1973 Topps Reprints of the 1953 set

ajw

I was just looking at the registry and this set caught my eye. What an interesting set. Does anyone know what the backs look like?

Here's a link to a set with great scans and a nice description of the set.

1973 - 1953

WinPitcher

interesting, the 53 kid does post here maybe he will see this and tell us about this set.

The53Kid

Hey Guys,

Thanks, glad you like the set. If you like the 53 Topps set, this is a perfect complement. I had never even heard of the set until about 3 years ago. Some how I came across one of the cards in my EBAY searchs. Then I ended up finding out some info and discovering it on the set registry. The description I have was "borrowed" from the Mastro writers. I think they did a great job. I'll list it again here and then talk a little about it.


Topps introduced this 8-card "reprint" set in 1973 when it commemorated the 20th anniversary of its original 1953 baseball card series. Limited to a few hundred sets, these cards were said to have been presented as table favors at a Topps banquet. Most advanced hobbyists speculate that the set was merely a whimsical creation of Woody Gelman (the art director/genius at Topps) and never publicly distributed, as no boxes or wrappers have ever been seen. We could also assume that this issue would be less obscure if cards of Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Yogi Berra and Roy Campanella were on the set's roster, instead of Clyde McCullough (actually Vic Janowicz), Al Rosen (actually Jim Fridley), and Carl Furillo (actually Bill Antonello), with these three cards being mis-captioned. This is a scarce Topps test issue, rarely seen in high grade, complete set form.


Woody Gelman was the man behind many of the great Topps issues, especially the 53 Topps set. I agree they probably just did this for a banquet or other meeting. Because it seems thrown together. I mean there are only 8 cards and 3 of them show the wrong guy! Rosen and Fridley do look similar, but Furillo and McCullough aren't even in the original 53 set. I also noticed the pictures are slightly changed from the originals. The original Newhouser showed the outfield fence, but didn't have any ads.






I'll post some more scans later with the originals and the reprints side by side. And one of the backs.

These are pretty tough to find. I usually only see graded examples in the auction houses. I have seen a few raw on EBAY, but very infrequently. I got a great jumpstart by buying a complete set from another collector. Then just slowly upgraded.

ArtRossLives

Wow - that is the single coolest test issue I've ever seen - neat art, quirky (wrong player names), and an offshoot of a classic design - thanks for sharing.

wildcat05

nice set

The53Kid

Let me guess....Zindler's?

They've had that same auction for the same price a number of times. The Mize ungraded in NM shouldn't be any more than $50-100. I think they setup at Ft. Washington, so maybe I can see it in person.

ajw

53kid, thanks for the reply and the added info. Do you have any idea how many examples are in the marketplace? What do they bring when they're available at auction?

The53Kid

Here's a view of the pops:

CARD NO NAME 5 6 7 8 8Q 9 TOTAL
Total: 3 8 37 70 6 21 145
1 SATCHELL PAIGE 2 3 6 10 0 4 25
2 JACKIE ROBINSON 0 1 3 10 1 3 18
3 CARL FURILLO 0 0 3 10 2 0 15
4 AL ROSEN 0 1 5 5 1 4 16
5 HAL NEWHOUSER 0 1 4 9 0 3 17
6 CLYDE McCULLOUGH 1 0 7 9 0 2 19
7 PEANUTS LOWREY 0 1 5 6 1 2 15
8 JOHNNY MIZE 0 1 4 11 1 3 20


So between 5-10 8's and 0-4 9's. I think the last time I saw an entire set sell, it was a Mastro? auction. I think the GPA was 7-7.5, and it went for $1500?? Memory is fading, and Mastro doesn't post past results on their site. I've gotten a few raw cards on EBAY for under $50, but they usually grade out 7 or less.

Wanna buy all my 1987 Topps Will Clarks? 1987 Fleer? :-)

ajw

Do the ebay sellers typically know what they have when they list them? I could see these easily slipping through the radar due to poor listings.

sfmays24

I have a Jackie Robinson PSA 8 version for sale or trade... many thanks to The53Kid for purchasing my Johnny Mize PSA 9 last year.

thanks,

sfmays24

The53Kid

Mays,

Thanks, that was a very nice card. I wish I could find that elusive Paige 9!

ajw,

Most people know what they have, but we all are just grasping for prices. Not enough of them sell to really get a gauge on average price. Especially since most sell as a set, not as singles. I base my prices off of two years of experience, watching the sales and knowing my past buy prices. Also EBAY searching is tough because many people use different titles to list them. You have to keep your searches pretty broad, and that means you always end up with results from the 1991 Archives set that also reprinted the 53s.

I'll get that back scan up in a minute

The53Kid

The53Kid

Would the real Al Rosen please stand up?









And finally giving Vic a little respect.....don't call me Clyde!

gaspipe26

Nice looking set. I'll have to keep an eye out for them in the future

aconte

53kid,

You're killing me with all this nice stuff. It is so nice.

aconte

The53Kid

Hey, and I'm not even posting Red Mans!!