The Official 1956 Topps "50th Anniversary" Thread
NeilDowney
Posts: 840 ✭✭
Welcome to The Official 1956 Topps "50th Anniversary" Thread. My name is Neil B. Downey. I am a 56er.
I am starting this thread in hopes of forming a type of 1956 Topps club. All collectors are welcome provided that you follow a few simple guidelines. All people that post here should be respectful of each other and each other's collections. All of our collections are priceless to us. Let's treat the others guy's collection (no matter what the SMR value) as we do our own. This could be a great place to post our want/trade/sell lists. Let's try to help each other in an honest and open manner. Please don't conduct business openly on this thread. All sales and trades can be conducted privately so that if they don't work out - no one looks like a jeck on an open forum. This could also be a great place to post important and interesting information on this beautiful 50 year old set. Hopefully we can set a high example of what card collecting was like before the sharks came into the water. Good luck with all of your sets. Neil
I am starting this thread in hopes of forming a type of 1956 Topps club. All collectors are welcome provided that you follow a few simple guidelines. All people that post here should be respectful of each other and each other's collections. All of our collections are priceless to us. Let's treat the others guy's collection (no matter what the SMR value) as we do our own. This could be a great place to post our want/trade/sell lists. Let's try to help each other in an honest and open manner. Please don't conduct business openly on this thread. All sales and trades can be conducted privately so that if they don't work out - no one looks like a jeck on an open forum. This could also be a great place to post important and interesting information on this beautiful 50 year old set. Hopefully we can set a high example of what card collecting was like before the sharks came into the water. Good luck with all of your sets. Neil
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Comments
Qty. Player's Name No. Back
1 Warren Giles 2 White
2 Ted Williams 5 White
3 Hank Aaron 31 White
4 Sandy Koufax 79 White
5 Eddie Mathews 107 Gray
6 Willie Mays 130 Gray
7 Ray Narleski 133 Gray
8 Mickey Mantle 135 Gray
9 Dave Pope 154 Gray
10 White Sox Team 188 Gray
11 Bob Friend 221 Gray
12 Hershell Freeman 242 Gray
13 Tom Gorman 246 Gray
14 Yankees Team 251 Gray
15 Pee Wee Reese 260 Gray
16 George Zuverink 276 Gray
17 Jim Gilliam 280 Gray
18 Checklist 1/3 - Gray
19 Checklist 2/4 - Gray
and regretted it. Neal, nice Aaron...jay
Website: http://www.qualitycards.com
that has been a Koufax I have considered for my HOF set.
Those are great scans and really nice cards. The artwork from this set is classic and among the best Topps has ever produced.
Don't worry guys...I'm not getting aboard this train.
Hey NBD; give the uninitiated the skinny on:
----white back versus grey back
----team card variations
---- the toughest commons in this set.
...and show us some scans. If it's in an NBD set the cards gotta be nice.
RayBShotz
loth
Ray - I agree, the design is very nice.
I would be insulted..........
1955 Bowman Raw complete with 90% Ex-NR or better
Now seeking 1949 Eureka Sportstamps...NM condition
Working on '78 Autographed set now 99.9% complete -
Working on '89 Topps autoed set now complete
NO Biggie, post on both if you wish.
Steve
Horizontal format features a facial close-up and an intersting side shot, either in-action or posed. Some really interesting pictures showing Ebbets Feild and Shibe Park, among others, in the background. Plenty of HOFers are included and it's the first major set to have team cards too. The back shows three, sometimes truly clever, cartoons as well as season and lifetime stats lines. Not cheap by any means, however somewhat affordable when compared to many other sets of the 50s. The size is nicely quite variable, 340 without checklists is basic, you have team card variations and checklists in a standard "Master", white or grey back possibilities on 180 cards could make a very large "Full- Master" set.
The Ted Williams card # 5 , and several other less popular numbers, are known to have a very minor variation, the line color near the top of the player name box. I belive Teddy Ballgame's card may be found with red, yellow, green, blue, or no line. Anyone aware of any other colors or obsure variations ??
