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My story in Baseball Cards- Bell Brand

My father owned a machine shop in Burbank Ca for 57 years. In around 1962, Bell Brand asked my dad to design and build a machine that would place the Bell Brand Dodger cards in cellophane to go inside of the potato chip variety packs. They gave him a hugh box (about 4X4 feet) of cards. I remember being 6 years old and my brother, sister and I would stack them against a wall, seeing who could make the tallest stack before they fell over.
My dad built this machine and anybody that has a mint card in its cellophane got that from my dads machine.
I also remember Hanna Barbara comic cards as well.
1n 1998 the City of Burbank told my dad they were taking half of the block and his machine shop was coming down after being opened in 1946. He had boxes everywhere, even in lofts. I found a box of payroll receipts from 1947 in one spot. He swears that he never threw away the baseball cards. I looked everywhere for them, but they were gone.
I asked my dad how many cards were in that box and he didn't know, then I said how many grocery bags would fit in the box and he said around 40. I remember putting 2-3 thousand cards in one grocery bag, which makes it around 80 thousand cards.

I have about 20 of the cards in a notebook that are in poor condition. I could of cornered the 1960's Bell Brand Baseball Card market if I would have found that box, no idea how/when they got thrown away, my dad saved things like that and had 2 2500 sq ft buildings to hide things but now everything is gone.

Comments

  • Indy78Indy78 Posts: 808 ✭✭✭
    Cool story! thanks for sharing it.
  • Great story! I had 10.000 topps cards from 1966 thru 1968. I would keep all the Mantles pressed flat in an over sized Webster Dictionary. I was the only kid on the block who was into the condition of the card. Sold all 10,000 cards in 1973 for $600 and used the money to pay for my first car. a 1966 impala...307 small block...:image
    Link to my current Ebay auctions

    "If I ever decided to do a book, I've already got the title-The Bases Were Loaded and So Was I"-Jim Fregosi
  • In Mint condition, that 66 Impala might be worth more than those baseball cards even now...
    Successful dealings with shootybabitt, LarryP, Doctor K, thedutymon, billsgridirongreats, fattymacs, shagrotn77, pclpads, JMDVM, gumbyfan, itzagoner, rexvos, al032184, gregm13, californiacards3, mccardguy1, BigDaddyBowman, bigreddog, bobbyw8469, burke23, detroitfan2, drewsef, jeff8877, markmac, Goldlabels, swartz1, blee1, EarlsWorld, gseaman25, kcballboy, jimrad, leadoff4, weinhold, Mphilking, milbroco, msassin, meteoriteguy, rbeaton and gameusedhoop.
  • I actually have several thousand Topps cards from 1966 to 1969, however not one of them would grade above a 5. In a box they sit.
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