1952 Topps Set
 

Has anyone conquered the beast and actually completed this set?

I never considered collecting 1952 Topps cards, but a series of deals too good to be true leave me as follows:

I am one card from completing the low number run (1 - 310) however, that card is Willie Mays.. So I will probably be needing that one for quite a while!

I also have 17 high numbers. The biggest one of Bobby Thomson.

I know the Mantle / Mathews / Robinson / Dickey / Campanella cards have to be in excess of $40,000?

Thanks...

I know that Al (ALR-bishop) has a set run that includes 1952 Topps.

I am currently working on offering myself up for adoption to Al so that he has someone to leave the collection to in a day far in the future :D:D:D

In all seriousness, I believe that several people on the board either have the set or have had it in the past. For example, a board member that I bought the 1957 Topps set from told me that he collected it, had it, and then got bored and ultimately sold it in order to build his pre-war collection.

Good luck with the quest!

Hey, get in line pal. :cool:

You can complete the set any day of the week just by purchasing the cards individually on ebay. However, we all collect at our own pace, budget and desire. I am working on a perfectly centered set in "affordable" condition psa 2-4 set. I have only been able to pick up about half the set in close to 5 years. I do have about half the high number run, currently at 42.


As far as the stars go, I probably should have bought the Mantle 5 years ago. You can get a decent looking mantle for under 10k. The rest of the cards, aside from Mathews, are under 1000 if you stick to PSA 3 and under. A Nice Mathews should be under 2k.

1952 low grade
 

whats nice about buying low grade psas like 20 bucks or less 1952s..is the fact its hard to lose much on the card if resale....when price is close to the slab price or maybe even cheaper....

1952
 

Kevin-- Bob is the one you want to get to know. Best post war collection out there.

63--There a couple of very good prior threads in here on the 52 set, including variations and "The Super Set". There are several 52 set collectors in here

http://net54baseball.com/showthread....ght=Topps+1952
http://net54baseball.com/showthread....ght=Topps+1952
http://net54baseball.com/showthread....ght=Topps+1952\
http://net54baseball.com/showthread....ght=Topps+1952

Depends on what you mean
 

If you mean a basic set (every card #1-407), many people have completed the set (including many on this board).

If you mean a master set, no. No one has ever completed a master set. Heck, it's not even known how many of the potential 60 glossy, grey back, third series cards even exist today - so it's hard to even know how many cards are in the master set.

And if anyone has a Reiser Grey back for sale or trade ... let me know!

Thanks,
Patrick

Nobody has ever completed a master set of the '52 Topps? I guess that's possible, but I find it hard to believe. I would have thought that someone on this board would have accomplished this feat. Al B, Ted Z, among others.....

Those third series stock variations are what's preventing it for the most part.

52 highs are not scarce at all but they are certainly expensive. My Dodgers team set has all the highs but finding decent looking cards in collector grade was a challengeas there was competition for most of the ones on eBay.

1952
 

The different third series backs are a big impediment. Getting the 2 Mantles, Robinsons and Thompsons is also a bit of a barrier. Another issue is there is not an agreed upon hobby definition of what constitutes a master set. The H&G Super set had 579 cards, but if the type of print defects it includes count towards a master set, it was not "complete" either

http://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com...scott-auction/

1952 TOPPS Master set
 

My accounting says there are 555 cards to complete a 1952 TOPPS Master set.

Currently, I'm 25 cards short of this achievement.....and, they are cards from the mid-series (#131 - 190) with Gray backs.



.... Type 1 .................................................. .................................................. ...... Type 2
http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/d...mmantle52t.jpghttp://i1255.photobucket.com/albums/...psc6162664.jpg



Mid-series Gray backs ............

http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/d...cks52topps.jpg

http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/d...cks52topps.jpg


TED Z
.

1952
 

Ted---have you looked at the 579 cards listed in the H&G Super set. I would be interested in knowing which ones are beyond your list of 555. They are clearly some recurring minor print defects in the 579 that many would not include. Another toughie involves the fact that the House yellow tiger can apparently be found among the gray backs as well as the regular backs. Someone reported that here not long back

I'm trying to work on it............finished 1-310 with 1-80 in both black/red versions. Picked up a lower grade Page Error this weekend in Chicago and bought a really clean, vibrant Joe Nuxhall to get me to 22 high numbers now. It's gonna be a grind now on the high numbers as money and opportunity take over to find the ones I want at the price I want to pay. Then the final slot.....Mantle......

