54 Down--1961 Topps Football Completed in PSA 8 or Better

Davalillo

Thanks once again to a fellow collector(Doug Rivard) I am now complete in my 54th set in PSA 8 or better--1961 Topps Football.

As with most sets I submitted most of my raw set to PSA with the majority coming back psa 8s. Then the hard work started. The last card I needed was #89 Ray Wietecha, a pop 10 in psa 8 and the toughest 8 in the set. Along with cards I needed in other sets, Doug sold it to me below ebay prices. Thanks to Doug who also helped me complete a hockey set earlier this year.

This set ranks 5th on the PSA Set Registry with an 8.08 set rating and consists of 186 psa 8s and 12 psa 9s. Situated behind legendary vintage football collectors John Vineyard, Fuzzdude, MACPSA and the Evil Empire himself, I will let the set rest at this level.

This represents the 21st set in PSA 8 or better I have completed since year-end 2005.

My goal continues to be 100 sets in PSA 8 or better.

Completed sets in PSA 8 or better are as follows:

BASEBALL(27):

1936 S&S
1948 Bowman
1951 Topps Red Back
1954 Red Heart
1954 Topps
1956 Topps
1957 Topps
1959 Fleer
1960 Fleer
1960 Topps
1961 Golden Press
1961 Nu-Card Scoops
1961 Topps
1961-62 Fleer
1963 Fleer
1963 Topps
1964 Topps
1964 Topps Giants
1965 Topps
1966 Topps
1967 Topps
1968 Topps
1969 Topps Super
1970 Kelloggs
1970 Milton Bradley
1970 Rold Gold
1970 Topps Super

FOOTBALL(16):

1950 Bowman
1951 Bowman
1954 Bowman
1955 Topps All-America
1959 Topps
1960 Mayrose Franks
1960 Topps
1961 Nu-Card Scoops
1961 Topps
1962 Kahn's Weiners
1963 Fleer
1963 Stancraft Playing Cards
1964 Philadelphia
1967 Topps
1969 Topps 4-in-1
1976 Wonder Bread

BASKETBALL(6):

1948 Bowman
1961 Fleer
1969-70 Topps
1970-71 Topps
1972 Icee Bear
1976-77 Topps

HOCKEY(3):

1962-63 Parkhurst
1962-63 Topps
1963-64 Parkhurst

MULTI-SPORT(2):

1933 Goudey Sport Kings
1954 Sport Oddities

packCollector

Jim , good job , some tough sets on that list , what is up next which can realistically be completed in a reasonable time frame?

Davalillo

PackCollector,

I have 25-30 sets where I need fewer than 7 cards to complete in psa 8 or better so you never know whats next. Some of these however are killers like 61 Essex Meats Green or 69 Jack in the Box Barnes and Finkel or the 53 Bowman Football Gillom or 66 Topps Football Checklist.

I put out a list a couple of moths ago on this board on the sets where I needed 7 cards or less.

So its hard to say.

Jim

jvineyard

Congratulations Jim. I've been looking for a PSA 9 Wietecha, so I could send you my 8. I guess I can stop looking now.

Also congratulations on the nice SMR article.

mikeschmidt

Congratulations, Jim

rbdjr1

Congrats!

No, I didn't (circa: '61 Nu-Card FB) "sell my soul" to the Evil Empire!

In fact, after an email from u, I withdrew my proposal to the Evil Empire (the Queen told me “his Imperial Majesty” he would be very unhappy! I guess he got over it?). In any event, I'm sooooooo happy I didn't give in "to the dark side", ...as u know, I kept my #1 set intact.

If I ever decide to sell-out, I will first make contact with the leader of the "rebel forces"

rd

edit: P.S. What's next 4 u??? (70s baseball maybe?)

Davalillo

rd,

Whew--there are still good people left in this hobby--and although Jeremy no doubt is stewing over this bit of adverse news, Fuzzdude and I are celebrating.

70s baseball--yikes. Somehow I just cannot see myself doing these 700 card sets. I have them all raw--also not sure it is a good economic proposition to grade them. I probably will do 69 Topps at some point though just to complete my 60s run and to compete in the pending megaset 1960-69 Topps sets. The blast time I checked Don Spence had not gotten to the 60s yet so I may be able to win this one.

