Re-visiting an old 1954 Topps Canadian thread
 

Somehow I came across the old thread on 1954 Topps Canadian cards.

I know that only the first 50 were printed in gray but how hard is it to distinguish between the gray and white backs and are there any other distinguishing marks? The reason for the question is I see one on eBay but the back doesn't really look gray like the 56's.

Thanks.

The difference is very obvious when cards are side-by-side. Unfortunately, most cards being offered on Ebay as 54T grays are not. I started contacting some of the sellers but got a lot of pushback. And the problem is growing. Putting the best spin on it, some of the sellers mistake "dingy" whites for gray. Some are even out of the 1-50 range.

Best plan is to really look at both backs. After some experience, it will be a lot more obvious

Agree with Bill, who is an expert (hi Bill).

The best way to tell is a side by side comparison. I know of no way to tell the difference on any of them by looking at the fronts.

Unfortunately, a side by side comparison is not possible on eBay. And it's become a real problem with people listing gray backs on eBay that aren't gray backs and nobody at eBay cares. Even PSA struggles with them and I've seen dozens of mislabeled PSA cards. I've reached out to PSA with my concern and it falls on deaf ears. I've been keeping a database on '54 gray back Jackie Robinson's that are PSA labeled. I estimate about HALF of the PSA labeled Jackie Robinson 1954 gray backs are mislabeled and are in fact the standard cream back. Crazy.

Individual scans don't always show it the best either. If a seller lists a '54 gray back, I always look at that sellers other items for sale and compare the backs of other '54s they may have listed.

Good luck out there, it's the wild west with '54 gray back identification.

Thanks to both of you. The one I looked at on eBay sure didn't look like a gray back. I guess my best bet is to check with reputable dealers or list what I want on our site.

Take them off your reputable sellers list.

;)

Incidentally, how much of a premium does a grey back 1954 Topps Baseball card fetch?

:confused:

50x the value of a standard cream back, maybe even 100x. A vg common cream back may run you $5. A VG gray back will be $250 minimum. More for stars or high grade.

At least that’s a rough estimate.

So a pretty big deal when they’re mislabeled. Much more so that any other Topps year with back variations (52 grays notwithstanding, but for whatever reason those are usually not misidentified).

Well that explains why dealers are so touchy about the "grey" backs they have for sale.

;)

Being a Pete Runnels collector because he was my favorite Washington Senator when I was a kid, I'm fortunate to have an example of his 1954 Topps card with the gray back. Here's a scan of the back of it along side an example of the common white back for comparison.

Thanks. That gives me an excellent idea of what to look for.

One of the other more disturbing (Though perhaps maybe not surprising) things I've noticed recently is that PSA will mislabel these as well. I have come across many that PSA has certified as a "gray back" but clearly are not. So, I guess my point is to be careful in what you are buying, I see a couple of very highly priced "gray backs" on ebay, certified by PSA that absolutely are not gray backs. You really need to understand what you are looking at.

Regarding identification, I agree with the posters above, once you've seen a few of these and recognize the paper stock differences, it's hard to unsee and you tend to be able to tell the difference in patina vs. paper stock but putting the card next to a non-grayback will immediately help you tell the difference. If you can't tell when you do that, it's not a gray back.

I'm an avid collector of these and find them as a really unique and underrated subcategory of a fantastic set. As a bit of an advertisement, I have many but not all of them. I also have many duplicates and would be interested in trading/buying any that the community and cards gods send my way.

Thanks for a great discussion on a great variant of the 54 set.

James

Thanks for a great explanation. I am a Cub guy and would like to get the three Cubs. As I said, I will need to stick with reputable dealers to try and find them.

I looked at my 54 set but they are all white back, darn.

Jim

A relevant current auction to this thread is happening at Memory Lane. They have a PSA 1954 Jackie Robinson erroneously labeled as a gray back and also a regular 1954 Jackie. Here are the back images and they are essentially identical. Would be a very clear difference if one was an actual gray back.


https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...53e406e610.jpg
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...6cf2279b04.jpg

This is one reason why I brought this up again. I wanted to know if the difference was really noticeable and, from all the comments, it is. But, I guess this shows that even the so-called experts can be confused so I don't feel too bad. Thanks.

The 1954 Topps grey backs can be difficult to identify on screen. A few years ago, I won an auction on ebay from a seller in Cananda offering "grey backs". All cards were #d under 50. I have one GB in collection, the #42 Mueller card. Upon the supposed GB lot's arrival, it was immediately clear that these cards were not GB when compared to my Mueller. I opened an ebay return and the seller declined. The case was escalated to ebay support. Below is the image I provided to ebay. I taped my Mueller and the Wilhelm card received on my screen to show how difficult it can be to determine a GB from a regular, if you don't have an actual GB in hand. I won the case, returned the cards and received my refund.

Thanks.

I've got a Paul Smith if anyone needs.
 

This is so niche, I hope this post is okay here vs on the bst. Feel free to delete if not.

Pretty sure I have two Gray Back 54's...in hand they are strikingly different. Good news is both cards are in EX tight condition...Monte Irvin and Billy Martin. Here is my Monte...thoughts?

https://i.ibb.co/8g7XxMXh/54-Monte-Smaller.jpg

My 54 Billy Martin -


https://i.ibb.co/ynkZvCFj/54-Martin-Smaller.jpg

Thanks, John. That helps me a lot.
Jim

'54 Topps gray backs are similar to the 3rd series '52 Topps gray backs where it appears that more than 2 types of gray backed cardstock was used.

Awesome cards John....they are for sure both grey backs

Thanks Larry...pretty shocked to see these in my set. I've owned them for years and had no clue.

If there are anyone out there needing these two they certainly would be available, normal white backs are ok for my set. I can make scans available. Just might have to send in for grading...

Hello, I would be interested in the Monte Irvin, if available!