So I decided to start a 1955 Topps All-American set

Bearkat21

I've always loved the look of this set, and especially like the college theme. I think for 8 years I keep telling myself this is one of the sets I want to tackle. The small set size I felt was a bonus as well. Trying to put together sets of 500-600 cards always seemed overwhelming and something I'd probably never finish.

I may be working on this for the next 10 years, who knows, maybe 20 years, but felt like it was time to at least get started. Picked up my first two tonight, so I'm officially off and running. I'm also working on a Chipper PSA 10 Topps basic set as well as a raw Al Kaline Topps Basic. But this will give me another auction to keep an eye on and see if I can add to it from time to time.

morton35

Awesome set. I spent a few years collecting one raw. Though it would likely not grade out well overall, it is one of the ones I most often review and enjoy.
Chris

spanky74

What grade are looking at doing? I always wanted to do this set as well. I started just a well centered average condition raw set a few years back but never finished.

Bearkat21

@spanky74 said:
What grade are looking at doing? I always wanted to do this set as well. I started just a well centered average condition raw set a few years back but never finished.

I decided I’m not going to be picky on it. For the longest time I was thinking when I start I’m going for 7 or better and I just never did get started. I’m going to take my time and see if I can find good deals, maybe something will slip through the cracks. I’m going to also look at the raw auctions and maybe see if it has some eye appeal that i can submit myself.

shouldabeena10

Great set, and one of the best ones to consider building in raw ... or mid grade PSA's. We have a lot of guys building it in both .. over in the VFC Facebook group. Good luck with it.

Bearkat21

@shouldabeena10 said:
Great set, and one of the best ones to consider building in raw ... or mid grade PSA's. We have a lot of guys building it in both .. over in the VFC Facebook group. Good luck with it.

Thanks. I’ll have to check out the Facebook group

smallstocks

I recently began collecting the set in 7 myself.

Bearkat21

@smallstocks said:
I recently began collecting the set in 7 myself.

Good luck on it. It’s always been one of my favorite sets. 7s might be a bit too rich for my blood, but we’ll just see how it goes. I really don’t want this to be anything I stress over. I’ll pick up what I can when I can and upgrade if the situation presents itself.

Bearkat21

Here are my first two pick ups.

Bearkat21

Mailbox was full today. Four more came in.

Bearkat21

I really wasn't looking to dip down to buying a 3, but for 6 bucks and the way the color just really popped, I decided to pick this one up. Otherwise I'd like to go 4 our higher.

perkdog

I never liked the AA set but I love to see someone getting into a Vintage Football Set! Best of luck, have fun and keep posting your progress 🍻

Bearkat21

Thanks.

I work in college athletics, and have always been a big fan of college football. I think that's one of the things that drew me to this set. It's also one of the reasons I liked the pro set rookies because they were in their college uniforms. I'm an autograph collector as well with a focus on Heisman winners.

Bearkat21

Picked up four more cards for the set to put me at 10 percent. Still a ways to go, but chipping away at it.

CW

Nice! Great set!

Bearkat21

Three new additions to the set, including my first two 6’s. I’m now 13/100

spanky74

I'm looking for a Kimbrough PSA 8 if anybody runs across one.

flcardtrader

Always thought this was a great set with nice use of color, multiple images, and the college logos are the best.

Good luck with your set and please keep the images coming as you build it - cool stuff.

Bearkat21

Ok, so I haven’t added to this set for a while, took a break to pick up some Acuna RC’s while they are still somewhat reasonable. But did want to share this. My love for this set goes way back, even though I just started building it this summer.

In 2013 we had a running back Tim Flanders who was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award (FCS equivalent to the Heisman). We were trying to come up with some easy eye catching things we could send out to voters to help promote him. The idea we came up with was an 8.5x11 info guide on Flanders. The inside had an article, stats and an info graphic.

For the front cover I decided to go with the 1955 TOPPS All-American look. The back was modeled after a Topps design from the 60s, can’t remember which one.

Anyway, he didn’t win, got hurt halfway through the year so was never really in the running. But I got him to sign a few for me and still have them.

A few years later we had a QB Jeremiah Briscoe who was a finalist and we decided against any elaborate campaign and he ended up winning back-to-back Payton Awards.

