Renata Galasso
Renata Galasso is an American entrepreneur and former baseball card dealer. Galasso reportedly began her business in the early 1970s as a way to pay for college. She purchased individual packs of cards—primarily Topps—and built sets for sale, which was unusual for that time. (The first verifiable complete sets sold were in the 1974 J.C. Penney catalog.) Galasso eventually opened a shop around 1975 on Bay Ridge Parkway and later relocated to 6305 10th Avenue in Brooklyn, New York. At one point, Galasso claimed in her catalogs and shipping labels to be the "World's Largest  Hobby Card Dealer." Galasso printed some cards in partnerships with Topps and The Card Memorabilia Associates, Ltd. (TCMA) and eventually printed some independent card sets as well. One well known set of cards, called "Galasso Glossy Greats," was issued over a period of eight years between 1974 and 1984. At the time, most baseball card cards from companies such as Topps were not issued in set form. Galasso assembled sets herself and sold them to individuals via mail order. Each 45-card series of Galasso Glossy Greats were issued as a promotion. Customers who bought a complete set of baseball  cards received one of the 45-card sets for free. The cards were printed on a light glossy paper stock. Following is a description of each set: The company continued in the sports card business until at least the late 1990s. Renata Galasso Inc. is currently listed online as a retail mail-order house.