How many cards in 1951 Bowman series 4?
 

I like collecting sets by series. It makes things seem more manageable.

I'm working on the 1951 Bowman set, but I have a question. I know they were issued in series and that teh high number series was 72 cards (253-324)

The lowers series of 1-3 were all issued as 36 cards (1-36, 37-72, 73-108) as were cards from the semi-hi series (181-21216, 217-252)

It's series 4 I'm unsure on. Was that a 36 card series or a 72 card series. It seems odd that that would be a different sized group than the others around it, but they did go to a larger series late in the year.

Number me not
 

It's generally thought to have been a nine-series set of cards, thirty-six cards in each series. Perhaps the confusion sets in when collectors introduce terms, such as low, semi-high and high to describe sequences in the numbering of the cards. The so-called "high-number series" is supposed to have started with the Mantle card as #253, however, as can be seen in this image of a partially cut 1951 Bowman sheet, Mantle was obviously not the first card on the sheet, and thus the high-number differentiation is an arbitrary standard, not imposed by Bowman or the Zabel Brothers printshop. Interesting speculative article on the 1951 Bowman printing sequence here: http://pjdenterprises.com/baseball_c...man_print.html

Thanks for posting that article Steve.

As someone who collected the 1951 BOWMAN's as a kid when these cards were issued in 1951, I can tell you this.......

First of all, the cards were printed on 2 - 36-card sheets. Bowman initially issued them in 72-card series.

The 1st series (cards #1 - 72) were issued in the Spring of 1951 in my neighborhood.

The 2nd series (cards #73 - 144) followed. The remaining Low # cards (#145 - 252) were issued during the Summer of 1951.

The last series cards (#253 - 324) were available in late Summer > early Fall of '51 (this varied distribution regionally).

Again, this was the sequence in my neighborhood in Hillside, NJ. Most likely, the distribution of these cards varied regionally.


TED Z
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Thanks for your knowledge. Was the mid series in one 108 card series or 36/72 or 36/36/36?

Pardon me, I have to correct the statement: "..Mantle was obviously not the first card on the sheet..". Mantle's card (#253) was the first card on this sheet (in the upper left corner).

This sheet includes the first group of Hi #s.... #253 - 288. It was mis-cut at the Zabel Bros. printing firm. Here are the card numbers of this mis-cut sheet......

#271 >> 279 (top row)
#280 >> 288 (2nd row)
#253 >> 261 (3rd row)
#262 >> 270 (4th row)

I collect uncut sheets, and all the other sheets of this group that I've seen are straight forward #253 >> 288.


TED Z
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I clearly remember acquiring cards #1 - 72 in the Spring of 1951.

And, I remember either purchasing (or trading for) the Hi #s in late Summer of '51.

In between, my recollection is "fuzzy" regarding the mid-series cards.


Then in early Fall of '51, the Bowman FB cards were available.



1951 original 24-count Waxpack box (electronically flattened)

.................................http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...nWaxBox17x.jpg
http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...nWaxPkBoxS.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...axPkBox50x.jpghttp://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...xPkBoxSinv.jpg
..................................http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...axBox17inv.jpg


1st series

http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...hiteyFordx.jpg


Mid-series

http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...edWilliams.jpg


Hi # series

http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...iersall50x.jpg



TED Z
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You're right, Ted, of course. This unusual uncut sheet led me to the wrong conclusion, since the cards were not in number sequence.
Do you have any idea how this out-of-sequence sheet could have been printed? It does not seem to be mis-cut, since the printed rows are all correctly aligned, so was it actually mis-printed somehow? In any case, I apologize for assuming it was a regular sheet.

It's not a complete sheet.

http://apr08.hugginsandscott.com/cgi...pl?itemid=7410

The large one with 282 cards may be complete. It shows good side margins, but not much margin at the top or bottom. The designs repeat, but the right is two rows lower than the left.

It's possible that the cards were printed on a press that prints on a continuous roll of paper. (web fed) If that's the case, there would be no upper or lower margins although there's usually at least some gap where the plate begins and ends.

Steve B

Hi Steve (Volod)

Apology not needed.

The sheets were continuously run in the printing process, and this particular sheet just happen to be cut out of the normal sequence.


TED Z
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In the early 1980's, I wrote several articles regarding the BOWMAN sets for the BASEBALL CARDS magazine and SCD. Shown here is a page from the 1952 Bowman FB
article which illustrates a 72-card sheet.
Zabel Brothers (Bowman's printer) used a 39-inch tract press ** to print the 1950-1952 Bowman Sports and Non-Sports cards. The printed sheets were configured with
18 cards across the sheet by "N" number of rows down the length of the sheet. This same printing process applies to the 1951 Bowman cards.


http://photos.imageevent.com/tedzan7...manFBsheet.jpg




** Note
From a 1981 conversation with George Moll of the Moll Adv. Agency, which designed all the Play Ball and Bowman cards for the Bowman Company (circa 1938 - 1955).


TED Z
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Ted: I recall reading your article in SCD those many years ago. Forgive my failing memory, but did the article mention at what point the Zabel Company upgraded from the 39-inch tract press to a size that accommodated the larger cards? It seems like the old press would easily fit 18 columns of 1951-52 baseball cards, but no more than maybe 16 columns of cards that were 2.5-inches wide. That, I imagine, would pretty much explain what happened to the 1952 Bowman FB Large cards on both edges of the sheet during print runs before the new press arrived.

Hi Steve

You are correct regarding the 1952 BOWMAN (large) FB cards.

George Moll told me that Bowman had Zabel Bros. increase their printing press tract width to 43-inches in 1953 in order to print their 1953 - 1955 Sports & Non-Sports cards.

Bowman realized that they had to compete with the larger size 1952 - 1955 TOPPS cards.



TED Z
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Hi Mark

I, too, collect and arrange the cards in my sets according to their series. Even the most challenging set....my T206.

Anyhow, as I noted in a prior post here, my recollection of the mid-series (cards #73 - 252) in the 1951 Bowman is "fuzzy". So, I am uncertain as to how these cards were issued.


However, I know for certain how the 1948, 1949, 1950, 1952, and 1953 Bowman cards with respect to series were issued. So, if you're interested, I can tell you about these sets.


TED Z
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