Unknown

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MCMLVTopps

My 2 cents...actually damn good advice!!

Create an excel spreadsheet with every player on it. As you get cards add them in and color code (I use green) to indicate what you have. Include when purchased/won, cost of card, shipping, this allows you to keep track of your costs and years down the road you'll be glad you did. If you have $6k-$8k, whatever, I guarantee you will not remember what you paid for what years from now.

Go to the Registry and look at the sets others have already collected. Some are kind enough to click open public view, which allows you to see the cards you are seeking, the grades they have in their sets and plenty of info as to grades higher, etc.

Check your wallet...you are NEVER gonna have the #1 set, so don't chase that rabbit. Settle on what you are happy with and can afford, if you go for all PSA 6s, fine...don't waste time and money on any with qualifiers, that's just foolish.

The good news is that you only have 100 cards to go in the basic set...the Registry says the Master set has 103 card, I have no clue the difference 3 more cards make.

Understand you are on a journey, your may take 2 years or 7 years...enjoy the ride, because when you get that last card, trust me, it's a let down. The thrill and adventure lies in getting the next card. You will almost get crazy when you are down to less than 10 cards or so...anyone on these boards worth their salt will tell you the same. I have put together 3 complete 1955 Topps baseball sets, one was about 16 cards short of a straight PSA 8, the other two were all PSA 7, NQ...I understand the adventure, believe me. I also own the #1 Luis Tiant Master Set...took me about 5 years to wrap it up and I own the #1 Bill Lee Master Set. I was eyeballing the David Ortiz Master Set, but trying to find, collect, search, hunt, etc 445 cards, kinda put the damper on that.

Contact those on the Registry for advice and sources to buy in bulk...if you can do this, you will be light years ahead of the game. Never know, these guys may have a handful sitting around and offer you a deal. You are always better off buying a graded card instead of going raw and subbing the card...the sellers have already done this for you...factor in the cost of grading, and the unending wait to get it back.

DO NOT bother with SMR, it is a total farce. The POP report is also forever screwed up and is not valid either. If you ponder all the crack outs, you'll figure out why.

There's probably some stuff I've left out, but you now have more than I ever did back in the early 2000s. You are relatively new to the boards, do not be afraid to ask questions, be polite and many will help you along the way.

Above all, make it fun!!

GL!!
Al

Bearkat21

Added three cards to the set today. My brother got me a few cards for Christmas. He has no idea about buying cards so I sent him the link to my set registry and told him I’m collecting PSA 4-6.

I never heard anything back from him or any questions about what I need. We also do a local beer exchange, he gets me Dallas area stuff and I get him Houston area beer. Considering I spent 20 minutes with him on the phone the other day while he was at total wine asking me about breweries I’ve tried and ones I haven’t, I really wasn’t expecting any cards from him. But he came through with three that I’ve added to my set. I did get a laugh when he told me he wanted to get a player he had heard of, but they were all too expensive.

Anyway, here are my three newest getting me to 16/100.

Bearkat21

Three more additions, all 6’s this time. Used a little Christmas money on these. Happy with all three auctions as I got them all under what I had set as my max bid. Gets me to 19/100.

bammerbb

I'm going to make this set, but right now I need a Nile Kinnick for a friend who's a big Iowa fan. (In case you're wondering I'm a Iowa State fan.) Anyway I'd like at least a 5 and really nice centering. Then it will depend on PRICE and color. If you 1 or more please send me scans of both sides and what you need for it. I can buy or trade. Thanks for any help.

Bearkat21

Hit the 20 percent mark today. Haven't really been actively shopping this set for a while, but with the down time I thought I's see what was out there. Put in a few small bids on some cards and hit this on. I'm now 20/100 on this set.

Bearkat21

Now a little more than a year into this project. Been going a little slower lately, but added three more cards to get me to 23/100. While not a firm goal I was hoping to hit 25 percent in the first year. I’m pretty much there with these three.

JBrules

Some nice additions. Almost to the 25% mark. Keep up the good work. It is a long grind but worth it in the end.

picklepete

@Bearkat21 said:
Thanks.