Qty. Player No. PSA Notes
1 Orioles Team 100 6 Top 5 hardest team cards based on pop report. Last PSA 7 sold for over $200
2 Jim Owens 114 7 Tough card to get in a PSA 7
3 Pirates Team 121 6 Top 5 hardest team cards based on pop report. Last PSA 7 sold for $213.50
4 Clint Courtney 159 7 Top 10 hardest player cards in the set based on pop report.
5 Smoky Burgess 192 7 Tough card to get in a PSA 7
6 Irv Noren 253 6 Top 5 hardest player cards in the set based on pop report. Last PSA 7 sold for over $250
7 Dale Mitchell 268 6 Top 5 hardest cards in the set based on the pop report. Last PSA 7 sold for over $200
8 Foster Castleman 271 6 Top 10 hardest cards in the set based on the pop report. Last PSA 7 sold for over $125
9 Hal Naragon 311 7 Top 15 hardest player cards in the set based on pop report.
10 Jerry Coleman 316 7 Tough High series Yankee card to get in a PSA 7
11 Bob Miller 334 7 Top 10 hardest player cards in the set based on pop report.
Until I get back to the 56 set, all of my graded singles (about 70 cards) are available on my website www.southfloridasportscards.com.
The cards range from PSA 5-9 and include stars and commons.
I always thought the 56 set didn't get enough love. Some of the nicest cards from the 50's are IMhO in the 56 set. Ford, Mantle, Killebrew, Koufax to name a few. I was never crazy about the Aaaron & the Mays, I thought the "head shot" was redundant , I hate when Topps used the same photo more than once on a card, especially with a major star. They did this a lot in the later sixties with Aaron (68-69), B.Robby (67&69) and Carew (68-69).
The 56 is still a great set, enjoy it guys!
My favorite card (non HOFer) from the set is # 125 Minnie Minoso, super colors in the portriat along with a splendid action shot of Minnie sliding into Phil Rizzuto.
Also really like; Glen Gorbous # 174 Shibe Park in the background of the posed small side shot, Don Besssent # 184 Ebbets Field shows its billboards very well, also Pete Runnells, Sad Sam Jones, Stan Lopata, Harry Brecheen, Mickey McDermott, and at least 100 more are just outstanding.
Only un-favorite HOFer is Mickey Mantle, perhaps his least attractive facial pose on any of his cards. The teeth / smile look kind of "odd". The nice action shot of him going into the stands to try a catch almost makes up for it.
Who's your picks, anyone agree with my feeling about the 1956 Mick ?
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Great likeness.
Stingray
1956 Topps Basic Set
Qty. Card No. Player's Name PSA 7 PSA 8
1 253 IRV NOREN 45 47
2 268 DALE MITCHELL 57 38
3 271 FOSTER CASTLEMAN 48 47
4 188 WHITE SOX TEAM 47 48
5 159 CLINT COURTNEY 51 47
6 334 BOB MILLER 49 49
7 339 RANCE PLESS 57 44
8 326 CONNIE JOHNSON 57 45
9 263 BOB MILLER 53 51
10 319 JACK CRIMIAN 40 63
11 232 TOBY ATWELL 48 56
12 306 CURT ROBERTS 55 51
13 254 GEORGE CROWE 53 54
14 252 VERNON LAW 62 47
15 311 HAL NARAGON 49 59
16 328 PRESTON WARD 54 58
17 117 VIRGIL TRUCKS 60 53
18 258 ART DITMAR 59 54
19 248 BOB PORTERFIELD 59 54
