New to Vintage, Please Help me with 1955 Topps

Nikobaseball

Hello all. I am completely new to vintage though not to the hobby

This forum seems like a great place to find out info.

I am interested in putting together the 1955 Topps Set in PSA 5/6.
First off, will it make a huge difference in value if I go all PSA 5 or PSA 6 as opposed to a mixed set of 5/6?
How much do qualifiers affect values (I didn't even know what a Qualifier was until yesterday)
Do complete PSA sets have decent resale value?
Is SMR accurate? It says a PSA 6 set should be like 6500+. Is this true?
Any good places to buy besides ebay?
Is there anything at all I should know about this set, or vintage, or psa grading, or anything you might think is useful to me?
How much do you think it will cost for the mixed 5/6 set?
Thanks for all the help

Zach

KbKards

Mixed 5-6 set is fine. In that grade stay away from qualified cards. Complete set have resale value but the way you're assembling it you won't make money. The SMR totals will end up being a pretty accurate average. Card by card the SMR will be high and low. You will also have $500-$1000 in shipping alone if you buy it card by card on Ebay. For deals contact the sellers off line to put a package deal together.

Nikobaseball

Why will I not be making money? Is it because I'd be acquiring them individually for the most part? I would try and find lots to move it a long, and some members here can certainly help me out. Either way, I am NOT doing this to re-sell, though it's possible that I may need to at some point, or if I lose interest.

I know of a Clemente PSA 6 for $1K, but the centering isn't great. Is this price worth it or should I hold off for something better?

Thanks for all the help.

MCMLVTopps

Zach,

First off, will it make a huge difference in value if I go all PSA 5 or PSA 6 as opposed to a mixed set of 5/6?
How much do qualifiers affect values (I didn't even know what a Qualifier was until yesterday)
Do complete PSA sets have decent resale value?
Is SMR accurate? It says a PSA 6 set should be like 6500+. Is this true?
Any good places to buy besides ebay?
Is there anything at all I should know about this set, or vintage, or psa grading, or anything you might think is useful to me?
How much do you think it will cost for the mixed 5/6 set?

You need to identify the "key cards" in the 55 Topps set. The most expensive will be Roberto Clemente's card. Other star cards will cost a fair amount, but commons should go pretty cheaply. Cheaply is a relative term, they may not be cheap to you, so your wallet/budget will dictate what you're up against. I own the 16th best set in the Registry, (Teddy Ballgame) and (Teddy Ballgame 2nd set) It wasn't cheap, so this game is not for the faint of heart. I have waited a long, long time for some cards to come up in a PSA 8 grade, this, I doubt will be the case for 5s or 6s. You may want to print a POP report to give you an idea of what has been graded for each card in the 206 card set. I would shoot for all 6s if that's your limit, but only you can determine what your "limit" is.

Do not buy cards with qualifiers if you are trying to put together a nice set.

SMR for the 55 Topps set has been notoriously inaccuarate in terms of market prices. Some are spot on, most are way off. Again, you gotta do some homework before you jump in. It may well be that an all PSA 6 set is worth $6.5k, but ot put this into a bit of perspective, a Clemente PSA 8 routinely lists on eBay for that exact amount.

I've gone to shows, not many bargains there that I've ever seen. Your best bet, IMO, is eBay.

You should get a membership to VCP (Vintage Card Prices). This website will give you a running picture of current market conditions as cards sell. You can set up a 55 Topps "want list", and each time one of your needs comes up, they will email you to notify you that a certain card is up for sale. Not only do they tell you about eBay sales, but auctions as well. However, I haven't seen many PSA 5s or 6s in auctions.

Once you've decided to take the plunge, try to buy in lots, this will save you in shipping costs. If you buy cards onesy twosey at the git go, the approx av cost to ship is $3, or about $600 in shipping for the set. The set will not come easy to you, this is a marathon and may well take you a couple of years or more to complete the set. HOWEVER, once you obtain the last card, you will have accomplished one of the finest sets Topps ever made.

Others I'm sure will jump in with advice.

GL, look at it as an adventure and a fun journey. There is a particular card (not a 55 T) that I have been waiting to see on eBay for over 5 years...takes patience this game we play.

Al - Teddy Ballgame

Nikobaseball

Thank you very much for your insight.

To be realistic, I have about 2k saved up at this point that I can dump almost immediately into the project. I realize that will get me at best, 1/2 way there. Regardless, I realize that this project will take a lot of time and I can deal with that.

As far as going for all 6's, it's not even so much as the price concern, I just feel that it would be quicker and easier to do a mixed set in regards to availability.

