1952 Bowman Baseball Project

[PowderedH2O]

Over the past forty years I've bought and sold so many things I can't even remember it all. I'm close to completing quite a few raw sets (wrapping up 1960 Topps baseball and 1956 Topps football probably by the end of the year in ex-mt). I had a fairly large collection of PSA graded football cards from the 40's, 50's, and 60's that I sold last year to pay for a wedding and honeymoon.

I've decided to put together some graded sets to go along with my raw ones. I love the old Bowman and Play Ball cards. So, I think I am going to tackle those. Now, that could take quite a long time, considering how many cards this is. But, I am going to give it a shot. I've decided the way to go about this is to grab good deals as I see them, but to concentrate on one set as my main focus. That set will be the 1952 Bowman baseball set.

Why 1952? Well, several reasons. For many of you, 1952 was a time when you were buying cards from packs. Not me. I was born in 1965, so I didn't start buying cards until 1972. For me, this story goes back to 1986. During the years 1982-1986 I was buying packs of cards to complete my Topps, Fleer, and Donruss sets. I kept all the extra stars and put them away. By the summer of 1986, I had thousands of stars. Eventually, I took this large group of stars to my local card shop (Lake Worth World of Baseball Cards in Lake Worth, Florida). The owner was a really awesome guy named Scott Winslow who gave me a good price in trade for the cards. Kids wanted current stars and Scott knew they would sell quickly. But, what I got in trade was about 65% of the 1952 Bowman set in Vg-Ex condition, including the Willie Mays.

Eventually, I had to sell those cards (ironically, back to Scott), but I never forgot how much I loved looking at them. I decided to tackle this project by starting with the ones I remember as a young man. The 1952 set is also manageable with a reasonable number of cards, and no super expensive rookies to chase. The high numbers are not too terribly expensive or hard to track down. The set is full of gorgeous artwork and lots of stars: Mays, Mantle, Musial, Campanella, Feller, and many more.

I am a high school chemistry teacher. I can't go after these cards in high grade. So, I'm going to go after the Vg-Ex cards that I had many years ago. I figure cards in the PSA 4-6 range will be about right. Of course, I'll be looking for cards that have appeal to me, so the numbers aren't really that important. I would like them all to stay in the same company, so I have decided to stick with PSA since there are a lot more cards on the market to choose from.

So, I decided to create a thread in which I will update this undertaking. This isn't something that I'll finish in six months. It will take me some time to get this done. I've purchased 17 cards so far. I'll start scanning soon, and I'll update as I go. Hopefully I can make some regular progress. Thanks for reading. Here we go....

[whodey14]

Good luck I'm a little past half way on my psa 5 1953 bowman set. I hope to see a finished set from us both sooner rather than later.

[PowderedH2O]

Good luck! I've picked up a handful of 53's along the way. It is a gorgeous set! It might be the next set I chase after the 52's. Mine will be in that 4-6 range again. I'm sure your 5's have got to be nice!

[Volod]

I can really relate to your enthusiasm for the '52 set, Sam. It was the first set I ripped out of packs as a seven-year-old, and I never forgot some of the cards. Thirty years later, when I began recollecting, seeing those images again got me hooked again, and bad...or obsessive/compulsive. It's still like returning to a warm spring day in 1952 for me, whenever I pull out the set and examine it. Mine are all ungraded, though, so that the visceral feel and smell of the pasteboards is right there in the old memory banks. I wish you luck in your quest.

[jb67]

Good luck and keep us updated. It is always fun and much cheaper to live vicariously thru others.

[PowderedH2O]

I figured I would show the progress of this quest in the actual order it happened. So, my first two cards were purchased on June 21st for $13. They are #36 Cass Michaels and #159 Dutch Leonard. I figured the price wasn't too bad for a couple of decent PSA graded cards, even if they are only a 5 and a 4.

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[PowderedH2O]

On June 22nd, I picked up a PSA 6 Monte Kennedy #213. At $12.99, it seemed like a fair price for a nice card.