20 308 CHUCK HARMON 54 59
21 192 SMOKY BURGESS 44 68
22 336 ELLIS KINDER 43 70
23 227 RUSS MEYER 49 65
24 261 BOBBY SHANTZ 58 58
25 244 BOB BUHL 63 54
26 131 BOB ROSELLI 60 57
27 231 BOB HALE 47 69
28 249 JOHNNY KLIPPSTEIN 55 62
29 185 BILL BRUTON 60 59
30 126 JIM BRADY 58 61
31 161 JOE DeMAESTRI 56 63
32 276 GEORGE ZUVERINK 63 57
33 193 WILMER MIZELL 59 63
34 283 HAL SMITH 56 66
35 242 HERSHELL FREEMAN 57 66
36 179 HARRY CHITI 65 59
37 338 JIM DELSING 63 61
38 291 FRANK KELLERT 59 66
39 219 LEW BURDETTE 67 59
40 189 NED GARVER 66 60
1956 Topps Master Set
Qty. Card No. Player's Name Variation PSA 7 PSA 8
1 95 BRAVES TEAM NDNL 25 16
2 100 ORIOLES TEAM DATED 31 19
3 90 REDLEGS TEAM NDNL 26 28
4 100 ORIOLES TEAM NDNL 33 26
5 100 ORIOLES TEAM NDNC 41 20
6 72 PHILLIES TEAM NDNL 46 18
7 11 CUBS TEAM DATED 29 36
8 72 PHILLIES TEAM DATED 36 31
9 90 REDLEGS TEAM DATED 34 33
10 85 INDIANS TEAM DATED 35 34
11 85 INDIANS TEAM NDNL 38 32
12 95 BRAVES TEAM NDNC 43 36
13 11 CUBS TEAM NDNL 46 36
14 95 BRAVES TEAM DATED 49 41
15 253 IRV NOREN 45 47
16 268 DALE MITCHELL 57 38
17 271 FOSTER CASTLEMAN 48 47
18 11 CUBS TEAM NDNC 56 40
19 188 WHITE SOX TEAM 47 48
20 159 CLINT COURTNEY 51 47
21 334 BOB MILLER 49 49
22 339 RANCE PLESS 57 44
23 326 CONNIE JOHNSON 57 45
24 85 INDIANS TEAM NDNC 61 42
25 263 BOB MILLER 53 51
26 319 JACK CRIMIAN 40 63
27 232 TOBY ATWELL 48 56
28 306 CURT ROBERTS 55 51
29 254 GEORGE CROWE 53 54
30 90 REDLEGS TEAM NDNC 63 46
31 252 VERNON LAW 62 47
32 311 HAL NARAGON 49 59
33 328 PRESTON WARD 54 58
34 72 PHILLIES TEAM NDNC 78 37
35 117 VIRGIL TRUCKS 60 53
36 258 ART DITMAR 59 54
37 248 BOB PORTERFIELD 59 54
38 308 CHUCK HARMON 54 59
39 192 SMOKY BURGESS 44 68
40 336 ELLIS KINDER 43 70
41 227 RUSS MEYER 49 65
42 261 BOBBY SHANTZ 58 58
43 244 BOB BUHL 63 54
44 131 BOB ROSELLI 60 57
45 231 BOB HALE 47 69
46 249 JOHNNY KLIPPSTEIN 55 62
47 185 BILL BRUTON 60 59
48 126 JIM BRADY 58 61
49 161 JOE DeMAESTRI 56 63
50 276 GEORGE ZUVERINK 63 57
Stingray
Stingray
P.S. I have to have one of those Labines!!
Anyway, I love the '56 set and some of my favorite non-HOFer cards (purely for aesthetic reasons of color, composition and action) are:
#42 Sandy Amaros trying to beat the throw to the plate...
#144 Leroy Powell sliding in to second, arms raised...
#162 Gus Bell making a shoe-top, back-hander in the outfield...
#199 Hank Thompson lunging for a ball to his left at 3rd base...
#275 Jim Greengrass crunching into the wall after making (or missing?) the catch...
Good observation on Harris and Wilson, I assume this is on all cards for those two and there is not a corrected/different background shot on either.
Many are aware that Aaron # 31 has actually a picture of Willie Mays running in his backgound shot. Not as popular "errors" show Lary Doby # 251 of the White Sox with a Clevland Indian hat in his portriat shot , and Wally Westlake # 81 of the Phils is swinging a bat while in a St. Louis Cardinal uniform for his background shot.
Just another feature of this set which makes it so great !
