What Are Topps Presentation Sets?

CON40

I need to do some learning! Occasionally, I see auctions for high-grade (PSA) early '60s Topps cards that are proudly proclaimed as having been pulled from Topps Presentation sets. What were these sets? And how did the cards remain so pristine for so long?

Can any sage collector or wily dealer shed some light, spin us a yarn, or tell us a tale?

Thank you!

qualitycards

KEITH - A presentation set is like a factory set. These were made to give to execs and other big wigs of the day. These weren't made to sell. Later on the factory set was made so all could buy a set already complete...jay

CON40

Jay;

Thank you Jay... now it makes sense to me. Modern factory sets are very plentiful... in what quantities were these presentation sets made available? I get the sense they were pretty scarce.

qualitycards

Yes! They were indeed scarce. But if a presentation set was handled throughout the years and if the cards are no longer in Mint condition, it doesn't add any pedigree that the cards came from this or from packs. I still find it odd that some dealers advertise a PSA-8 card that it came from a presentation set, as if that were to be getting a premium over a standard PSA 8 of that same card & issue. To me they are now 1 and the same. ...jay

ctsoxfan

I agree, Jay. I bought some nice 1962 Topps at a show last year, and the dealer claimed to me that I had to see these cards, since they just came from a presentation set he broke up. The cards looked nice, and I graded a few. All came back PSA 6's. It seems he broke up a set long since broken and handled.

WinPitcher

I was under the impression that presentation sets were cut a lil smaller and psa will not encapsulate them. I have a 63 drysdale in mint (presentation) that is a tad smaller. Anyone out there hear the same?

curmudgeon

Winpitcher

You are correct, many times the cards are a skosh short, and PSA may reject those as not up to spec.

Tabe

As a follow-up question, what were the first publicly available factory sets? 1984 or 85 Donruss? Not counting the Topps/Fleer Update sets, which were always factory. I'm looking for the first base set also available as a factory set.

Tabe
www.tabe.nu

DrNguyenVanFalk

<< <i>As a follow-up question, what were the first publicly available factory sets? 1984 or 85 Donruss? Not counting the Topps/Fleer Update sets, which were always factory. I'm looking for the first base set also available as a factory set. >>



I know there are 1974 Topps Baseball factory sets - they are somewhat rare, and always command a strong premium over hand-collated sets.

scottsusor

1974 was, in fact, the first year that Topps produced all its baseball cards in a single series, and the first year they (Topps) offered a "factory set" for sale to the general public. I believe that Sears was the sole retailer through which the 1974 Topps "factory set" was available.

Scott

jimtb

I know that my parents bought me the 1974 factory set from Sears for Christmas. i always liked the Hank Aarn Special cards. Seems like yesterday...
Jim

norty

PSA does, in fact, graded Presentation Set cards, even though they are a touch smaller. A few cards maybe too small and are rejected but not that many from the entire set. Presentation sets (as I understand it) were printed and cut all at once and the inking, color and appearance is very sharp. They also have many cards that are off center, just like a vending box would.

I agree with you Jay that an 8 is an 8 is an 8 but the color and sharpness of cards from presentation sets can be unrivaled, especially if they have not been handled since when they were first distributed.

In the interest of disclosure, I bought a 63 presentation set at Fort Washington and am now auctioning off pieces of it. In grading, I received over 40 9's, 1 10 and well over 150 8's from the one set. This was one super sharp set! They were issued in little boxes and this set came with the boxes, unopened and undisturbed since 1963.

qualitycards

NORTY - Great Purchase! Was it on a dealers table or was it a walk-up sale? And who is the lone PSA-10 that you got?
I've only handled 1 presentation set, a 1967 that I bought 15 years ago w/ other items. I flipped it to a dealer soon after, but I remember the Willie Mays as being awesome. Great color, centering, snow white borders and perfect corners, too bad this was before the days of grading. I couldn't tell you about any other card in that set, Mantle, Carew, Seaver, Rose, but I remember that Mays vividly ...jay

norty

Jay:

I only wish I had purchased it on a walk in! I could have saved myself some serious money. I bought it from a dealer that bought it from the walk in. PSA and SGC 9's included Koufax, Gibson, Aaron, Power Plus (Banks/Aaron), Hodges and others. The Mantle was an 8 and Rose (which I have listed on my site now) is SGC 84 due to centering.The other dealer had a few of the cards graded at the show by SGC (since PSA wasn't grading on site). Obviously this drove the pricing up since so many keys were high grade. The 10 is Twins catcher Earl Battey.

pool

I was under the impression that presentation sets were cut a lil smaller and psa will not encapsulate them. I have a 63 drysdale in mint (presentation) that is a tad smaller. Anyone out there hear the same?

I had a 63 topps GAI 8. 'Presentation set' was on the label.
Cracked it out and submit to PSA. Came back 'evid of trim'.

downgoesfrazier

Norty is right on! An 8 is not an 8 often times when dealing with presentation cards. I, too, have a nice run of 62's from a presentation set breakup and they are the cleanest, most colorful cards I've handled from that issue.

dgf

WinPitcher

thanks guys for your answers, i guess then it is a crap shoot.

mariner

To add to the Presentation Set discussion.....

I bought a 1963 Topps Presentation Set about 6 years ago in an auction. As Joe (Norty) says, these sets have quite a few off centers and some have corner dings. Actually, Joe has seen my set. Mine came in the original boxes also. It also had some of the most beautiful cards that you could possibly imagine. The color and crispness on them was a sight to behold. I have graded most of the stars and some of the semi-stars and commons. I still have many to grade. So far, I have received 17 9's and many 8's with some 7's. You can check them out on my 1963 set in the registry. Most of the stars came back as 8's with a 9 Snider and Stargell rookie. I have scans of the Snider, Blanchard, K. Boyer, Powell, Stargell, etc. If you check my set, you will see what Joe and I mean about the color and sharpness.

PSA will grade them as long as they meet size requirements. I do have some that came back as "does not meet minimum size requirements". I re-submitted them and some of them even graded the second time around. If you were to stack all the raw cards together in my set, you would see that they all vary in size. Some are smaller and some are larger. I did some research on this and found out that when Topps produced these Presentation Sets, they used a different cutting process than they normally did with the cards you would find in packs. The cutting process they used for Presentation Set cards was referred to as a "guillotine cut". It was as the name implies. Because of this cutting process, what you got was different sized cards and a fair amount of gorgeous cards that were off center.

I have seen some 1962 Topps Presentation cards before and they, too, are just unbelievably beautiful. There was a higher quality with the color and registry typically with the Presentation cards versus the cards that we got in packs. Why, I don't know, but it is true.

Presentation Sets are truly scarce. If you have an opportunity to pick some of these cards up like in Joe's auctions now, you should go for it. You will be very pleased.

koby

<< <i>
I had a 63 topps GAI 8. 'Presentation set' was on the label.
Cracked it out and submit to PSA. Came back 'evid of trim'. >>




Ouch! Sorry to hear about your misfortune. Did you send the card back to GAI?

pool

Ouch! Sorry to hear about your misfortune. Did you send the card back to GAI?
I did not send the card back to GAI.
Why send the card back to GAI?