1964 Topps Giants - new "Kid" in town

The53Kid

To my fellow 64 Giants collectors:

I have decided to join your ranks. In looking for a secondary set to backup my 53 set, I stumbled upon the 64 Giants. And it had exactly what I was looking for. A set from the 60's with all the big stars, but without 600 other commons attached. The big pictures are beautiful and uncluttered. From what I have seen so far, I am impresed.

I just listed my set, and purposely sent myself straight to the bottom of the barrel. Yup, #35 out of 35. But I did try to start out right with an Aaron 9. But lookout I plan a continued constant rise up the charts. I'd like to get all the stars in 9 and the rest in 8. Granted, I might be dreaming for a Koufax 9. But from the few auctions I have seen, it seems do-able.

I tried in vain tonight to jump right to the top 10 by buying Luxury's second set, but I was out sniped! So if anyone else has a nice lot of commons in 8, give me a shout. Paying the shipping on individual auctions is going to kill me.

So where are my brothers? GemMint? Luxury? I know there are a number of fans of this set. Let me know your thoughts? Things you've learned. Toughest card to find, what to pay, how hard is it to find these raw, what to pay raw and what are the submission results?

As Don Mossi would say "I'm all ears"

Thanks,
Bruce
The53Kid

BigKidAtHeart

like you I am building this set (again... )
and have used Jeff (luxurycards)
as a great resourse....

there are LOTS of people in this set,
so getting High grades is getting tougher
but there are plenty of 8s out there in
good price ranges.
(I do 7s or 8s mostly)
~jeff

Davalillo

Fairly easy and inexpensive set in psa 8. Many cards readily available in psa 9. Some relatively tough in 9--Koufax and Skowren come to mind.

After doing 1953 Topps this will seem like a breeze.

thegemmintman

HO HO HO, TOPPS GIANTS!


The53Kid, welcome to the TG gang. You nailed it - this set is mega cool .

I haven't seen any decent raw in ages, but not to worry since what you're aiming for is a very realistic goal. You will be able to fill it mostly on Ebay. The pop report doesn't lie when you're trying to figure out what's tough. I'm sure that # 57, Ken Boyer, is the most difficult card in the set. The centering is atrocious, but you will find it in an 8 soon enough.

Good luck with your set. I'll be looking forward to your posts .

The53Kid

WOW, one day listed and I already got the Jolly Green Giant welcome!

Thanks GemMint. Look for some updates, as I've gotten a few packages this weekend. Do you own all the 10's out there? 9.52 GPA is pretty sick. Since I haven't seen any 10's on EBAY yet, can you give me an idea of the price for a fairly big star in 10. Let's say Spahn or Brooks Robinson?

Davalillo,

Prices are so crazy right now in 53's I needed something else to consume my thoughts. I'm setting 20 snipes over SMR and winning one item. Too many players in the game right now. I need to switch to alternative sources for my 53's. And boy is it nice to get these great cards under SMR.

Jeff,

Building the set again? Did you have it raw or graded?

Davalillo

Jeff,

I hear you on the 53s--I cannot buy any either.

LuxuryWines

53KID,

Congrats on working a great set. Actually I must thank Keith (CUbfan ) For turning me on to this great set. It was a lot of fun building both sets. I am right now rolling over in my mind wheteher to contiue to upgrade my main set or sit pat (9.19 for second place looks pretty daunting right now and 9.53 looks Ruthian.....) But I am pretty sure I want to take the set over the 9.0 mark. Before stopping. Some sage advice.... Boyer, Elston Howard, and Skowron are very tough cards in 8. (Have only seen 1 9 in the last year in a half on these cards....) . The Freehan and the Koufax in PSA 9 can be a little tricky as well. PSA 10's can be found. Stars I think can run anywhere from 600-800 for say a Spahn,Marichal or Robinson... I do love these big cards....Besides it is my birth year....

Griffins

I only set out to complete this set in 8, but found Freehan the toughest. Did I just hit a dry spell, or has anyone else had trouble with this one?

qualitycards

My toughest "8" was Kenny Boyer...jay

FB

Griffins,

After losing the Freehan 3 times on snipe bids in the $40 - $45 range, I just picked one up on eBay for $22.50 from dslsports! Their "we don't accept Paypal" may have helped me!

thegemmintman

<< <i>Do you own all the 10's out there? 9.52 GPA is pretty sick. Since I haven't seen any 10's on EBAY yet, can you give me an idea of the price for a fairly big star in 10. Let's say Spahn or Brooks Robinson? >>



The53Kid, there are 10's out there. Some are in dealer inventories, and their prices are of course high. A Spahn PSA 10 (1 of 5) would fetch $600-$900 on Ebay. It could go higher if the mood is right. A Brooks Robinson (1 of 2) would see a minimum of $1,000, and who knows the limit.

aconte

Gemmintman,

Any idea what a Mantle 10 would fetch if one was ever found?