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Major_League_Baseball_players_from_Panama
My current top five MOST WANTED LIST for 56 Topps:
1) Feller PSA 7 or 8
2) Braves Team NDNL 7
3) Reece 7
4) Checklist 2/4 PSA 7
5) Red Sox Team PSA 8
About 2 weeks ago I had an opportunity to buy a complete set in about EX condition, from an older gentleman in my area who put it together when he was 12 years old in 1956. I didn't need the set (I'm building high grade), but I couldn't pass it up, especially because it contained extra stars (T. Williams, Banks, Campy, etc.) and because the cards had one owner for 50 years. I don't know what I'm going to do with it (if anyone is interested, let me know), but these cards are so cool to have.
I also picked up a pretty nice Dale Mitchell out of a card shop last week. I've got my fingers crossed for a 7!
Buying Vintage, all sports.
Buying Woody Hayes, Les Horvath, Vic Janowicz, and Jesse Owens autographed items
Chris
Stingray
RayBShotz
Was hoping for a 7 on each and cant really see any reason why not, perhaps a very minor sctatch or bump that I still cant find.
Anyway, rather than re-submitting who knows when, I would just like to recupe my grading fees ( $ 6.60 counting postage and insurance both ways ) and offer them to any collector interested. Both have decent centereing, color, gloss, and clean grey backs. PM me if interested.
I also got a 5 on Pewee Reese, which was expected, nice card but not quite as attractive as the two aforementioned due to corners. This card I would like to trade for a raw Reese in a similar or bit lower condition, plus some additional cash with the lesse raw card of course.
<< <i>Lots of nice graded cardson the bay lately. I have some doubles in raw and graded for trade so PM me if interested.
My current top five MOST WANTED LIST for 56 Topps:
1) Feller PSA 7 or 8
2) Braves Team NDNL 7
3) Reece 7
4) Checklist 2/4 PSA 7
5) Red Sox Team PSA 8 >>
PM sent
Loth
59,70,82,97,159,200,209,216,229,237,241,254,256,263,268,278
the 159 should 8(I think it is one of the toughest in the set)
the 268 is alittle soft noway it gets above 7
1957 Topps 99% 7.40 GPA
Hank Aaron Basic PSA 7-8(75%)
So... anyway, here's my latest pickups:
A candidate for a crossover/crack and re-sub. Ugh. A house with 4 cats will produce a scan that looks like this.
A couple of low pops.
I was blinded by the nice centering on this one. Pretty bad print lines.
Another low pop. The first black player in Pirates history. Opening Day 2B in 1954.
Hopefully this will spur other 56 collectors to get this thread active again.
<< <i>I hope no one objects to me resurrecting this thread, but I get jealous when I see others sharing their latest registry additions to their favorite set.
So... anyway, here's my latest pickups:
Hopefully this will spur other 56 collectors to get this thread active again. >>
<< <i>Very Nice! When Neil sold his '56 set I was able to grab a very nice Duke Snider off of him from his collection...
Perkdog,
I like the 55 Spahn too. When I was deciding on starting a 50s set, it came down to the 55 Topps, the 56 Topps and 53 Bowman Color. The Bowmans were waaay too steep in 7 and 8, and I just couldn't see collecting a 50s set without Mantle, so it was 1956 for me.
<< <i>Man, Those are some tough pop cards in great condition. I was close on this set in PSA 7 but never had the castlemen! >>
I see from this thread you got to about 70% on this set. I just hit the 50% mark myself last month. My fear is that I'll get to the point where I'll have to lower my standards to finish. I'm looking for well centered 7s and 8s. Does a well centered Mitchell, Noren or Bruton even exist?
I put in 11 bids for cards in January and I've got two more in my sights this week, so I haven't hit that wall yet, but it's definitely something I've considered.
Hoarding silver and collecting history
<< <i>Glad to see this thread up and running. I started my set in November and I am having a blast doing this set. Hope to see this continue >>
Karb,
I love seeing scans of your set. It's my goal to scan mine in sometime in the future when I get a chance. I plan on showing off my latest additions to keep this thread going. Hopefully we'll get some good dialog in along the way.