I work in college athletics, and have always been a big fan of college football. I think that's one of the things that drew me to this set. It's also one of the reasons I liked the pro set rookies because they were in their college uniforms. I'm an autograph collector as well with a focus on Heisman winners.

Bearkat21

@picklepete said:

@Bearkat21 said:
Thanks.

I work in college athletics, and have always been a big fan of college football. I think that's one of the things that drew me to this set. It's also one of the reasons I liked the pro set rookies because they were in their college uniforms. I'm an autograph collector as well with a focus on Heisman winners.

That's an incredible piece there.

picklepete

Thx !

picklepete

I've had this card for awhile.
Always liked it.
The wizard is in the house..
(Corrected one I believe)

Bearkat21

Got this today from my wife. It gets me to 24/100. It was a slow year for me on this set. Took a step back from cards for a while, but still keep an eye on these. Just haven’t pulled the trigger on anything in a while.

Bearkat21

Hit the 25 percent mark today with this Christmas gift from my brother. Chuck Bernard PSA 6. I’ve been working on this set a little more than a year and a half. I wanted to hit 25 percent at a year, but this is still pretty close. I know it’s going to go a lot slower but I’m happy with the way it’s shaping up so far.

JBrules

Congrats on hitting the 1/4 mark. Keep up the good work.

Tibor

Just discovered this thread. A very well matched set. Can't wait to see your progress. Stay safe.

Bearkat21

Added a new card to the set today with this PSA 6 Brud Holland getting me to 26/100.

Bearkat21

Added 27/100 to the set today. Slowly picking through eBay looking for some nice looking mid grades I can add in my budget. Was probably in on about 15 cards over the last two weeks and this was the only one that landed.

mickcornett

One year at the National, (ten years ago maybe) there was a dealer who was opening several boxes of wax packs of 1955 Topps AA. They were getting them graded by PSA like same day or next day. I noticed that a lot of them were off centered and were coming back 6's and 7's. So, I decided to start a registry set and bought up the 6's and 7's. Took me about a year to finish the set. In retrospect, I wish I had done a set in 7's and 8's but at least I have a story to tell. Stories are worth something. And knowing those cards were right out of the pack was a bonus.

Tibor

These might help

Here's the link https://ebay.com/sch/aegcubs/m.html?item=265157713747&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

Bearkat21

Thanks for the heads up. Several I'm now watching

@Tibor said:
These might help

Here's the link https://ebay.com/sch/aegcubs/m.html?item=265157713747&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

Tibor

@Bearkat21 Lot of nice ones. Did you have any luck? This time of year
is usually a tough time to add.

smallstocks

Great set. I am 13 cards short of completing it in PSA 7.

Bearkat21

@Tibor said:
@Bearkat21 Lot of nice ones. Did you have any luck? This time of year
is usually a tough time to add.

I bid on a few but they went out of my budget. Appreciate the heads up, though

Bearkat21

Added my 28th card to this set. Good finds have been hard to come by for a price in my budget but was happy to get this one pretty cheap.

ABellPharmD

Just got my first one while working on my Pitt football collection. I could see myself getting hooked on these easily. How difficult is the set?

Bearkat21

@ABellPharmD I don't think it's a terribly difficult set to put together, it just depends on what your budget is. With only 100 cards in the set it's very manageable. There are auctions running for these pretty much all the time on eBay. I'me trying to build in the 4-6 range to keep the costs down. Not setting a deadline on on when I want to have it built by, so if a card goes beyond what I'm willing to pay I can pass. I've bought all 28 of mine on eBay over the last two years and don't feel like I over extended on any of them. It's a fun set. Good luck with it, if you decide to start. I wish I'd have gotten started on it sooner, but even if I only add 5-10 a year I'm happy with it.

smallstocks

Great set. I am down to 11 to go in PSA 7. Been at it for about a year and a half but I also don't like to overpay for any cards.

mickcornett

One

ssdawg77

I've picked up a few over the last year or so.

Bearkat21

Some very nice adds. I've been a little slow on this set. I haven't added anything since June. I haven't been terribly active either, but I'v gotten in on a few auctions that I lost out on.

smallstocks

I've got a bunch of PSA 7 doubles if interested. Feel free to message me.