103 Down--1948 Bowman Football Completed in PSA 8 or Better

Davalillo

Set number 103 that I have completed with each card PSA 8 or better is a biggie for me--1948 Bowman Football. Not only is it(along with 1948 Leaf) the first vintage football postwar set and kicking off a long string of Bowman football sets but it is also a set I have worked on a long time and have gotten the final cards only with much difficulty.

The 1948 Bowman Football set has 108 cards and the most difficult cards are those divisible by three. As of two months ago I had the set down to two cards--#9 Luhn(pop 6 in PSA 8) and #108 Garnaas(pop 3). Both of these cards popped up on ebay and allowed me to finish a set that I had bought raw with lots of off center cards some 20 years agp. The Luhn and Garnaas are tough cards but certainly not the only tough cards in the set. There are two other pop 4s in PSA 8 and the lst card in the set--Ray--is a pop 5.

My set consists of 105 PSA 8s and 3 PSA 9s for an 8.02 set rating. It stands 3rd behind two women--the Allison Collection and Jeannie. I will let it rest at this level. This set also puts me closer on finishing all the Bowman sets in PSA 8 or better. I have now completed 1948, 1950, 1951, 1953, 1954 and 1955. I need to upgrade two PSA 7s to finish the 1952 Bowman Small set and 5 PSA 7s and 1 PSA 6 to complete the 1952 Bowman Large Set.

This sets represents my 28th vintage or semi-vintage football set I have completed in PSA 8 or better and my 103rd overall. Thank you to all the collectors and dealers in helping me achieve my collecting goals.

Completed sets in PSA 8 or better are as follows:

BASEBALL(42):

1936 S&S
1941 Play Ball
1948 Bowman
1951 Bowman
1951 Topps Red Back
1952 Bowman
1954 Bowman
1954 Red Heart
1954 Topps
1955 Bowman
1955 Topps
1956 Topps
1957 Topps
1958 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
1963 Topps Peel-Offs
1964 Topps
1964 Topps Giants
1965 Topps
1966 Topps
1967 Topps
1967 Topps Red Sox Stickers
1967 Pirates Stickers
1968 Topps
1968 Topps Game
1969 Topps Deckle Edge
1969 Topps Super
1970 Kelloggs
1970 Milton Bradley
1970 Rold Gold
1970 Topps Super
1974 Topps Deckle Edge

FOOTBALL(28):

1948 Bowman
1950 Bowman
1951 Bowman
1953 Bowman
1954 Bowman
1955 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
1963 Stancraft Playing Cards
1964 Philadelphia
1964 Topps
1965 Philadelphia
1967 Topps
1968 Topps
1968 Topps 4-in-1s
1969 Topps
1970 Topps
1976 Wonder Bread

BASKETBALL(9):

1948 Bowman
1957 Topps
1961 Fleer
1969-70 Topps
1970-71 Topps
1971-72 Topps
1971-72 Topps Trios
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-SPORT(19):

1934 Gallaher Champios of the Screen & Stage
1935 C & T Bridgewater
1938 Gallaher Film Episodes
1938 Ogden's Actors and Character Studies
1939 Gallaher My Favoutite Part
1945 Mutoscope Artists Pin-Ups
1952 Dixie Cup Nelson's Ice Cream
1955 Barbers Tea Cinema & TV Stars
1955 Movie Stars of MGM
1956 Jibco Tea Screen Stars, Second Edition
1956 U.S. Presidents
1957 C.W.S. Western Stars
1958 TV Westerns
1960 Fleer Spins & Needles
1962 ABC Colorstars
1962 Barratt & Co Warriors Thru the Ages
1962 Topps Civil War News
1966 Leaf Good Guys and Bad Guys
1967 Who Am I?