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[PowderedH2O]

On June 25th I made my first purchases of star cards for the set. Now, admittedly, these are both PSA 4's, but I just thought that the cards were nice no matter what the grade was. These two stars are #4 Robin Roberts for $26.99 and #156 Warren Spahn for $43.12. When I see the prices that higher grade star cards from the 50's and 60's get, to grab these two for $70 seems like a solid purchase. I absolutely adore the Spahn. It looks better in hand than the scan indicates.

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[cdn_collector]

The first card I purchased when I got back into collecting some 12 years ago was a 1952 Bowman Bob Lemon. I no longer have the card, but will almost certainly go after this set one day.

Good luck with this challenge; I look forward to following your progress.

Cheers,

Richard.

[PowderedH2O]

On June 26th I snagged three more cards. I got a PSA 4.5 #115 Larry Doby for $28. I also got a couple of PSA 6's with #158 Bucky Harris ($21.99) and #170 Joe Astroth ($13.99). At this point I have 8 of 252 (3.17%).

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[PowderedH2O]

For my last update for tonight, on June 27th and 28th I picked up three more cards. I pulled the trigger on some big names. I won an auction for #116 Duke Snider in PSA 4.5. This card is really nice in person and I am overjoyed with it. I also picked up a PSA 4 #196 Stan Musial for $158.99. Not sure if that's a great price. It seemed fair. The card seems like it should be better than a 4 except for some slight toning on the upper right corner. But, I am not unhappy with it at all. It was the biggest purchase I will make on this set for a while. The third card is a PSA 5 of #17 Ed Lopat for $14.99. Lopat is no HOFer, but he certainly is a solid guy for less than $15! This put my set at 11 of 252 (4.37%)

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[KCRfan1]

Very nice cards Sam. Sounds like you are having lots of fun putting the set together!

[PowderedH2O]

Thanks so much! It is a little quicker than it will be for the future. I sold a few collectibles that I didn't need, so I had a few bucks to throw at it. In the near future, I will only have a limited budget to work with, so it will be mostly commons. I'll try to pick up 4-5's in the $6-9 range if I can.

[PowderedH2O]

On June 29th, we took a family vacation to New Orleans. I set a bunch of snipes, and only two won, but hey, I made some progress! The first was card #71 Vernon Law in PSA 6. I got this for $9.99. Then, I won an auction for two cards #78 Lloyd Merriman and #79 Lou Brissie, both in PSA 5. The pair came for $13.19. So, as of June 29th, I stood at 14 or 252 (5.56%)

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[PowderedH2O]

When I got back to the house on July 7th, I found a bunch of packages waiting for me. I also found an ebay bucks gift certificate in my ebay folder. It wasn't much, but it amounted to three free cards. I picked the three of these cards up for $33.30. This puts me at 17 of 252 (6.75%) as of July 7th. [IMG][/IMG]

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[dembums]

52 Bowmans are the best! I love the colors, the artwork, the simple design, and the size. Great job so far!

[PowderedH2O]

I snagged this PSA 4 #150 Herman Wehmeier on an ebay auction last night for $5.13. This puts me at 18 of 252 (7.14%). This is a marathon, not a sprint. So, I'm going to keep my eyes open for low priced cards that fit the set.

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[PowderedH2O]

Originally Posted by dembums

52 Bowmans are the best! I love the colors, the artwork, the simple design, and the size. Great job so far!

Thanks so much! I love the cards too! I have yet to run into one that wasn't beautiful.

[almostdone]

I started to put this set together about 2 and half years ago in low grade raw shape. I have been sidetracked in moving forward by both personal reasons and the fact that I can't seem to focus one one collecting thing long enough. At last count I have around 175 to 180 of the cards.

The only big card I am missing is the Mantle which I am wanting to be the final card. I built a different set years ago (1955 Topps) and the last dozen cards I needed were commons of players I wasn't familiar with so I vowed when I build a set to leave a big card for last.