VCP seems kind of pricy to subscribe for. Isn't it like $180 on the year? I'll look into it I guess. I have no problem doing all of the research on my own.

I'll be going to the White Plains show next month though I assume it will be a complete fail as most sellers Im sure will have awful prices.

Buying in lots is definitely the way to go, which is where I hope many people here can help me out.
Congrats on completing your set, and I wish you the best of luck in finding your wanted card.
Thanks,

Zach

jeff8877

Hi Zach,

If you can turn on your private messages or send me your email I will send you some info on this set. I am also working on the set in psa 6/7.

Jeff

MCMLVTopps

Zach,

I don't shill for VCP, and yes, it's about $180 per year. However, you may well find that the price offsets your searching time. Additionally, as you gather your set, you can delete the cards you've already obtained and not be bothered with additional notices. IMO, well worth the price, but only you can make that call. $180 does buy a fair amount of 5 and 6s though.

Either way, GL, I assure you, once you complete the set you will feel a great sense of accomplishment.

BTW, if you go to completion, I HIGHLY recommend you build a display case for your cards. You only need basic carpentry skills and maybe help from a friend for a weekend. It just so happens that if you put 15 cards in 14 rows, you come up with 210. IOW, the set fits perfectly into this configuration...4 cards were not issued in the 55 T set. However, at the 2005 National a set of the 4 missing cards was issued to VIP entrants. The cards are Musial, Ford, Score and Feller. Sometimes these come up for auction and even in raw packs. The cards are in the exact same format as the 55T set and add very nicely. The display case measures almost 7' left to right and 5' top to bottom. When you see all the cards displayed like this (and not in some box in a closet), you will be extremely impressed! All the colors pop and compliment each other, very, very cool. One of these days I may take a pic and post it. Make sure if you do this that you place the case on a NORTH facing wall, otherwise the morning or afternoon sun may fade your collection. If you ever get to completion, shoot me a PM and I'll be happy to give you measurements and more detail about how I built my case. I have mine in my tv room although it kinda eats up a wall, it is a thing of beauty to look at!!

PS, I'd find a Clemente first, he keeps going up and up. Once you have that card, the rest is pretty much down hill.

Al

Nikobaseball

<< <i>Hi Zach,

If you can turn on your private messages or send me your email I will send you some info on this set. I am also working on the set in psa 6/7.

Jeff >>



PM's turned on. Thanks Jeff!

Nikobaseball

<< <i>Zach,

I don't shill for VCP, and yes, it's about $180 per year. However, you may well find that the price offsets your searching time. Additionally, as you gather your set, you can delete the cards you've already obtained and not be bothered with additional notices. IMO, well worth the price, but only you can make that call. $180 does buy a fair amount of 5 and 6s though.

Either way, GL, I assure you, once you complete the set you will feel a great sense of accomplishment.

BTW, if you go to completion, I HIGHLY recommend you build a display case for your cards. You only need basic carpentry skills and maybe help from a friend for a weekend. It just so happens that if you put 15 cards in 14 rows, you come up with 210. IOW, the set fits perfectly into this configuration...4 cards were not issued in the 55 T set. However, at the 2005 National a set of the 4 missing cards was issued to VIP entrants. The cards are Musial, Ford, Score and Feller. Sometimes these come up for auction and even in raw packs. The cards are in the exact same format as the 55T set and add very nicely. The display case measures almost 7' left to right and 5' top to bottom. When you see all the cards displayed like this (and not in some box in a closet), you will be extremely impressed! All the colors pop and compliment each other, very, very cool. One of these days I may take a pic and post it. Make sure if you do this that you place the case on a NORTH facing wall, otherwise the morning or afternoon sun may fade your collection. If you ever get to completion, shoot me a PM and I'll be happy to give you measurements and more detail about how I built my case. I have mine in my tv room although it kinda eats up a wall, it is a thing of beauty to look at!!

PS, I'd find a Clemente first, he keeps going up and up. Once you have that card, the rest is pretty much down hill.

Al >>



I would like to display it at some point, though I'll wait until I'm further along to do so. I would also like to get atleast 1 of the Clemente or Koufax around now. I know of two Clemente 6's in the 1K range, though I am undecided if I should pull the trigger on either or wait for a better centered 6 copy for a similar price, though I'm not sure if that's even possible.

Anywhere else to buy them besides ebay? Thanks

zach

MCMLVTopps

Zach,

I've seen better Clemente 6s than are up now, just my opinion. Clemente's always come up, wait till you see one to your liking. I think right about $1k is what you should pay for a 6.