Brick

Congratulations again. Your perseverance is amazing. How soon until you set a goal at 125 or 150?

calaban7

Jim , I don't know how you do it , but you are a testament to the spirit of collecting. As stated many times and from many of us , GREAT JOB---- Sonny

bumpskier

You have a beautiful collection of sets. I am rooting and watching to see the completion of the 1952-1955 Red Man Sets and the 1953 Bowman Color and Bowman Black and White Sets. All of those cards look beautiful in PSA 8 holders and are very difficult to complete. I am collecting lower grade versions of those sets and they are hard to find in nice condition. Good Luck.

1954

That is awesome Jim. Congrats to you for getting that one done.

Shane

WinPitcher

Congrats Jim.


Steve

WinPitcher

Jim I believe you have 104 sets. I think you missed the Target Moon set that you own.

Steve

Davalillo

Ralph,

I don't plan on setting any more goals. One reason is the sets I am working on now are among thehardest and most difficult to complete.

My top 10 targets to complete in PSA 8 or better in no particular order are:

1)1953 Bowman Color(need 5)
2)1953 Bowman Black & White(need 5)
3)1953 Topps(need 9)
4)1952 Bowman Large(need 6)
5)1952 Bowman Small(need 2)
6)1950 Bowman(need 2)
7)1949 Bowman(need 5)
8)1934 Goudey(need 14)
9)1934-36 Diamond Stars(need 12)
10)1939 Play Ball(need 5)

Sonny,

Thanks for the constant encouragement

Bumpskier,

I agree--I need 1 1955 Red Man(Runnels) to finish my set. If I knew how I would scan my cards and put them up.

Shane,

Thank you--need the Hunt and Woodeshick to finish the 64 Topps Stand Ups.

Steve,

Thanks but I need 14 upgrades on that set which I submitted raw--all ocs. They are surprising expensive as I have bid and lost on a few.

Thank you to all.

Jim

baseballfan

great job!!!

always amazing to see your sets

good luck with the next one

mikeschmidt

Congratulations, Jim! A cool set to have completed.

Any thoughts on the card market, in particular, in how it has been impacted by the larger economy? Be interested to hear your thoughts on pre-war versus post-war, baseball versus football, high-grade versus mid-grade, etc.

M

Davalillo

Fred,

Thank you--#104 is around the corner.

Marc,

Thank you. I am not the best person to ask on this because others do all my bidding for me now and I have become more focused as sets are completed.

In general, prices are down for high grade which is exclusively what I collect. I would guess prices are down just as much if not more on mid-grade but that is a guess.

I would say in baseball that 1960s psa 9s are down 25% from the peak, 1950s psa 8s down 10-20% except for low pops which I think have held up better.

Pre-war baseball also down 10-15% or so with the exception of T206s and maybe 33 Goudey which are off more from their peaks.

Football has help up relatively well. Two sets 1962T and 1965T I routinely lose on psa 8s bidding $200-$300 for lower pop cards. 1948-60 I won the pop 4 garnaas in 48 Bowman for I think about 1500 which seemed right. The asking prices for the 52 Bowman Large and Small cards I need if anything are at a
an all time high.

One you go down to the second or third tier sets in popularity is where you can really get some bargains. Several times I have flat out told sellers I am your only buyer--if you are going to sell it has to be to me. It is a thin market. Who is going to buy a 1959 Nu Card Foodball psa 9/10 set. Tho will buy Topps Embossed in high grade. Who will buy a 1966 East Hills Pirates set?

One other point is I feel the biggest reason vintage high grade baseball has come down is that Spence, Louchios, Merkel, Fogel have bought what they need and there is noone to replace them. I have never been one to outbid Don Spence or Don Louchios for a card they really needed. Noone else on a large scale seems to be emerging as that guy either. This leaves more opportutity for me. In sets like 1953 Bowman Color or 1953 Topps or 1934 Goudey I have made major inroads on my sets and I feel I am getting them below and in some cases well below vcp. The same is true in football. Noone has replaced MOSH.



Regards,

Jim