1956 WINS!! Now its time to get Started.

[shernan30]

For those of you who send time on the Prewar side you may recognize my username. I'm and Old Judge collector that's looking to expand my collection into other prewar and postwar sets. I'm looking to start a 50's Topps sent and wanted to hear some thoughts from the postwar collectors. So here goes my BIG question:

1953 Topps or 1956 Topps?

My wife and I both collect, she's a modern card collector, with her being partial to the 1956 Topps set. I personally think the 1953 Topps is a really good looking set that has a little prewar feel to it. So, what the consensus?

Thanks,

Steven

[campyfan39]

They are two of my favorite sets of all time, def tops 5 for me.

That said, 56 is my choice. There are 340 cards and 34 are hall of famers. Easy math says that is 1 out of every10! It is also a set without high numbers and short prints.

53 is beautiful but can get pricey with the high numbers. It also missing a lot of the stars that had exclusive contracts with bowman.

Happy collecting and welcome to the other side!

ps. If your wife likes 56 its a no brainer. Might get her into the older stuff and if she is like my wife she will encourage me to spend a little more if she is involved

[brob28]

For me I'd also go with the '56 set, for all the reasons Chris stated. Visually, I think it's one of the best sets Topps produced and full of Hall of Famers. That said, hard to go wrong with either of those choices.

[vintagetoppsguy]

Another vote for '56

[brewing]

If you have the disposable income, 1953 and it's not even close. Beautiful set with a great Mantle, Mays, and sole Topps card of Satchel Paige.

1956 is a great set and it is reasonably priced in the VG-ex to EX condition.

[cdn_collector]

Between '53 and '56, I would go with '56.

The '53s look better in my opinion, but the player selection in the '56 set is what wins me over. Having Paige in the '53 set is a strong argument for it, but the '56 set has Aaron, Clemente, Koufax, Snider, Banks, Kaline and probably others.

Perhaps I should also admit that '56 Mantle is in my top 10 favourite cards of any era

Good luck whatever you choose.

Cheers,

Richard.

[the 'stache]

Steven, this is like asking me "Bill, which sports car would you rather drive, a Maserati, or a Ferrari?" Both are great answers, and no matter which one you go with, you're getting a hell of a set to add to your collection.

I think in this case, I'm going to agree with the majority here, and go with the '56 set as well. First of all, your wife is already interested in the set, which is a huge plus. It's something you can share together. Also, when it comes time to add that Mantle, or one of the second year cards, she'll be a little easier to convince when it comes time to pull out the checkbook.

I like the '56 set because visually, it's just beautiful (but then again, so is the '53 set). Plus, as has already been mentioned, the player selection is superb. I love the '53 set, but collecting it would be a little less enjoyable because so many of my favorite players from that era wouldn't be in it: no Kaline, Aaron, Matthews, Banks, Clemente, Killebrew or Koufax because they hadn't made it to the Majors yet, and there's no Ted Williams or Stan Musial, either.

I also think the '56 set is going to be more affordable in mid grade + condition.

Whatever you do choose, have fun, and make sure to tell your wife how cool we all think she is.

Bill

[jasonc]

Once again, gotta agree with what is being said here. The player selection in 1956 is awesome. That's my vote. Plus a really nice looking set with the backgrounds.

[NateMack]

I recommended this to another collector recently, but how about doing them both at the same time. You really do save money in the long run by finding great deals across multiple sets collected at the same time. Then you can whittle down a pair of sets at the same time and put the money you save into one of the higher priced stars that both sets have in them.

That being said, the 56 set is much, much easier to complete. The 53 set has about 60 high numbers and the 53 Mays and Mantle cards are going to be high dollar in any grade. The 56 set has only 1 real high dollar card, the Mantle, and it is a fraction of the cost of the 53 Mantle.

What grade are you going to collect in these sets? Are you going slabbed or raw?

[shernan30]

Is buying a "starter set" of around 100 cards a good way to get started or should I start with singles? My Old Judge set is 16 players, pretty obvious to start with one. Looking at a set +-300 cards is a little different.

[shernan30]

Around the VG-EX to EX range. Mostly raw, but the HOFers that are a bigger investment will be slabbed.

[NateMack]

I always start a set with a couple big starter sets. Often times you can get a few star players lumped into the starter to make it more appealing to buyers. I dont start buying singles until the last 10-20% of a set, but all the time stay on the lookout for the big cards.

[shernan30]

Originally Posted by NateMack

I recommended this to another collector recently, but how about doing them both at the same time. You really do save money in the long run by finding great deals across multiple sets collected at the same time. Then you can whittle down a pair of sets at the same time and put the money you save into one of the higher priced stars that both sets have in them....

