Posted By:
Ted ZanidakisOk, just for starters, you have 407 different cards with Red
Backs; 80 - 1st series cards with Black Backs (#1 - 80); and
included in the Black Back run you have interchanged back bios
with Joe Page (#48) and Johnny Sain (#49). Then you have the
3 - Double-Printed Hi#s - Mantle (#311), Jackie Robinson (#312)
and Bobby Thomson (#313). There is a subtle difference on the
front of the Mantle cards (his arm has a sheen on one of his
two cards and the gold braid which borders his name box is some-
what ragged as compared to the other card of him. On the backs
of these 3 Hi#s the baseball stitching is different between
the two printings.
So, if you want be a real serious collector of this set, the
above total is: 407 + 80 + 2 + 3 = 492 cards.
Furthermore, there are an additional 60 cards cards from this set that
qualify as true variations and they are extremely RARE. These
60 cards were reprinted from the 3rd series (#131 - 190). These cards
were at some time later issued with GRAY cardboard stock (in the
initial printing, Topps used bright white cardboard stock).
I know only of two collectors who have all 60 of these GRAY back variations;
and, it has taken them over 20 years to acquire all 60 cards.
Add these 60 to the 492 and you get 552 cards.