Anyway, other than the Mantle the only other HOFer I lack is Richie Ashburn. The Wiiie Mays card is one of my favorite all time cards and absolutely my favorite card of him so when I got it it was quite a thrill. Here is a picture below. Got a great deal on it from a board member. It's really nice and the pin hole doesn't bother me in the least.

Good luck with the set. I fell in love with it because another poster years ago showed his progress as you are. It was then I first saw the great detail in capturing the player as well as the backgrounds.

Thanks for starting the thread. It is renewing my interest in finishing it.

Drew

[the 'stache]

Good luck, Sam. I absolutely love the 1952 Bowman set. Of course, the '53 Bowman Color set is my all-time favorite vintage set.

Bowman got it right. All you need is a picture of the player, maybe their signature. Put all the other info/stats on the back. Bowman figured out that simplicity is beautiful, and while I really like a lot of the sets that Topps has produced, nothing they've done could ever top the early 50s sets by Bowman.

I will be a frequent viewer of your collection as it grows. I'm looking forward to seeing your cards!

[the 'stache]

Well, I've had a chance to look at some of your first cards, Sam. Let me start out by saying I love your Spahnie and Stan Musial! Warren Spahn and Stan the Man are two of my all-time favorite players. I have to get those cards!

I'm a pretty big Pirates fan, too (they're my second favorite baseball team behind the Brewers). So, you know I'm going to love every Pirate you pick up. That Vern Law is really nice. And I can't wait to see your Ralph Kiner!

By the way, it strikes me how a couple of these guys remind me of a few actors.

Lloyd Merriman reminds me of Jerry O'Connell (remember him from Jerry Maguire? Kusch man...Kusch man...

And Ned Garver reminds me of Clint Howard, Ron Howard's brother. You know, the guy that ends up in every movie Ron makes. LOL

I have to buy some of these cards. You've sold me. They're just gorgeous. I really love the color photography used in the '53 set. It was the first set to do that. But the '52 set (and the '51 before it) are incredible in their own ways. The '51 Bowman Ted Williams is one of my all-time favorites!

This is going to be a fun thread. Keep the cards coming!!

[the 'stache]

One last comment, Sam. Don't worry about the grades on the slab. "Buy the card". These cards you've been getting, 4s, 5s, 6...they're all gorgeous. If you like the card, we will, too.

Carry on, good sir!

[PowderedH2O]

Thanks for your kind words. To be honest, I played the ratings game a while back while putting together a 1954 Bowman football set. I was down to the last four or five cards and I was straight 8's. And I couldn't find them for anything. Then, a 6 came available. And I resisted, because my set was all 8's, but the card was beautiful. So I bought it. And I ended up buying more 6's and 7's and selling off some 8's before I eventually sold the whole set. I'll finish it again pretty soon in raw 4-6 form. But, I have found that I actually like a handled card. I don't want one that is destroyed, but if it has a decent photo, no major creases, and reasonably decent centering, the rest doesn't bug me. Even an ink mark here or there is ok. I bought some T218's last year that all have a number written on the back in ink. I got them for almost nothing because of that. The 52's I am trying to get graded, but it might be the only set I do that way.

There is something about this set that attracts me. Maybe it is the simplicity. Maybe it is the colors. I'm not sure. BTW, I had a PSA Kiner a couple of years ago and sold it off when I sold the rest of my collection. I'm looking forward to replacing it soon. But, my budget isn't large, so it will be a slow process.

[Vintageloz]

Hey Sam
Love the 52 Bowman set. I just finished it myself about a year ago and have been working on upgrading ever since. Same thing as you, targeting PSA5. Most of the set can be picked up pretty reasonably with the exception of course or Mantle and Mays. The Mantle is close to a grand in PSA5 and the Mays lagging behind that. I was lucky enough to get a nice Mays but my current
mantle is a BVG1, that's the last big star I need to upgrade. The highs can be tough in a 5, but certainly can be had.

