1950 Bowman Football help...

cyots82

I have a few questions for anyone who has some input on 1950 Bowman Football. Recently my appetite for this set has been wet. I just picked up my first card of this issue, card number 103, Charley Conerly. I picked up a very sweet looking 5 that is in an old flip and should grade out at least a half grade to grade higher. I picked the card up because I was originally going to collect all of Conerly’s cards, but have now been thinking of doing the whole 50 Bowman set instead. When I first started looking at all of Conerly’s cards, the 50 Bowman just jumped out at me. I love to classic artwork look of them! They seem like the football version of the T206 baseball set with their classic images of players from a golden era of the sport. As I looked more into the set, I found out how loaded with HOF’s and RC’s and RC’s of HOFers that are in this set. I mean Otto Graham, Y.A. Tittle, Marion Motley, etc. These are legends of the game and this set has their RC and there are more icons I didn’t mention. Also, this is a smaller, more manageable set at 144 cards. So, I figured I’d turn to the message boards for some good answers. First question I have about the set is the availability of these cards slabbed. Are there enough out there slabbed in the mid grades to make completing this set possible? I’d be looking to complete this set in the 5 to 6 grade range, no higher or lower for me, at least not starting out. Also, what is the average price for a common card in that grade range? Are we talking $15-$25 or $20-$40? Also, since I’m not shooting for these cards in the 7 or 8 grade range, I want to pay more attention to centering and print focus. I’m not going to get hung up on snowy white boarders and sharp corners. I like the fact that vintage issues look more real with some soft corners and fading of the boarders. However, I do prefer the image to look clear and be as centered as possible, making the boards look like classic framework for the great artwork in between them. I’ve always had a hard time appreciating the vintage issues that are way out of focus and off center, to me that detracts more from the cards eye appeal than sharp corners! So is it possible to find good examples in the lower grades? Are they always poorly centered and out of focus? So those are some of my questions at the moment. One last one I would have is that if there is anyone who’d be willing to sell me a starter set or lot of cards in the grades I’m looking for, please let me know. If anyone has extras or upgrade leftovers that they are looking to get rid of, in bulk or singles, I’d be very interested in seeing what you have that I could pick up also. Any help with this issue I’d be very appreciative of! I’ve attached a scan of the Conerly I just picked up so you all can get a feeling for the condition I prefer. I know they all won’t look like this, there will always be cards that you have to compromise on, but in general I think this card is a good rule of thumb on centering and focus. Love to hear what you all have to say. I think this set is going to be a fun journey I can’t wait to kick off, no pun intended!

Fabfrank

Cyots- This is a great set. Fortunately, I've completed this set and am just lookingfor a few upgrades. For the grades that you want to build this set (5's and 6's), there is plenty of material available. I can't give you accurate pricing, but from my experience, PSa 5's and 6's carry a very small premium. In some cases, you can pick up the card for the same price as a raw sample plus the grading fee. Check with some of the dealers here (NearMint, Mint State Inc, Vic Stanley) or post a thread looking to buy these cards. I'm sure you'll get some responses. Good luck and I look forward to reading about your progress.

cyots82

Thanks Frank, I'll post as I get some more!