Building 1953 Bowman Color Full Set

[jingram058]

Thanks, Bob and Phil!

I am thinking of trying the black and white set next, to go with this set, for the entire 53 Bowman. I'm hot and cold, but I imagine I will go ahead and give it a try after I enjoy this completed set for a while and take a break.

One thing I notice. There is a lot of talk about off center, print lines, blurred photos, and what have you with the fronts of these cards. The backs of mine are all over the place as well. Some are slightly reddish, some are gray, some are light, and some dark. I have not noticed this with any other cards except 1961 Topps. Anyone else notice this?

[Tere1071]

Quality control certainly didn't match the aesthetics. Finding certain cards that are centered is time-consuming and in some cases expensive. About 40% of my set is off-center, mostly from top to bottom. Another problem with the 53 Bowmans is what I refer to as ink debris, usually either black specs around the borders and pink smears on the images. There are a number of print bubbles as well on the borders and green blemishes again on the image. Does anyone have the Spahn? Look at the bill of his cap, in some cases, it looks like champagne bubbles have landed on it!

I think the main pleasure is just to have them. This may sound horrific to some but this is money well-spent, not well-invested. It's fun and though my overall set is between vg/ex to ex and I've paid more money over the past year than what they're probably worth, to be able to look at them and upgrade some here and there, there's no worry if the "investment" gains or loses money.

[bobsbbcards]

Originally Posted by jingram058

I am thinking of trying the black and white set next, to go with this set, for the entire 53 Bowman. I'm hot and cold, but I imagine I will go ahead and give it a try after I enjoy this completed set for a while and take a break.

Good choice! Here are a couple of pics to get you in the mood.

[jingram058]

Originally Posted by bobsbbcards

Good choice! Here are a couple of pics to get you in the mood.

Wow, Bob, those are fantastic!

I have no doubt that these black and white cards were to be the third color card series, and with Casey Stengel and, yes, Gene Woodling, who at this time was a star, in this set, it's hard not to think so. Then there's Larry Jansen, Jim Konstanty, Hoyt Wilhelm, Ralph Branca, and many others who I always thought strange that they were not in the color set.

I believe the story that Bowman put all their eggs into the color cards basket, and when the second, high-numbered series didn't sell well, they had no choice but to put out the so-called third series separately, in a different wrapper, in less expensive black and white.

[ALR-bishop]

There is an account of Bowman’s efforts in 1953 to retake the baseball card market with bigger color cards after the 52 Topes success in Dean Hanley’s “The Bubble Gum War: The Great Bowman & Topps sets from 1948 to 1955”. The 53 Bowman set, revered today, was a bust in the 53 market against the 53 Topps set.

Congrats on finishing the Colored set. Agree the B&W is a must for “completion”