Good luck with the set, enjoying reading about your journey!
Chris

[PowderedH2O]

Last night I was the only bidder for this PSA 7 #193 Bobby Young. Well, I've put in a lot of bids lately, and for the most part, I haven't won. But, this one slipped through the cracks somehow. Glad to pick up a PSA 7 for the opening bid of $9.99. This is now the highest rated card in my set. Actually, probably a bit too high rated...lol. I'll end up trading it out for a couple of 5's or something. But, in the meantime, here it is! 19 of 252 (7.54%)

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[darkhorse9]

I've been debating whether to try and complete a 1952 Bowman set, or go for a low number 1952 Topps. I know the Topps is iconic, but it will always bug me that it's not totally complete. Some advice would be appreciated.

[almostdone]

Originally Posted by darkhorse9

I've been debating whether to try and complete a 1952 Bowman set, or go for a low number 1952 Topps. I know the Topps is iconic, but it will always bug me that it's not totally complete. Some advice would be appreciated.

In my opinion the Bowman set would be the one to go for. I completely understand the Topps set and it's significance in the hobbies history but just comparing apples to apples Bowman would always be my choice.
Drew

[Volod]

Looks like you're making the right kind of progress, Sam - slow, steady and careful. I think you will enjoy the experience more that way. When I was putting the '52 Bowman set together back in the '80's, getting a good look at individual cards was only possible by shlepping to a lot of local card shows. Through about the first hundred or so cards acquired, I trusted my memory of what I needed so that I wouldn't have to fiddle with checklists while jockeying for elbow room at the tables. But, at one point, while examining a couple of fourth-series commons, I could not recall if I had already picked them up, so I said what the hell, and bought them. Once I got them home, I realized that they were indeed already in the collection, but I saw something that disturbed me much more: the image registration on the two newbies was noticeably better than on the two previously acquired. Bowman's print registration was notoriously hit-and-miss, and it was sometimes so subtle that one had to see two or more of the same card side by side to appreciate the difference in image quality. These days, of course, one can study the cards in online images and easily compare and detect which is the better example. But, over eight years in the 80's, I amassed two full sets and part of a third, constantly upgrading cards after finding examples with better registration than cards I had previously been quite satisfied with. At least it was a labor of love, not to mention that the cards were much less expensive then.

Ok, i'll just read from now on...

[PowderedH2O]

Thanks for the encouragement! It's been about three weeks since I added a card to the 1952 set. I picked up these two PSA 6's today. This brings me to 8.33% of the set.

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[marvymelvin]

Is it just me or does that Bobby Young look like Dr. House/Hugh Laurie???

[jb67]

Originally Posted by marvymelvin

Is it just me or does that Bobby Young look like Dr. House/Hugh Laurie???

You are right! He does look a lot like Dr. House. Good eye!

[PowderedH2O]

Well, as I mentioned in my first post, this is a marathon, not a sprint. I've picked up a few more 52's to get my overall percentage to 9.92%. These include #9 Vern Stephens 6.5, #149 Howie Judson 6.0, #203 Steve Gromek 6.0, and #8 Pee Wee Reese 4.0. I've picked up a few other 50's cards along the way (which probably slows me down a little bit on this set), but this is still my main effort. Hitting 10% in less than 3 months with 7 HOFers. Hey, I feel pretty good about that!

[almostdone]

Keep going. It's a great set that I am so close to finishing. I've stalled out with 15 left. Two plus years in though so it will get done.
Btw, I love hat Reese. One on my favs of one of my favorite players.
Drew

[PowderedH2O]

Over the past six months I've been all over the place, but I've picked up a few 52's along the way. I'm currently at 12.30% complete on the set. Not fast progress, but in a ten month span with me working on some other things, I'm not too disappointed. Hoping to get to about 25% by the end of the year. We will see how the money holds out.

[dclarkraiders]

Good luck with your quest to complete this great set.

[ZenPop]

Best of luck! I consider this set one of the truly glorious card sets in history.
I'm a graphic designer and artist and the this is absolutely brilliantly designed.

Mini-paintings that qualify as masterpieces. Cheers!