1052
 

Sounds like you are enjoying the quest, Tom

1952 Super Master Set
 

Lou,

What Patrick was referring to is the "Super" Master Set. A number of people have completed a Master Set including the run of mid-series gray backs - but no one has completed the mid-series gray backs with glossy fronts.

Patrick was referencing the fact that they are so scarce, we really don't even know how many actually exist. Patrick is probably the closest with glossy fronts - and I am guessing he may be in the teens (out of 60) and has all the mid series gray backs except 1.

Zach Wheat

Thanks for the responses and information regarding this historic set. I still have no plans on completing the set, but it will be fun to see how close I can get!

I am talking about the base set of 407 cards. A master set is another dream!

There is a show that I go regular and for years. I have built up a good repor with many of the dealers and get some really amazing deals. This is why I have gotten as far with the 52 Topps as I have.

Hi Al
 

My 555 subjects figure takes into account the Frank House variation.

As for all those others, I am unaware of them. I'll have to check them out. As you noted, they
are most likely just printing flaws.

Anyhow, if I were to include all the 1952 Topps printing flaws that I have seen over the years,
my 555 figure would exceed 600 cards.

Best regards, my friend

TED Z
.

Glossies
 

Zach

You are correct in what you are saying ... except I am DEFINITELY not in the lead for glossies. I know it sounds crazy ... but I'm not even sure if I have 1. I have 4-5 that I honestly think could be either version. They could be glossies that have aged "hard". Or they could be regular grey backs. And even when I put them next to a regular grey back and a regular second series card ... I can't tell which they look more like.

Once I determined that I lack the eye sight to tell which version I have ... I decided that my quest for a "master" set would end when I get one copy of all the grey backs. So I'm not even trying for the glossies. I will be happy/amazed if I can get one of each player ... and I just need Reiser.

Seriously ... someone out there HAS to have a Reiser! There are 5 known to date ... but there should have been at least 25 originally printed (maybe more). Based on the other SP cards ... there SHOULD be 7-8 undiscovered Reisers out there. Reiser should NOT be the rarest of the grey backs. It was printed in exactly equal numbers as all other cards #171-190. It's just the random luck of what has been discovered to date that there is an artificial rarity. I truly think there will be more Reisers eventually discovered than some of the other players ... because compared to some of the back up players in that series ... he is a star people would have saved. But the next Reiser will sell for more than it should because several folks need that card.

But if anyone comes across a Reiser ... let me know! I will make it worth your while to send it my way!

Thanks,
Patrick

Ps - I think the 579 is a low estimate of the master number. 407 cards. 80 black backs. 60 grey backs. That gets you to 547 without any effort. That does not even include the recogized variations (Campos, Page, Sain, etc.). If you add 60 grey back glossies to the list ... you're at 607 (and we known that at least 2-3 of every third series card was printed as a glossies. How many still exist is unknown). So 579 is a low estimate in my book.

1952
 

Patrick--I think it is amazing you are lacking just one gray back. Hope you come across Mr Reiser soon.

Have you looked at the H&S Super set checklist ? There is no doubt some of the listed variants are just printing flaws, but they are recurring and I was able to run them down fairly easily.

As I recall very few of the print defect variants were in the high series, although Campanella is one. Maybe no one wants to find any there :) The 3 high series DPs are on the list

Two printing versions of Mantle's card......
 

Al

As you know....but for those that don't....the Double-Printed Mantle has several printing differences which are indicated here.



.... Type 1 .................................................. .................................................. ...... Type 2
http://i529.photobucket.com/albums/d...mmantle52t.jpghttp://i1255.photobucket.com/albums/...psc6162664.jpg

/\ ...........A.............B........................ ............C..................................... .............................................A.... ........B.................................C /\



Differences between Type 1 vs. Type 2

A......Right arm skin tone vs. right arm glossy

B......Yankees logo box border complete vs. logo box border incomplete

C......Clean yellow top braid in name box vs ragged yellow top braid

And, of course the stitches on the baseball on the back are reversed.


TED Z
.

Mantle
 

Fortunately I have both versions of the DPs already. I think there are minor front differences on all 3 as well, although Thompson and Robison differences are not as distinct as the Mantle