. Brian informs me that most of his buying experiences with these cards have been in the State Island, NY area. He knows of one collector (although he's never seen it) who says he still has a cello pack. This is an older gentleman who Brian knows well. Brian believes the 100 sets production number is probably in the 500 sets range, but who knows how many are still around today. Brian claims that when Topps auctioned off the sheets in 1990, only two sheets of Topps USA Test were sold, so he believes that many of the high grade cards we have today were well kept by collectors who collected them in the 60's.

1955 Quaker Oats

Brian didn't have too much to add here that you don't already know, except
that of the three chase cards, there are probably less then 100 Lumley's,
less then 30 Maurice Richards, and less then 10 of the toughest one of all.
He would expect for a mid-grade #1 10k, 20-30k for a Richard, and 50k for the beast.

He believes there are 10 quaker oats cards for every USA Test card out there.
When I mentioned there are more high grade cards on the PSA pop reports for USA Test then quaker oats, he simply said that the USA Test cards fell in collectors hands that took good care of them, and that Quaker Oats cards did not.

Just wanted to pass this along for those of you who enjoy collecting these cards.

One more thing we talked about. He did confirm my beliefs that the razor sharp o-pee-chee vending cards from 1968 through 1973 were indeed printed and cut in the United States for US dealers. Most of your rough cuts came from wax produced in Canada, and all of your razor sharp cards were done in either Duryea or Brooklyn, wherever Topps was at that time.

I'm assuming the "beast" is # 37, unless that's the Richard. Who, exactly, is the beast, and what number is he?

I believe Clancy is the 3rd. Thanks for the insight Marc!

I mentioned your last paragraph to the board a few years back ~ it was met with laughter, chants of blasphemy, and flat out denial.

Joe, not sure you met with laughter, chants of blasphemy, and flat out denial. I found the old post and copied what I said which was the only direct response to you question.


JOE SAID" The rumour that's going around is that some of the 1971-72 OPC 2nd Series may have actually been printed by Topps via vending cases for a USA customer.

Joe, I can explain a few things that might help with this rumour...

Topps generally issued their cards in November to the public in the USA starting in 1968 and up.

The tenplated tin sheets were sent up to OPC and they would adjust and add cards and change traded players...etc.

This was done through late November and December. The first series were issued by OPC in the first week of January, as a rule...the second series were issued about 6 weeks later. Now when did they have time to send the sheets down to Topps so they could print up the cards, the stock wouldn't have been OPC, they would be on USA card stock.

But lets take it a step further, OPC was known for not sharpening the slitter, when it was sharpened (randomly), the vending cases could have been right after this was done.

Please remember I have talked with many old OPC employee's, the guys and gals who were right in the midst of things at this time, so I am just relaying what has been told to me.

Joe, we know that vending cases that were found usually has the best cuts, 1973-74 opc vending cards are great too but the packs had poorer cuts. This year also two difference card stocks, light and dark (topps and opc types), this would make anyone believe that the printers used whatever similar cardboard stock they had on hand.

Sending sheets down to the USA to cut for a big customer is a real long stretch.

In the Factory picture I posted there are a row of these slitters, vending could have been used on a nice sharpened one.

On another note, I don't remember any vending machines that had hockey cards in them at this time, maybe these were sold to larger distributors as factory sets, such as this advertisement.

Joe, yes, it doesn't say OPC but made only in Canada is pretty much that.

I think Vending cases weren't so much vending but supplying companys such as these to distribute sets. I don't know why topps would just cut opc cards and sell them in the US, the main reason OPC took over for Topps in the 50's was to eliminate the tarrifs and duties on shipping them over.

Like I said about 73-74 OPC, two stocks used and sharp cuts on the vending...

I will ask around again and see what more I can come up with.

The vending shouldn't matter where it was cut and or distributed unless there is some variations, really, does it matter and if it does, speculation is not answer, someone should contact old employee's before they are all gone and see if anyone remembers anything...it will cut down the blasphemy.

I think they are less than 100 lumley. The 3 SP in QA serie is impossible to find.

I Never see anyone of these 3 SP cards at auction. The only SP i saw for sale in public auction etc is the classic v145-1 set with the corbeau.

I think the corbeau or the 3 SP QA cards are more in the 10 to 20 range...these cards are impossible to find if i compare them to the baseball cards short print like T206 wagner or plank.

I agree that you never see the three Quaker Oats cards come up for auction.

I was at the 1991 East Coast National show in White Plains, NY when someone bought
a Quaker Oats Maurice Richard in VG conditon for 5k. Since then, I have never seen on ebay or any auction house any other card auctioned.

Brian did tell me that a guy came to his table with Bobby Hull sporting a handfull of these cards.
I don't remember how many of each, but Brian made him an offer that he refused. Perhaps someone here knows of this person, but if you do keep it quiet, because if I was this person, I wouldn't want anybody to know either. It would be like having fort knox in your basement.