70 Down--1956 Topps Football Completed in PSA 8 or Better

Davalillo

With the acquisition of Joe Scudero I have completed set #70--1956 Topps Football. I am now only missing 1 card to complete a 1955-61 Topps Football Set run in PSA 8 or better--the 1957 Checklist. Scudero(pop 17) is tough but certainly not the lowest pop in the set. Carson, Janowicz, Heath, LeBaron and Ulrich all have pops 13-15 in psa 8 and Stonesifer is a 10. All of these cards were tough for me. After getting the Stonesifer I thought I was done with the set but whoops I had missed Scudero which I managed to pick up from the omnipresent Steve Novella who bought it for me.

The set ranks 4th in the PSA Set Registry with a 8.09 set rating--far behind the top 3. It has 6 PSA 8s, 8 PSA 9s and 106 PSA 8s. I will let it rest at this level.

The goal remains 100 vintage or semi-vintage sets in PSA 8 or better. As I posted recently, over 30 are down to 7 cards or less. I appreciate all the help I can get from fellow collectors.

Completed sets in PSA 8 or better are as follows:

BASEBALL(34):

1936 S&S
1948 Bowman
1951 Topps Red Back
1952 Bowman
1954 Red Heart
1954 Topps
1955 Bowman
1956 Topps
1957 Topps
1959 Fleer
1959 Topps
1960 Fleer
1960 Topps
1961 Golden Press
1961 Nu-Card Scoops
1961 Topps
1961-62 Fleer
1962 Topps
1963 Fleer
1963 Topps
1964 Topps
1964 Topps Giants
1965 Topps
1966 Topps
1967 Topps
1967 Red Sox Stickers
1968 Topps
1968 Topps Game
1969 Topps Super
1970 Kelloggs
1970 Milton Bradley
1970 Rold Gold
1970 Topps Super
1974 Topps Deckle Edge

FOOTBALL(21):

1950 Bowman
1951 Bowman
1954 Bowman
1955 Topps All-America
1956 Topps
1958 Topps
1959 Topps
1960 Mayrose Franks
1960 Topps
1961 Fleer
1961 Nu-Card
1961 Topps
1962 Fleer
1962 Kahn's Weiners
1963 Fleer
1973 Stancraft Playing Cards
1964 Philadelphia
1965 Philadelphia
1967 Topps
1968 Topps 4-in-1
1976 Wonder Bread

BASBETBALL(7):

1948 Bowman
1957 Topps
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

NON-SPORTS(3):

1955 Barbers Tea Ltd. Cinema & TV Stars
1960 Spins & Needles
1962 ABC Colorstars

ironranger

Congrats Jim -- the 1956 set is really under rated in terms of difficulty. More than a few tough cards. Very nice!

Davalillo

You're right--all of those pop 15s and under are tough--especially the Stonesifer....not quite as tough though as the one 53 Bowman card nor 4 52 Bowman Smalls and 7 52 Bowman Larges I need in 8.

Dav

TheKelloggsKollection

Gee Jim, I am actually getting caught up in your quest.
If you are interested in a 1971 Kellogg's baseball set...all PSA 8... let me know

edmundfitzgerald

Jim,

Congrats. Like watching a good stock, I've watched you run from 50 sets to 70 sets.
How long do you think it will take to go from 70 to 90 ? I'm guessing another 2 to 3 years ? Perhaps 5 ?

VitoCo1972

These are truly amazing accomplishments. That 57 checklist is impossible. I've only held 2 different examples - and they would have both been 2MK or 3MK. I'm doing the whole set in PSA 7 right now and a 2MK with a 10 weighting is going to destroy my set so I've started to buy some 8's to balance it out just in case. If I manage the Checklist in 4/5 that would just make it higher rated which would be fine. As I'm sure you know, BMW Sportcards has a 57 Topps Checklist on eBay that is an SGC 92. My guess is that it crosses to a PSA 8 (no way an 8.5 with that centering). Who knows, maybe he'll cut you a deal.

Davalillo

Kelloggs Kollection,

Hmmm, maybe as I LOVE the Kelloggs sets. Could make it my tribute to the GEMMINTMAN or KING KELLOGG set.

E-mail me please with details.

Thasnks for your interest

EdmundFitzgerald,

70 to 90--maybe mid-2010. 100 maybe mid-2011.

Thanks.

VitoCo1972,

I was aware of that. I thought about that but the price kind of bowled me over. I know both Brian and Michael Wentz very well so I am sure they would work with me on price but the gap seems a little too large. Good luck on the 57s--it was the first set I collected as a kid at age 4.

Thanks for your interest.

Jim

fandango

nice jim....

just curious..do you have something against PSA 7's and below....

it keeps you from collecting some great sets such as 1914,1915 cracker jacks, all T cards, most E cards....

dont you ever get the bug to collect really rare cards instead of "modern" cards readily available?

Davalillo

"Modern cards readily available"--ooh--that one hit below the belt

I would disagree with two things--first that cards from 1948-69 are "modern" and that they are "readily available".

There are a lot of very low pop cards in many of my sets--I think if you tried to collect these sets you would find that they are not readily available. Most have taken me years and years to complete. Certain sets I have the only one that exists in PSA 8 and better--hardly readily available. I also have over 100 sets in progress in psa 8 or better including T205 and T206 where I have about 150 psa 8s and I also have a few 1914 and 1915 Cracker Jacks in psa 8.

Why do I not collect PSA 7 and below--simple--I hate the way they look. I get no enjoyment from a card that has rounded corners, is off center or has creases. I am not knocking those who do collect off-grade cards--it is just not for me.

Jim