On the other side of post-war...new project!

[VinTX]

well many of you saw and posted many kind words on my 1955 Topps set that I recently completed, and as I've mentioned before I'm hooked hardcore now on vintage set building and I'm going at it head first! As some of you may know, I'm now currently working on a graded 1954 Topps baseball set, and my first pre-war project, a graded 1934 Goudey set. But two projects isn't good enough, LOL!! I decided I wanted to do another raw set, and thought I'd hop over to the other side of the big 50's line and try my hand at Bowman. So I've decided to start work on the 1952 Bowman set!

I've gotten a nice start thanks to a couple of great members right here on Net54. Thanks to both of you for great transactions!

Since I can only put 10 pictures in a given post, I'll break up this first lot over a few posts over the next week or so and will add new pickups as they come in. As with my '54 and '34 sets, this one will go at a much more leisurely pace than my '55 set, lol.

If anyone has any '52 Bowmans they'll part with please give me a shout! I'm looking to trade as much as possible right now as most of the cash that i get in is going to either paying bills or buying silver coins. If you've got anything you're looking for let me know and I'll see what I've got!

So here's my first batch!

#003 - Fred Hutchinson


#007 - Mike Garcia


#009 - Vern Stephens


#010 - Bob Hooper


#012 - Max Surkont


#020 - Willie Jones


#038 - Whitey Lockman


#048 - Vern Bickford


#049 - Jim Hearn


#055 - Ken Raffensberger

[almostdone]

Beautiful set! I have a few of the '52 Bowman but am not willing to part with them yet. I just picked up George Kell and Duke Snider a few weeks back (I focus mainly on HOFers).

Like always keep posting and I'll keep watching but I'm starting to hate you a bit (just kidding).

Good luck,
Drew

[vintagetoppsguy]

I have an SGC Monte Irvin for sale or trade:

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...916#post888916

[Big Six]

I do a 54 topps, you do a 54 topps...I do diamond stars, you do goudeys...I do a 51 bowman, you start rockin' the 52's...you are a collector after my own heart. Best wishes on yet another project...and winning the lottery to fund all this stuff!

Ps...you aren't going to start a 59 topps set next, are ya???

[VinTX]

Originally Posted by almostdone

Beautiful set! I have a few of the '52 Bowman but am not willing to part with them yet. I just picked up George Kell and Duke Snider a few weeks back (I focus mainly on HOFers).

Like always keep posting and I'll keep watching but I'm starting to hate you a bit (just kidding).

Good luck,
Drew

lol...nice stuff on the Kell and Snider. Do you have any scans of em? would love to see em! Thanks for the comment

Originally Posted by vintagetoppsguy

I have an SGC Monte Irvin for sale or trade:

http://www.net54baseball.com/showthr...916#post888916

PM on the way

Originally Posted by Big Six

I do a 54 topps, you do a 54 topps...I do diamond stars, you do goudeys...I do a 51 bowman, you start rockin' the 52's...you are a collector after my own heart. Best wishes on yet another project...and winning the lottery to fund all this stuff!

Ps...you aren't going to start a 59 topps set next, are ya???

haha, I promise I'm not trying to copy you I guess we just have similar tastes! And to answer your question, no I'm not planning on the '59 Topps set... (atleast not yet, haha). Infact the next one I have my eye on once I've wrapped up one of my current ones is probably going to be either the '53 Topps or maybe the '54 Bowman

[VinTX]

here's the next installment of my starter lot!

#060 - Sid Gordon


#061 - Tommy Byrne


#065 - Hank Bauer


#066 - Sal Maglie


#089 - Billy Hitchcock


#092 - Eddie Waitkus


#095 - Luke Easter


#098 - Jimmie Dykes


#100 - Sibby Sisti


#104 - Hal Jeffcoat

[theseeker]

Eddie Waitkus, the player "The Natural" was based on. Errrr, at least the part about being shot by a unstable female.