Jim

ArnyVee

Congrats Jim!

On the '70s front, I say that you do them but in all PSA 9 for '70 to '72 and then all PSA 10s from '73 to '79. Now, that would be a nice challenge for you, I think.

Davalillo

Arny,

I like the older cards better--to each his own.

If I ever wanted those sets, I would probably try to buy the sets intact--doing what you suggest requires a supply of raw cards(I do have raw sets) and a massive number of submissions.

Plus, I like to make money on what I collect and I do have this point of view that the older the better when it comes to the investment potential of baseball cards.

Jim

ArnyVee

I'm nearly done with my '72 set and will probably go through the boards here and eBay first and then to a major auction house when I want to sell it. I've got all 8s or better aside from 6 that I need to upgrade (low pop commons) and an additional 6 cards to complete.

I know what you mean about the "older the better" sort of standpoint. But, those early '70s (1970-1972) are still solid sets with a good potential for return (based on David Barkus' sale and Frank Bakka's sale).

Congrats again!

thefootballcardstore

The Nu-Card sales are a bit of old news now. After we had hit a couple Buy It Nows that rd had listed for some PSA 10 Nu-Cards, we allowed rd to retract the eBay sales without much of a fight at all. Hey who wouldn't be unhappy about that, but we weren't going to stand in rd's way if he wanted to keep the cards after all.

rbdjr1

<< <i>The Nu-Card sales are a bit of old news now. After we had hit a couple Buy It Nows that rd had listed for some PSA 10 Nu-Cards, we allowed rd to retract the eBay sales without much of a fight at all. Hey who wouldn't be unhappy about that, but we weren't going to stand in rd's way if he wanted to keep the cards after all. >>



Jeremy, I erased my post here, as I thought it was too silly (and didn't think you had read it!). But I do apologize for the "really silly" post above.

I have always been more than satisfied with my dealings with u.

U are not "The Evil Empire"

rd

thefootballcardstore

<< <i>I kinda knew u wouldn't make a stink about it! And I appreciated it and glad u let me keep those three or so cards without much of a fuss! Come to think of it, I've personally never had a bad deal from u, again, now that I think about my silly post above, is just that! Really silly! If I sell those cards (Nu-Cards) someday! I'll just put them back out into the universe and let the "force decide" what happens to them!

rd

P.S. Joking aside, I just couldn't break-up this set. If anyone can upgrade their vintage PSA football set u would be near the "top of the list" to make it happen! Actually, I've never really thought of u as "The Evil Empire". I foolishly highjacked someone else's opinion/expression, and I apologize for "parroting it", ...again that's me being just plain olde silly!
>>



Very nice thoughts, thank you very much. Hey if you can't be silly and have some fun here, where can you have fun?!?
Will be looking for those gems to pop back on eBay, maybe or maybe not, one day in the future.

Davalillo

rd,

While Jeremy is not the evil empire, he plots strategy with the evil empire and has been seen on the golf course doing this--treat them as one and the same.

Jim

BugOnTheRug

shame on the evil empire.

NickM

Darth Jeremy?

Nick

Stump

Jim

Congrats on the 61 Football. I am right behind you on that one. Of course the 89 card is one that I still need.

As far as Spence go's he is the the 60's. He has a 69 set that is in the Master 1969 topps. He beat me out on two 9's a couple nights ago. I bellieve he is close to 80% on it but needs some tough ones. If you do decide to get into the 69's after you submit your raw let me know what you need. I have maybe 350 different in 8 and 9 sitting around waiting for you

Congrats again

Dave

Davalillo

Thank you Dave.

My 69 set is complete in nrmt to nrmt-mt raw with the stars graded--however, it does have centering issues on a fair number of cards. If I am going to have 1960-1968 graded in psa 8 or better, I might as well have 1969 I guess. Gotta position myself for the new Megaset 1960-69 Topps Baseball before Don
gets there. Will submit after the turn of the year and be back to you shortly thereafter.

Jim

ironranger

Congrats Jim!!