1964 topps set questions
 

Anyone have experience with this set? I am considering it as my next project as I have most of the stars and could use a mid sixties set. I just cant get into 65-66 so this may be my best bet.

Are there tough highs?
What do you think it could cost to construct a crease free and centered one (don't mind corners/edge wear)?

Also, does anyone have a starter set (half the set or more) for sale?

Thanks in advance

1964 is an easy set to put together. The highs are easy to find and Phil Niekro is your expensive RC. Mantle is one of his easier to find cards. 1964, 1965, 1968 and 1969 are the easy sets in the 60s to complete, but the others have more expensive RCs plus the 1965 Mantle is a little harder than most 60s Mantles.

Love the 64's. Tough card is the "Koufax strikes out 15" to find centered. Also the Orioles team card. I put together about 20 of the top hall of famers (I think there is a total of 37) in NM7 condition last year including the Koufax 15 card and a couple of league leader cards for an average card price of $165.

I have a Orioles team card for you when you are ready ! Tough card !!! Scott

I'll be second in line if Chris doesn't want it.

I've built it...sold it...building it again right now but not my sole focus.

Cards or nuances I noticed -

*Rose card is tough to get a good deal on, and a lot are really OC or just dinged. Tough to find a good, solid, EX raw version

*Same with Mantle...both times I bought a PSA 5, and freed to raw. Only way I could trust not getting a soaked, worn, dirty EX raw example

*Some Met's commons are treated like SP (Mike Joyce, a few others) and will rarely be in lot's and command a premium on ebay for whatever reason ( I have no idea)

*High numbers are relatively easy, BINS are WAY overpriced on ebay. Wait for a solid trusted set break for the highs, they usually go for the correct value. BINs exagerate auction pricings. Patience

*Yes, the Neikro is the expensive rookie but several second layer players are "pricey" where again, patience will pay off. Tommy John, Dick Allen, Lou Pineilla, and Tony Conigliaro are a few Rookie cards that can cost you if you aren't careful...assuming the goal is to get solid EX cards and not break the bank.

*The Curt Flood card comes with a premium due to the dude who is hoarding them. It's gone down recently...used to be tough to even find one. Several now, he must be chilling out...lol

*Debate on whether the back being rubbed off takes away value...I really don't care to be honest. I still look for no creases, decent corners unless a little OC (then corners need to be tight)...rubbed off trivia means little to me

*The Ken Hubbs tribute card in the high series is tough to find, especially in EX raw, and will command a premium.

*The second to the last series is also a bit pricey, much like the 67s...and rarely are included in lots...but not break the bank.

*The Leader cards at the beginning of the set are pricier than other years, mostly because they have solid players on them, several with Aaron, etc.

Again...just some random notes I found...and as said having built all the 60s sets, I'd rank 60s in hardest/priciest etc here, easiest to hard (just my opinion)-

1. 1965 (No high number premium, RC's aren't that expensive)
2. 1969 (A few expense cards, highs are fairly easy)
3. 1968 (Ryan RC, highs are easy, Tigers cards premium)
4. 1964 (Easy RC's, highs mid premium)
5. 1960 (Yaz, AS cards in high series, high commons mid premium)
6. 1962 (Highs mid premium with tough RC Parades, easy RCs, AS Cards (buys stars twice, lol)
7. 1966 (Highs ridiculous, decent RC's, Mantle is DP though)
8. 1963 (Highs Mid premium, but has Stars, ROSE)
9. 1961 (Highs TOUGH, AS in Highs, MVP cards, HOF RC's)
10. 1967 (Highs ridiculous w/HOF RC's Seaver/Carew)


64 is on the easier side all things considered, and my experiences are also based on Mid Grade EX...not graded set registry, lol. LOTS of FUN!

Campyfan - I am a high grade set builder and literally just sent all of my PSA 8+ duplicates (over 100 cards) to 4SC for consignment and they will be popping up on ebay in a couple of weeks if you are interested.

Love the set - as others have said it's relatively easy to find most of the cards. Don't pay the BIN prices. Patience is key. Happy to help if I can offer any other info.

I'm working on a '64 set now and to tell the truth, I'm running out of steam on it with a little less than 40 to go, Gibson being the only big name.

And if I'm honest, the set is a little bland; not at all the bright colors and crisp pictures of the '65 that I had finished in 2019. Still a nice set, but when I finish it and a couple of others I'm working on, I think I'm gonna give the set building chase a rest and change my focus a bit. I'm just tired of chasing cards of players I don't treasure just because they are part of a set, especially when they command the price of a high series card.

I can't imagine the cost and frustration with trying to build a '67 nowadays. All those non-DP highs that command a big premium, and you can't even save $ by going down to like grade 3 raw to get them, because there's so much demand that people pay Ex prices for those too.

And, yeah, Seaver and Carew added on to that. And if someone wanted to go low grade, finding an acceptable Seaver cheap is nearly impossible.

It's the only set of the '60s that I have, and honestly, from a collecting standpoint, I'd rather have it than the decade's other nine combined. Those two great rookie cards and all of the best HOFers from a very long period, as long as you'll take Koufax in leader cards.

Wait, this was about the '64. Oops

I have most of the set, in lower grade and built casually over the last ~15 years.

The highs are very easy; they are pretty much all years except 1961, 1966 and 1967 in the decade. If there is SP'ing in the high numbers, the SP's were produced enough to not make this obvious.

The collector that was hoarding the Flood card appears to have given up on getting them all and it has returned to normal. I got a VG one for $2 a couple years ago without much headache.

Willie's Horton's card seems more popular than I would expect it to be; but pretty much all else is the same as other years. Rose is of course popular, the other stars in line with their other Topps issues. May be condition rarities but finding 64's is not a challenge at all, and comes fairly cheap to put together. My low grade set (beat Rose and Mantle, F-EX for everything else) is on track to end at around ~$600; more if I had started now.

I have built a couple 64 sets and agree with previous comments. Most mid grade raw can be found for a realistic price except Mantle and Rose. The hardest card to find foe me was #377 Mike Royce, an unknown Mets, maybe his mother brought them all.

Have quite a few minor stars and specials if you are interested.

So funny...me too. Crazy card that's super annoying...I like the mother idea, maybe the only explanation! :) Ugly boring common, actually #477...and the current BINs in mid grade are 30-40 bucks! Weird...glad I have one although it needs upgrading.