[VinTX]

Originally Posted by theseeker

Eddie Waitkus, the player "The Natural" was based on. Errrr, at least the part about being shot by a unstable female.

haha, nice little bit of baseball trivia there

well here's a few more for today!

#112 - Smoky Burgess


#113 - Al Zarilla


#117 - Bill Wight


#120 - Chet Nichols


#121 - Al Corwin


#123 - Sid Hudson


#124 - Birdie Tebbetts


#126 - Phil Cavarretta


#129 - Gus Niarhos

[VinTX]

beginning of my '52 Bowman set, part 4...

#130 - Allie Clark


#133 - Dick Kryhoski


#135 - Mickey Harris


#137 - Stan Rojek


#140 - Ray Scarborough


#143 -


#144 - Sandy Consuegra


#148 - Ken Heintzelman


#153 - Fred Hatfield


#155 - Billy Meyer

[VinTX]

last of the starter lot...

#158 - Bucky Harris


#170 - Joe Astroth


#171 - Mel Queen


#174 - Mickey Grasso


#175 - Randy Jackson


#178 - Dave Williams


#183 - Pat Mullin


#186 - Frank Smith


#194 - Bob Porterfield


another big thanks to the 2 Net54 members who hooked me up with these and got me a solid start on my latest project! New pickups to follow!

[VinTX]

so I decided to go do a little shop-hoppin trip on Monday and visit some of the card shops here in town to see if they had any stuff I needed for a couple of the sets I'm working on. And indeed they did, I picked up about 15 new cards for the '52 Bowman set! Some I bought, some I did some trading on, all in all I got some pretty good deals! Also got a few on ebay over the weekend

Here are my latest pickups!

#028 - Roy Hartsfield


#031 - Eddie Yost


#056 - Clyde King


#064 - Roy Smalley


#076 - Del Ennis


#080 - Gil Hodges


#088 - Bruce Edwards


#105 - Bobby Brown


#214 - Ray Boone

[VinTX]

#074 - Wes Westrum


#127 - Dick Sisler


#149 - Howie Judson


#150 - Herman Wehmeier


#152 - Billy Cox


#219 - Neil Berry


#226 - Alex Kellner


#249 - Hank Thompson


and the bookend,
#252 - Frank Crosetti

[VinTX]

got in my stuff that I picked up on ebay over the weekend...thanks for lookin!

#005 - Minnie Minoso


#043 - Bob Feller


#116 - Duke Snider


#164 - Connie Ryan


up to 70 now!

[almostdone]

Slow down! You're msking me dizzy! My computer was shot for almost a week and when I come back on line you have 70! (so far, maybe you've completed the 52 set and haven't posted it yet. Just kidding)

Keep them comming. Guys like you give me something to aspire to when my kids move out and start supporting me financially. Then watch out! Of course you will have a twenty year head start and already have completed all pre 1970 sets by then. Oh well. Keep it up and those pics comming and I'll just dream and chear you on!

Good luck,
Drew

[VinTX]

Originally Posted by almostdone

Slow down! You're msking me dizzy! My computer was shot for almost a week and when I come back on line you have 70! (so far, maybe you've completed the 52 set and haven't posted it yet. Just kidding)

Keep them comming. Guys like you give me something to aspire to when my kids move out and start supporting me financially. Then watch out! Of course you will have a twenty year head start and already have completed all pre 1970 sets by then. Oh well. Keep it up and those pics comming and I'll just dream and chear you on!

Good luck,
Drew

haha...I happened to just end up getting 3 decent sized lots all at once so it got me a good head start but it'll be slowing down quite a bit now

I do have to admit that the thought of me having all the major pre 70 sets done in 20 years is appealing, lol. not terribly LIKELY...but appealing nonetheless

thanks as always for the comment!

[scmavl]

Man, I'd love to have the original piece of artwork from a '52 Bowman. The Vern Stephens, Minnie Minoso, and Duke Snider all looks so good.

