1952 Topps Baseball Question to Registry Collectors in General
RayBShotz
Posts: 1,088
Throwing this one out on the registry board because I hope to list these cards at some point. I also feel that this post is what collecting and a community of sharing with other collectors like those of you on these boards is all about anyway..
In the back of my mangled mind I've held a fleeting thought to one day start acquiring marginal examples of 52' Topps cards with the long term (life long) view of having a representative example of every card. Because as far as I'm concerned, this is where it all began...the mother of all sets.
These are the parameters I have set for myself:
Card must be well centered, have nice eye appeal and retain most of its attractive color...thats it.
Initially I would accumulate mostly just commons based on current budget constraints (Mostly cards auctioning or selling for under $20.00 each) as I bottom feed, maintain selectivity based on my criteria, and enjoy the very, very deliberate accumulation process. I plan to soak in the amazing antiquity and vintage charm of each of these incredible cards.
I'll digress just a moment. I have always felt, whether true or not, that the future holds an expanded budget for my personal accumulation of graded cards. Whether this holds any basis in reality for me is questionable but that's what my dreams are made of.
Sets of size, and vintage in nature, are likely to be outside the everyday budget of many collectors. I am sure there are many of you here lie me who collect in this fashion and hold out hope that your ship will come in as you stand waiting patiently by those cardboard shores!
Back to the 52's. Notice my selection criteria didn't say anything about grade. I feel now for me, that certification and authenticity are paramount when it comes to acquiring examples of this set. Therefore I will be acquiring these as PSA graded only.
I actually have 1 PSA 3 and 2 PSA 4 examples in hand. In the beholder's opinion they are gorgeous. Frankly I am not sure why the PSA 3 is not in a PSA 6 holder and I consider myself a pretty good judge of condition. Bottom line; the cards have nice color and eye appeal and are very nicely centered; all three are 55/45 or better all around. Yeah... they're a little soft on the corners and maybe slightly missing much of the original gloss (for presentation purposes the holder gives some of that back) but I still admire'em.
Question to the crowd...52's seem to sell no matter what grade is auctioned in PSA graded form. Is it safe to assume that low to mid grade examples from this set will at least hold their value due to the age and significance of this set?
I really dont want to collect examples from this set ungraded so I dont think I could be convinced to go that direction. There will come a day when I will still have to plunk down decent money for low grade stars from this set that fit my parameters. I would like the security to know that the card I buy is authentic and meets mfr. specification for size... which I believe is especially important with say a PSA 1 or 2 Mickey Mantle Rookie. I would rather have that than say a nicer questionable Mantle.
Is this a waste of resources?....try not to let resale value cloud your judgement when responding. I am unlikely to ever resell this as a set considering the time horizon for completing it (Life).
I collect mostly from the heart and find my self in awe of the 52' Topps cards themselves individually. When I hold that 50/50 PSA 3 Roy McMillan I still cant quite fathom the journey it must have taken to reach me. Any body else get this kind of joy from low grade vintage cards?
RayB69Topps
I hope this refreshes your memory about why you collect in the first place.
Warm regards!
In the back of my mangled mind I've held a fleeting thought to one day start acquiring marginal examples of 52' Topps cards with the long term (life long) view of having a representative example of every card. Because as far as I'm concerned, this is where it all began...the mother of all sets.
These are the parameters I have set for myself:
Card must be well centered, have nice eye appeal and retain most of its attractive color...thats it.
Initially I would accumulate mostly just commons based on current budget constraints (Mostly cards auctioning or selling for under $20.00 each) as I bottom feed, maintain selectivity based on my criteria, and enjoy the very, very deliberate accumulation process. I plan to soak in the amazing antiquity and vintage charm of each of these incredible cards.
I'll digress just a moment. I have always felt, whether true or not, that the future holds an expanded budget for my personal accumulation of graded cards. Whether this holds any basis in reality for me is questionable but that's what my dreams are made of.
Sets of size, and vintage in nature, are likely to be outside the everyday budget of many collectors. I am sure there are many of you here lie me who collect in this fashion and hold out hope that your ship will come in as you stand waiting patiently by those cardboard shores!
Back to the 52's. Notice my selection criteria didn't say anything about grade. I feel now for me, that certification and authenticity are paramount when it comes to acquiring examples of this set. Therefore I will be acquiring these as PSA graded only.
I actually have 1 PSA 3 and 2 PSA 4 examples in hand. In the beholder's opinion they are gorgeous. Frankly I am not sure why the PSA 3 is not in a PSA 6 holder and I consider myself a pretty good judge of condition. Bottom line; the cards have nice color and eye appeal and are very nicely centered; all three are 55/45 or better all around. Yeah... they're a little soft on the corners and maybe slightly missing much of the original gloss (for presentation purposes the holder gives some of that back) but I still admire'em.
Question to the crowd...52's seem to sell no matter what grade is auctioned in PSA graded form. Is it safe to assume that low to mid grade examples from this set will at least hold their value due to the age and significance of this set?
I really dont want to collect examples from this set ungraded so I dont think I could be convinced to go that direction. There will come a day when I will still have to plunk down decent money for low grade stars from this set that fit my parameters. I would like the security to know that the card I buy is authentic and meets mfr. specification for size... which I believe is especially important with say a PSA 1 or 2 Mickey Mantle Rookie. I would rather have that than say a nicer questionable Mantle.
Is this a waste of resources?....try not to let resale value cloud your judgement when responding. I am unlikely to ever resell this as a set considering the time horizon for completing it (Life).
I collect mostly from the heart and find my self in awe of the 52' Topps cards themselves individually. When I hold that 50/50 PSA 3 Roy McMillan I still cant quite fathom the journey it must have taken to reach me. Any body else get this kind of joy from low grade vintage cards?
RayB69Topps
I hope this refreshes your memory about why you collect in the first place.
Warm regards!
Never met a Vintage card I didn't like!
0
Comments
I put about 25% of the set together, almost all commons, i enjoyed them for a while, but they just aren't my "brand of vodka". I found that most psa 5's were very nice, the white borders can hide alot of handling; also, PSA is very strict on grading these. I tried submitting '52's I considered NM and always got 5's sent back, this combined with a number of other reasons (mostly $$ tied up and vault space) has led me to sell off all but the New Yorkers. I have a nice run of 7's on e-bay now.
I also have about 20 psa 5's and 30 or so PSA 6's that are looking for a new home.