I think one guy would make a push for it. What do you think?

aconte

thegemmintman

Aconte - I honestly couldn't even guess on that. I will say that I'm a bit surprised that we haven't seen a 10 yet with the Mantle. It's not a short print, and it's not plagued with any problems that a number of the other cards in the set have. There have been so many Mantles submitted but no 10's as of yet.

Cubfan

Bruce,

Welcome to the TG group. Its great to have you on board . And I will be looking for those two cards you won from me last week to appear in your set soon.

It obviously is my favorite set due to the color, the vintage uniforms, and the stars involved.

I agree with all the advice given above, especially Gemmint's that for this set, the population reports do not lie. The lower ones are tougher ones. The Boyer is nearly always off-centered, but I have never understood the reason for the scarcity of Freehan's (they are the lowest submitted card by far and it is not a short print.)

And belated congrats to Jeff (Luxury) for his meteoric rise to #3 (jumping past Fogel and Davalillo).

Take care,

Keith

thegemmintman

Cubfan is right about the Freehan. There's no logical reason for the scarcity of that in PSA 9. I would say the same thing about the Romano.

So the pop report does have a white lie or two in it .

Davalillo

Cubfan,

I told LuxuryWines(who is a friend) that he should not take any bows yet because I am coming after him.

Davalillo

Cubfan

Davalillo - We are all friends in the TG world and all of us friends will be watching the battle closely. And dont forget there might be a surprise or two from Marshall Fogel.

Also, has anyone ever seen (or even heard of) an uncut sheet of Giants? That might be able to explain some of the unusual quirks.

Davalillo

As long as King Kellogg or Toppsgun do not collect 64 Topps Giants I will be friends with everyone.

LuxuryWines

Davalillo,

You are probably right I would not be suprised if you and Marshall sprinted past me soon.... I get the feeling I am just keeping third place warm for a while.... However, I will complete the set with a weighted average of 9.0 or higher..... Best of luck in catching me Jeff

Davalillo

Jeff,

Ha! Just pulling your chain. I only aspire to 9.0 in this set so if you get higher you will beat me. It may be nice, however, to be ahead of Marshall in a set--something that happens rarely if at all.

Keep those cards comin'.

Jim

Mantlefan

Bruce

Too bad you weren't around when I sold my set [GPA 8.75] in the March Superior Sports auction. I had 41 9's, 2 10's and the rest 8's.
It went for $6200 which was kind of disappointing. I got the Gibson 10 from a dealer for $1K.

BigKidAtHeart

<< <i>Jeff,

Building the set again? Did you have it raw or graded? >>

PSA graded cards
but do buy some raw...
(with limited success! - notice the 3 and 5s in the set....
They will be updated later!)

The53Kid

Hey Guys,

Thanks for all the great responses and the support. I'm learning the ropes very quickly with your help. This is definitely going to be a fun set!

I'll also try to be a good citizen in the chase for the set. First rule, I will NOT bid on any PSA 8 Boyer or Skowron until FB has his. I yield to your experience. And if I find them at a show I'll be in contact. I'm sure I'll always find another copy of those guys.

Second rule, if by a miracle I submit a raw card and get a 10, I will offer it to the winner of the "celebrity death match" between GemMint and CubFan.

MantleFan, it sounds like you had a great set, but I don't think I could throw down that much $$ at one time. I did try to go for Luxury's complete set, but I thought it was a dynamite price for a jumpstart on the whole set in 8. Then I could slowly swap 8's for 9's of the stars.

I have heard several conversations on these board about buying multiple sets or big lots as one of the most efficient means of piecing together sets. Maybe I can convince Jay of QualityCards to bust up the set he is selling if I take a big chunk of it???

I'll definitely be keep a close eye on the EBAY listing, and I think I'm gonna hit the Pittsburgh show this weekend. And them the Fort in Dec.

Best of luck to everyone, and if I can help anyone out with a card, just give me a yell.

Thanks,
Bruce
The53Kid
mccanna@erols.com

LuxuryWines

Bruce,

Reach out for Jay He is a great guy and easy to work with. I have bought complete sets from him in the past and he is great to work with. The worst you will walk away from the conversation is some great advice and you just might end up owning that set.


Jeff