[almostdone]

The more I look at these cards the more I am loving this set.
I put together a 1955 Topps as my first venture into vintage cards and loved and hated it at the same time. (We have disscussed when you started yours). I have kind of always wanted to do it again someday with another set. While I have leaned toward the 1957 Topps set because I love old photogrphy the 1952 Bowman set is just plain old nice to look at.

While I would love the 1953 Bowman or 1952 Topps as far as an older 50's example so far I havn't struck oil while in my garden so the cost isn't making them possible,b ut I am totally liking this 52 set.

How are you finding it in comparison to your other projects in regards to pricing lots of commons or even availability? Lets face it the big boys will always sting a bit in any older set but the search for commons is where I tend to balk at putting together another vintage set.

Let me know your thoughts. In the mean time I will visually live though your pics so keep them comming.

Drew

[VinTX]

Originally Posted by scmavl

Man, I'd love to have the original piece of artwork from a '52 Bowman. The Vern Stephens, Minnie Minoso, and Duke Snider all looks so good.

I'm with ya bud, I love the art and general look of this set and having one of the original art pieces would just be badass (pardon my french)

Originally Posted by almostdone

The more I look at these cards the more I am loving this set.
I put together a 1955 Topps as my first venture into vintage cards and loved and hated it at the same time. (We have disscussed when you started yours). I have kind of always wanted to do it again someday with another set. While I have leaned toward the 1957 Topps set because I love old photogrphy the 1952 Bowman set is just plain old nice to look at.

While I would love the 1953 Bowman or 1952 Topps as far as an older 50's example so far I havn't struck oil while in my garden so the cost isn't making them possible,b ut I am totally liking this 52 set.

How are you finding it in comparison to your other projects in regards to pricing lots of commons or even availability? Lets face it the big boys will always sting a bit in any older set but the search for commons is where I tend to balk at putting together another vintage set.

Let me know your thoughts. In the mean time I will visually live though your pics so keep them comming.

Drew

You know what Drew, I'm right there with ya. Everytime i look at it I'm like "man these just look so cool!!" I really like it because it's a gorgeous set, it doesn't have anything HORRIBLY expensive like the '51B does but it still has some nice high end ones that give it some prestige, and did I mention it just looks cool as hell?

I agree that you'd need to strike oil in your back yard and discover a gold deposit underneath the oil patch to put together a respectable '52 set but the '53 Bowman would probably be doable without breaking the bank if you take your time on it (ur givin me ideas, damn you! ) and its another set that just looks really nice.

As far as how I'm finding it compared to other stuff. I'm finding that the cards are out there, but in terms of finding decent sized good quality/condition lots...they're not nearly as plentiful on this set as they were with the '55 Topps set. So its a lot more a thing of getting a few cards here, a card or two there. Honestly though, that suits me fine because I'm looking at taking it slower on this set. I haven't really had any trouble (yet) finding cards...they're definitely out there and can be had in good shape...just not in big groups. And the prices are very reasonable so that helps. I'll get there though

I've got a few ideas for my next set that I wanna do but I still gotta narrow it down to one...maybe I'll take a poll when I get ready

[almostdone]

Thanks for the response.

What I have found in this as well as others from the era is that you can find some great condition cards with some small back damage. Remember, post war collecting was still somewhat new and I would guess most kids didn't know what to do with them. I have found a number of 6 or 7 fronts with small glue spots on the back for almost nothing. That doesn't bother me too much.

I once paid less thatn a dollar for a 52 Bobby Thompson in this condition. Also $3 for a George Kell the same way. While I want to see the backs they were basic text at this point and nither Topps nor Bowman had done much in design on backs yet so in this regard I think it could keep the pricing down. Just my own personal opinion but I know others prefer higher grade backs and that's cool too.

Keep it up and keep them comming.

Drew

[GoldenAge50s]

The '52 Bowman set I think is the most interesting of all Bowman sets & is my favorite because of all the unique poses. I have had a complete set since I bought the cards in penny packs back in the day.

Here are just a few that I had SGC grade a yr or so ago that I thought you might enjoy seeing.

[VinTX]

Originally Posted by almostdone

Thanks for the response.

