O/T - Did You Buy '52 Topps High Numbers As A Kid?

[toppcat]

Forgive this O/T post and Leon delete if inappropriate but I'd like as many repsonses as I can get on this.

If you remember buying '52 Topps high numbers at the time of issue, can you share what city or town you bought them in and if it was in 1952 or later? Doing some research, especially on any distribution west of the Mississippi. Thanks!

[drdduet]

I wasn't around then, but my dad was and I inherited his collection--from 1952 to 1962. Additionally I've accumulated many other collections from his generation from my local community. We are just west of the Mississippi River--the mouth of the river is 30 miles east of my house. Funny thing is that there was not one high # 1952 Topps. There were very few 1952 and 1953 Topps in general--out of virgin collections from 1948 to 1962 (approx 25,000 cards total). There were good size lots of Bowmans from 1948 through 1955.

I discussed with my dad and area mom and pop stores and they all claimed that Topps didn't show up here for sale until 1954. Based on the cards accumulated by me from this period in Southern Lafourche Parish, I'd have to agree that Topps didn't make it here in good numbers until 1954, while Bowman was present throughout its history here. Of course, we're Cut Off.

[Jim VB]

Originally Posted by drdduet

Of course, we're Cut Off.

Literally, correct? But aren't there actually two towns named Cut Off down there?

(I think I mentioned to you, my son goes to Tulane and one of his best friends there is from Cut Off.)

[drdduet]

Only one real Cut Off, and some us have been to Tulane--at least to party!

[Jim VB]

Originally Posted by drdduet

Only one real Cut Off, and some us have been to Tulane--at least to party!

One Cut Off and one Cutoff?


And yes, I believe he's also there to party.

[tedzan]

Dave

In the Fall of '52, I was buying Hi# Topps cards in Hillside and Elizabeth, NJ.

A long-time friend of mine bought his Hi#'s in the foothills of the Smokey Mtns. in NC.


TED Z

[Leon]

I was -9 yrs old in '52. I did buy '67-'72 Topps though.....loved that gum (not).....The smell of that gum was unforgettable though. Those were the days....Sitting in the front yard with our next door neighbor gentleman (late 1960's), eating sunflower seeds and listening to the Astros on the radio....Those were the days.

[Josh Wolf]

My dad Jeff was 7 and living in L.A. in 1952 and distinctly remembers buying them from Zane's Drug Store. He actually had Zane order boxes of the high series for him! He recalls having a shoe box of hundreds cards including at least a half-dozen Mantle cards but, of course, my grandmother threw them all out!

Josh

[JP]

The Rexall pharmacy in Rialto, CA had high number 1952 Topps in the spring of 1953. Source - Uncle

[barrysloate]

I was born in 1952...but I remember the first pack I ever opened, in the summer of 1958, and in it was a Ted Williams All-Star. Didn't know what that meant, but I thought all the stars on the card looked pretty neat.

[GoldenAge50s]

I grew up in the Western NY area not too far from Buffalo. I bought alot of both Topps & Bowman, but never saw a Leaf or any Topps card above #250 anywhere in that area.

For yrs I thought my set was complete w/ #1-250!

I had Bowman from '48 on up but never knew Leaf existed. I had '51 Topps Red, Blue, Connie Mack & Team cards, but never saw a 3rd or 4th Series '52 Topps!

[toppcat]

Originally Posted by GoldenAge50s

I grew up in the Western NY area not too far from Buffalo. I bought alot of both Topps & Bowman, but never saw a Leaf or any Topps card above #250 anywhere in that area.

For yrs I thought my set was complete w/ #1-250!

I had Bowman from '48 on up but never knew Leaf existed. I had '51 Topps Red, Blue, Connie Mack & Team cards, but never saw a 3rd or 4th Series '52 Topps!

Fred-

Interesting post. I am guessing you did not get any Major League All Stars then?

Your lack of high numbers in Buffalo is intriguing as I have a sort-of-theory that if Detroit did not get highs (or at least a lot of them) Buffalo and the upper US Great Lakes may not have either. I wonder if this ties in with players from Cleveland and Detroit not being too numerous in the highs as Topps knew their upper Great Lakes distribution was questionable in late 52, so why include players from those cities?

Conversely, I believe St. Catharine's, Hamilton and Toronto were all Canadian outposts that were normal recipients of Topps cards in the early to mid 50's, plus (eventually) Montreal/Quebec, or at least when 54/55 hockey came out. I am going off memory here but I seem to recall those three cities were Topps cities back then. Some of the 52 high number mysteries must revolve around which distributors Topps had lined up.

The selling into 53 makes a lot of sense. I wonder if Topps did that in 54, 55 and '56, which might explain why some wrappers are dated in 53, 54 and 55 and some are not.

Have at either theory folks-the more input the better!

[ctownboy]

I wasn't born then but an old time collector I know told me that he was buying high number 1952 Topps packs in late 1952 and Spring of 1953. He lived in Pennsylvania and bought them at a drug store.

David

[pclpads]

In '52, I was 5 and living in Mimico, a suburb of Toronto. I can recall buying at least one '52 T pack at a novelty store on Mimico Ave, because I still have the original 5. But, typical dumb-*** kid, I glued them into a scapbook. Who knew? They survived our move to San Diego in '53, then 30 years ago, I carefully peeled them from the sb. Ten years ago, I shot them up the road to GAI, not for any $ value, but to forever preserve them as a memory of 1952 in Toronto. Not surprisingly, with the extensive back damage, they all came back as 1's. For years, I've wondered if that store from my childhood was still extant. Recently, I went to the net on vpike.com. for, "Mimico Ave." Unfortunately, the store fronts had changed. So, all I have is the memory of what it looked like in '52 . . . and of course those beloved 5 '52 T highs. Being a Canadian, I also bought a few packs of '52 Parkies then. Alas, they suffered the same fate as the former.

[Josh Wolf]

PCLPADS - Great memories! Can you tell us the cards you pulled?

Josh

[tedzan]

All us kids were fascinated when these card became available in the Spring of '52. They were larger and more colorful
than the 1952 Bowman's. The only 1952 Bowman's that I recovered from my original collection were the 1st series of
72 cards. Therefore, I must have strictly collected 1952 Topps for the remainder of that year. I had over 250 cards.

My fondest memory is of my last 5-cent pack in the Fall of '52. I remember this as if it occurred yesterday. I opened
it to find Chapman, Herman, Jeffcoat, Spencer and Mickey Mantle.


TED Z

[Mikehealer]

That's pretty cool, Ted. A nickel well spent.

[pclpads]

Josh - Thanks for your reply. They were: Blackwell, Sukey, Madison, Benton, Yuhas and #387 Meyer. I know I said five and this is six. So either they came six to a 5 cent pack or I got a second pack. If the latter, no idea what became of the others. As for the Parkies, no stars, just commons.

Dave

[toppcat]

Originally Posted by pclpads

Josh - Thanks for your reply. They were: Blackwell, Sukey, Madison, Benton, Yuhas and #387 Meyer. I know I said five and this is six. So either they came six to a 5 cent pack or I got a second pack. If the latter, no idea what became of the others. As for the Parkies, no stars, just commons.

Dave

6 for a nickel is a real possibility.

[pclpads]

Whatever, dude. As it's been nearly 60 years since I last opened a pack of '52T, you'll kindly excuse me if my memory of whether there were six or five cards to a pack is a little foggy. Just the same, great thanks for your keen insight . . .