I like the idea, never thought of that. The biggest thing that would hold me back is the 2 Mantles I would need. Having 2 Mantles never hurt anyone though .

[Gr8Beldini]

Originally Posted by campyfan39

They are two of my favorite sets of all time, def tops 5 for me.

That said, 56 is my choice. There are 340 cards and 34 are hall of famers. Easy math says that is 1 out of every10! It is also a set without high numbers and short prints.

Agreed; and it's not just the HoFers. 56 Is loaded with non-HoF stars. Score, Minoso, Hodges, Furillo, Newcombe, Gilliam, Klu, Adcock, Dark, Kuenn, Groat, Podres, Pierce, Antonelli, Sauer, Bauer, Elston Howard, Skowron, Martin, Burdette, Konstanty, Ennis, Sievers, Piersall, Vernon, Al Rosen, and iconic cards such as Larsen, Spooner, Zimmer RC, Yankees, Dodgers, and Giants teams. For design, player selection, and reasonableness of price, '56 is the greatest set ever produced. And it is the only set with Mantle, Jackie, and Ted Williams in the same set. 53 is beautiful, but too many key players omitted because of Bowman and very expensive (though it has Satchell).

[MattyC]

Highly subjective call here but I prefer the aesthetic of the 56 set. Something about those action images and portraits just appeals to me.

[almostdone]

If this your first post war set build I would echo most others and go for the 56 set. There are some great stars to save and look for without killing yourself financially. Also you can find more of the bigger lots to buy, break up, and resell the doubles on. That way your not bogged down as much finding commons for more money each.

56 is the most star packed set ever made in my opinion. It has late in career stars like Williams, Robinson, Campy, and Feller as well as a slew of new stars that became legends like Aaron, Banks, Clemente, Koufax, Killebrew and so on. The only thing lacking in the set is a Musial but he isn't in the 53 either so that's a wash.

As far as the Mantle goes, both are classics in their own right but he won the Triple Crown in 56 so there is some significance in it.

Finally, the horizontal layout of 56 looks great in a binder, if that how you plan on storing them, with the 8 pocket pages.

All this is my opinion of course but congrats on taking the post was plunge no matter which set you choose.

Drew

[shernan30]

Thanks for all the advise. I've spent the weekend reviewing the two sets in terms of pricing, appearance, players, your comments, and input from my wife. Everything calculated leads me to.....

1956 Topps

Sticking with VG to EX grade range puts the investment of time and money where I would like to be. Since I'm looking for lower grade cards, centering will keep the pace of the set just right (based on some of my research centering varies with the 50s sets. I could be completely wrong with the centering aspect).

Now to find that starter set/group !!

[shernan30]

My starter group of 1956 Topps cards arrived today. I'll be going through them this evening while making plans to complete the set. Does anyone have suggestions on the best way on a budget?

My initial thoughts are to pick a team a month and try to get as many, if not all, the players of that team completed. I am focusing on centered cards in the VGEX to EXNM range.

Any other suggestions?

[Gr8Beldini]

I recently completed mine on a single-income, blue collar salary (3 kids + mortgage). The key to putting together an inexpensive, beautiful set was to be accepting of small creases that don't impede prominent parts of the card (like the player's face). It is more important to have a clean, colorful picture than a crease free card. A tiny crease will reduce the price of a beautiful card substantially, thereby reducing the price of your set substantially as well.

[pawpawdiv9]

like i posted in the other thread--

Originally Posted by shernan30

The start of my 1956 Topps set and a few others thanks to a fellow board member.

Hey bro.....FYI Hunts Auction has several lots that have 56 topps in them. Check them out.. Lots 892-952, yep over 50 lots, some with 20 cards in a group.

[darkhorse9]

Originally Posted by shernan30

My starter group of 1956 Topps cards arrived today. I'll be going through them this evening while making plans to complete the set. Does anyone have suggestions on the best way on a budget?

My initial thoughts are to pick a team a month and try to get as many, if not all, the players of that team completed. I am focusing on centered cards in the VGEX to EXNM range.

Any other suggestions?

The best way is to collect by series. Start with series one and complete that then move on to series two, etc... or just pick a series based on the starter lots you get and finish that one first. That will lessen the number of stars and HOFers you'll feel compelled to get any any one time.

Series I: 1-100 (Williams, Banks, Spahn , Kaline, Robinson, Aaron, Clemente, Koufax)

Series II: 101-180 (Mathews, Berra, Rizzuto, Mays, Mantle, Snyder, Killebrew)

Series III: 181-260 (Feller, Yankees, Reese, Ford)

Series IV: 261-340 (Aparicio)

By chopping it down into smaller "sets" you'll feel more chances for accomplishment.