What I have found in this as well as others from the era is that you can find some great condition cards with some small back damage. Remember, post war collecting was still somewhat new and I would guess most kids didn't know what to do with them. I have found a number of 6 or 7 fronts with small glue spots on the back for almost nothing. That doesn't bother me too much.

I once paid less thatn a dollar for a 52 Bobby Thompson in this condition. Also $3 for a George Kell the same way. While I want to see the backs they were basic text at this point and neither Topps nor Bowman had done much in design on backs yet so in this regard I think it could keep the pricing down. Just my own personal opinion but I know others prefer higher grade backs and that's cool too.

Keep it up and keep them comming.

Drew

always a pleasure to respond to comments I agree that if a card's got a really nice front and something up with the back it isn't gonna bug me too much. The one that I've found a number of is clean fronts and some wax stains on the back. So I'm like "yup, that was in the back of the pack" But big deal...there's some wax on it...to me its kinda cool. It reminds you how cards used to be and how they came and how much different it is from the gaudy monstrosities that are issued today!

To be honest, whether its new or old or in between, I've never really seen a card where I'm just like "man, that's a really cool back!" (OK admittedly all the different issues in the T cards are kinda cool...) So if the clean is front I'm usually happy

Originally Posted by GoldenAge50s

The '52 Bowman set I think is the most interesting of all Bowman sets & is my favorite because of all the unique poses. I have had a complete set since I bought the cards in penny packs back in the day.

Here are just a few that I had SGC grade a yr or so ago that I thought you might enjoy seeing.

Gosh dammit...another keyboard ruined by copious amounts of drool...I gotta get one of those plastic cover thingies like they put on all the keyboards in grade school. That Mantle is freakin gorgeous (and the others aren't too shabby either). And the fact that you're the original owner of them (I'm assuming, since you said you busted em outta penny packs) just makes it all the more impressive because it's clear you took really good care of them over the years. Thanks for sharing man, those are truly awesome!

[GoldenAge50s]

Thanks for the nice comments--Sorry about your keyboard! Just about every card I own between 1948 up to around 1956 were cards I bought originally at the corner ice cream store or in a Mom & Pop drug store.

I had them carefully stored away in 1958 when I went off to school & reclaimed them in the '80's. My Mom was under orders NOT to throw away my "stuff"!

Good luck w/ your quest of a '52 set---it's a BEAUTY!

[VinTX]

got a couple new ones in through a trade with a fellow board member. Couple cards closer!

#138 - Ted Wilks


#240 - Billy Loes

[almostdone]

As always, very nice. I like how perfect the Pittsbugh is shown on Wilks' jersey. Keep posting these and I know I'm going to follow suit one day and try to tackle this set.
Drew

[VinTX]

I hope you do Drew, its an awesome set and I'm really enjoying putting it together!

Here's my latest pickup. Took a little longer to get here than I would have liked, but hey as long as it makes it I guess I can't complain too much. I now have both of the "bookend" cards!

#001 - Yogi Berra

[almostdone]

That Berra is in great shape for being #1 in the set. Where you able to get a good price or have to pay a bit of a premium for the first set card?
Also how are you findidng the prices overall on this set when it comes to some of the bigger stars?

Drew

[VinTX]

Originally Posted by almostdone

That Berra is in great shape for being #1 in the set. Where you able to get a good price or have to pay a bit of a premium for the first set card?
Also how are you findidng the prices overall on this set when it comes to some of the bigger stars?

Drew

On this one, considering the fact that it is the #1 card and a star card I felt that I got a very reasonable price on it. I'm not gonna say it was a steal or anything, but I felt it was a good price.

On the flip side though, and I'll use the extreme example, I've found that the Mantle's I'm finding online are pretty ridiculous as far as price goes ($935 for a PSA 3?! $1100 for a 5...). I dunno, maybe I'm wrong but that seems a little nuts.

