I got to wondering which Topps test issues were actually issued in pack form. For those who are not aware, Topps used to test market cards in selected stores mostly in the NY and Long Island areas. These were typically issued in a white wrapper with an affixed sticker and usually packed in white generic boxes. Some examples are shown below (Twiggy was issued in a cello wrapper):
Searching eBay for the phrase "test wrapper" brings up quite a few of these.
There is a nice thread listing of many of the test issues on the Vintage Nonsports site (highly recommended!)
Click on the picture above to open a link to this.
Some of the listed cards (Gidget, Bonanza, etc) were never issued in pack form and were only found in the Topps archives.
1) Can anybody help me figure out which test issues were actually released in pack form.
2) Of these, which ones still exist as full unopened packs and can anybody give us a guess of how many still remain unopened. Tell us stories about what you have seen out there!
Just wanted to add some information to this thread. Besides the two full boxes of "Shock Theater" test that have been listed on eBay, at least 138 unopened packs have recently moved through eBay as well. Having talked to the seller, these came from a yard sale in Brooklyn by way of his late uncle. There were no plain white boxes, so these are not the same as the full boxes we have seen. I personally know a collector friend who purchased 20 of these packs and opened them, and I know at least 2 or 3 of the 5 pack lots got opened, so subtract at least 35 unopened packs from the total. That still leaves about 2 boxes worth of pack, plus the 2 boxes on eBay, so there are at least 4 boxes worth of unopend packs still in existence.