I have a Clemente 6 in my "big" set, I haven't brought myself to pull the pin yet on a PSA 8, but I will some day. Remember, VCP provides current market conditions for all cards, unlike SMR which is updated from time to time.

Al

Nikobaseball

Im sure VCP would be worth it but I can get like 15 low-end commons in psa5/6 for that $200, so it may not make so much sense to do it, especially cause the project will likely take over a year.

What should I be expected on a Koufax 5 or 6?

hankcaddy

might be worth it to get a one month VCP, this will give you one month to look at and get real world prices on your cards, this really is the easiet way to tell what cards are truly TOUGH.

DEF find lots with you first purchases. get some big chunks taken care of at one time. keep saving until the right lot comes available, i highly recomend waiting for the right cards, don't get 4's or 4.5's just to fill slots. wait for the nice 5's or 6's. again think marathon not sprint.

i don't have much experience on your particular set, but learning from every one elses mistakes will save you lots of dough.

good luck,
can't wait to see scans of your 1st purchase.

hank

Downtown1974

Hi Niko, I did the 55 set in PSA 6 a couple of years ago. It was alot of fun. The 55s are very plentiful in that grade and some true graded PSA 6 cards are visually appealing. I had 6s that looked like 8s. I will post some pics. The set can be built at a reasonable price. Some of the high numbers are tough. Centering can be a bear on the high numbers too. A couple of toughies are the Gene Freese and the Billy Consolo. They sell for a premium as well. If you have any questions, drop me a PM.

Nikobaseball

PM sent downtown

Thanks for all the help so far guys, appreciate it greatly!

zach

Downtown1974

Here are a few from my set. I was picky on centering for the most part.

Nikobaseball

Those cards are absolutely stunning

Check out my PM when you get a chance please.

Thanks!

Downtown1974

Thanks Zach. I can tell you one thing for sure...the Aaron is no longer in a PSA 6 holder. That set was all graded prior to the .5 scale. Alot of bump potential.

hankcaddy

downtown
very nice cards, exactly what i am talking about waiting for the right cards.

nice stuff

hank

Brick

Hi Zach
You have received some good advice here. The SMR for the set in PSA 5 is under $6,000 and PSA 6 just over $9,000. As a point of reference I have finished the set with a rating about 6.2 and have about $8,000 invested. I would not expect to put it together piecemeal and turn a profit. Those who flip cards for profit will usually purchase a complete set and sell individually. GL. This is an enjoyable set to put together.

Nikobaseball

$8k? Wow. That's not very realistic for me, so I may need to focus more heavily on the PSA 5s or just try and find good deals in lots.

Hopefully someone on here will be able to help me out with lots of 5's or 6's.

Ralph, How long did it take you? Do you still have it? Feel free to post scans of the biggies if you'd like, I'm sure they're amazing.

Thanks

zach

Brick

I have 2 sets on the registry. First one under rsrhodessr and all cards are pictured. 2nd set is bricks 55s which is cards I have upgraded. I have quite a few 8s which brought up my expense a bit. If you stick to 5s and 6s I am sure you can do it for less. I don't mean to boast but I finished the set in under 15 years.

1960toppsguy

Great set and relatively easy to complete in that grade as it was a short set (210 cards). The cost really depends on the competition just as it does with any set.

relaxed

HI Zack,
Some very good advise given out here. I must say that went I started this set 4 years ago I was looking at getting PSA 5's and 6's also to complete the set. At the time I used SMR pricing as a guide to buying and it helped but the VCP (vintage card prices) truly reflected more accurate the prices you can buy the cards. After a period of time I decided to change my strategy from 5's and 6's to all 6's with occasional 7's if I really liked the card.
What Ralph said about the cost of the set is right on because I have about the same rating and I also have close to $8000.00 in the set. I do love this set and its my only complete set but I'm glad I picked this set to complete. PM sent.

1954

Zack
You def. have been given good advice from everyone. I have four sets (one that is graded in PSA 7/8 and then three raw sets). I sold most of my high grade looking PSA 5/6 cards because I was was looking for the nrmt condition. I might have a couple cards left if you want to PM me. The Koufax really is undervalued but the Clemente can run you much more than SMR if the card is a quality looking card. If you will PM your email address I will forward you some examples of mine. The Killebrew is $125 card in a PSA 6 and the Williams is a $300. Some of the high numbers are tough but most of these are not that expensive. I think there are 10 high numbers that I would consider tough-the rest are no more expensive than the lower numbered cards.

Shane