Outside of that card though I have found the prices to be pretty reasonable for the most part. Enough so atleast that it's not scaring me away from continuing to work on the set

[almostdone]

Thanks for the response, but I'm not sure if this is helping or hurting my descision on trying for this set someday.
Mantle is always the wild factor. Sometimes a card in the worst shape (ie paper loss, holes, writing, etc) always seem to shot up in price just because it is him. It almost seems like there are fewer of them out there so people will pay above book $ just to own it. It's frustrating in putting together any 50's set with him because you know going into it that there just won't be a hidden deal somewhere to wait for.
Anyway keep the posts and I'll keep debating.
Drew

[Big Six]

Originally Posted by almostdone

Thanks for the response, but I'm not sure if this is helping or hurting my descision on trying for this set someday.
Mantle is always the wild factor. Sometimes a card in the worst shape (ie paper loss, holes, writing, etc) always seem to shot up in price just because it is him. It almost seems like there are fewer of them out there so people will pay above book $ just to own it. It's frustrating in putting together any 50's set with him because you know going into it that there just won't be a hidden deal somewhere to wait for.
Anyway keep the posts and I'll keep debating.
Drew

Which is a wonderful reason to collect '54 Topps...no Mantle!

[almostdone]

Originally Posted by Big Six

Which is a wonderful reason to collect '54 Topps...no Mantle!

I went that route when I put together the 55 Topps set a feww years ago. I like the 52 bowman because it has Mantle, Mays and Musial. Musial being my favorite of the three. It would take some time and patience but I think in time the set would be worth the work. Don't you?

[VinTX]

Originally Posted by almostdone

Thanks for the response, but I'm not sure if this is helping or hurting my descision on trying for this set someday.
Mantle is always the wild factor. Sometimes a card in the worst shape (ie paper loss, holes, writing, etc) always seem to shot up in price just because it is him. It almost seems like there are fewer of them out there so people will pay above book $ just to own it. It's frustrating in putting together any 50's set with him because you know going into it that there just won't be a hidden deal somewhere to wait for.
Anyway keep the posts and I'll keep debating.
Drew

I'd say go for it if it's a set that you like and feel like would be fun and rewarding to put together. Thus far Mantle has been the only one I've come across where the prices have been kinda outlandish. Everything else is pretty reasonable. Don't let one card ruin it for ya

Originally Posted by Big Six

Which is a wonderful reason to collect '54 Topps...no Mantle!

'54 and '55 are both sans Mantle, and what's cool about those two sets is they both have some very big key cards that more than make up for the lack of the Mick. '54 you've got the rookie cards of Hank Aaron, Ernie Banks and Al Kaline, and in '55 you've got Clemente, Koufax and Killebrew. I put the '55 set together as my first project and really enjoyed it and I didn't find the lack of a Mantle really detracted from the reward of completing the set

Originally Posted by almostdone

I went that route when I put together the 55 Topps set a feww years ago. I like the 52 bowman because it has Mantle, Mays and Musial. Musial being my favorite of the three. It would take some time and patience but I think in time the set would be worth the work. Don't you?

I definitely think that it'd be worth it. I mean I got a nice head start with a couple of decent sized lots to start off the '52 Bowman set but now I've slowed down a lot and its more of a thing where I just get a card here and a card there. I'm in no rush and I am enjoying the journey of putting it together. I imagine when I'm finished I'll have that great sense of accomplishment and will be chomping at the bit to start on my next project!

[VinTX]

so I put a poll up the other day about which card I should buy as my next "big" purchase. the results were pretty one sided and this next one is the result! Glad to knock out one of the big dogs of the set...

#218 - Willie Mays

[almostdone]

Nice Mays! I really think I've descided on this set. It will be a while before I try to start to tackle it, but these cards have been around 60 years so I think they can wait another one or two.
I've done some research and it seems the Mantle and Mays are really the only two cards in the set that would take some planning and hunting for. I'm thinking back to the '55 Topps set I built a few years ago and could basically compare it to going after the Clemente and Koufax rookies in it.
As always keep posting and I'll keep watching.
Drew