Reached a Milestone with my 1959 Topps Baseball Set - Reflections SCANS ADDED
PSARich
Posts: 534 ✭✭✭
I am sure as many of you build your sets and register them on the PSA Set Registry, milestones have some meaning of accomplishment. My sets are mostly Topps baseball (1957-1975) in PSA 9 with a few lesser grade stars/HOFers. The 1959 set is one of my favorites so about 6-7 years ago I started putting it together in PSA 9. Won a couple PSA 9s on eBay this week which means I have reached 25% completion in mint condition, plus one 8.5, a "Mantle Hits 42nd Home Run". It may seem like a low milestone but trust me it has been a challenging adventure. Here are a few reflections and thoughts on building high grade sets that perhaps many of you can relate to and might even comment on. As a note, I focus on nicely centered cards which eliminates many 9s from my search efforts.
Reflections:
1. The obvious one. The more cards you add to your set registry, the more difficult it becomes to find more that you need. Seems trivial but the high pop cards in PSA 9 show up all the time on eBay but the lower pop cards and stars/HOFers not so much. In addition you must be prepared to open your wallet more as your pursuit goes on.
2. I have purchased the vast majority of my set on eBay. Breakdown is 22 cards from my own submissions, 3 cards in trades, 4 cards from Auction Houses, 6 cards purchased at the National over the years, and all the rest on eBay. It has become a reality that if I want to continue to build the set, I need to move more toward major auctions where the more scarcer material frequents as compared to eBay. Also, the more networking you do with collectors and dealers, the more material is brought to your attention when they are aware of your interests. I have made a few nice trades and purchases through the message board which benefitted both participants.
3. I have quite a few HOFers but none of the big cards, those that weigh in at four figures or more (Mays, Koufax, Maris, Aaron, Gibson, Mantle, etc.). It is time I focus on adding some of those to my set. I don't have unlimited resources, but I do set aside an amount each month that would allow me to make a major purchase now and then instead of buying multiple lower valued cards.
4. Interestingly, the more you work on a set, the more your education level grows in terms of the cards that make-up the set. You begin to know which cards are often off-centered, which normally do not have bright coloring (the 1959 set is noted for its bright background coloring), which have registration issues, and of course which are the most scarce in high grade (pop report of course). I've made considerable profit picking up raw cards in great condition for a few bucks at card shows that when graded PSA 8 brought me hundreds of dollars that I could spend on PSA 9s, i.e. Hegan. McLish, Rice, variations, team cards. If you know the rarities in the set you will find that quite often card dealers are oblivious to them and price these cards just like anything else. However, once I found a Dolan Nichols, the no option variation, at a dealers table that looked like a gem mint card with a $4 tag on it. I just couldn't pull the trigger without telling the dealer he might have a thousand dollar card sitting there. He checked with the dealer next to him, then thanked me and said "pick out $50 worth of cards that you want". Missed out on a killer pick-up but felt good that about the situation. Fact is, a year earlier I would not have known about the value of that card.
5. There appears to be a vast supply of PSA 9 commons in the #360 to #440 range. Definitely not a scarce range so I am guessing there might have been a "find" in mint condition, or a large printing of cards in this series range. I would be interested in hearing from 1959 Topps experts on the reason.
6. I only put the PSA 9s in my set registry, with exception of the 8.5 Mantle I mentioned earlier. I figure I am nowhere near the top of the pack so even though I have about 70 1959 PSA 8s from cards I submitted to PSA, I have not listed them. I have made trades with them and periodically put them on eBay. However, I am thinking that when I get close to completing the set, PSA 8s might well find their way into my registry.
7. If it took me seven years to complete 25% of the set in PSA 9, does that mean I have another 21 years to go? Not likely as I will be too old to appreciate them at that point. What it does mean is I have to step it up and focus more on this set that the others I am building. I will probably have to sell other cards from my collection to get the funds to make this leap. But as all of you 1959 Topps Baseball collectors know, it is a beautiful set with vivid colors and great pictures, several subsets, and multiple cards of many HOFers. Definitely a great set to build and when the cards are mint, they look awesome!
Reflections:
1. The obvious one. The more cards you add to your set registry, the more difficult it becomes to find more that you need. Seems trivial but the high pop cards in PSA 9 show up all the time on eBay but the lower pop cards and stars/HOFers not so much. In addition you must be prepared to open your wallet more as your pursuit goes on.
2. I have purchased the vast majority of my set on eBay. Breakdown is 22 cards from my own submissions, 3 cards in trades, 4 cards from Auction Houses, 6 cards purchased at the National over the years, and all the rest on eBay. It has become a reality that if I want to continue to build the set, I need to move more toward major auctions where the more scarcer material frequents as compared to eBay. Also, the more networking you do with collectors and dealers, the more material is brought to your attention when they are aware of your interests. I have made a few nice trades and purchases through the message board which benefitted both participants.
3. I have quite a few HOFers but none of the big cards, those that weigh in at four figures or more (Mays, Koufax, Maris, Aaron, Gibson, Mantle, etc.). It is time I focus on adding some of those to my set. I don't have unlimited resources, but I do set aside an amount each month that would allow me to make a major purchase now and then instead of buying multiple lower valued cards.
4. Interestingly, the more you work on a set, the more your education level grows in terms of the cards that make-up the set. You begin to know which cards are often off-centered, which normally do not have bright coloring (the 1959 set is noted for its bright background coloring), which have registration issues, and of course which are the most scarce in high grade (pop report of course). I've made considerable profit picking up raw cards in great condition for a few bucks at card shows that when graded PSA 8 brought me hundreds of dollars that I could spend on PSA 9s, i.e. Hegan. McLish, Rice, variations, team cards. If you know the rarities in the set you will find that quite often card dealers are oblivious to them and price these cards just like anything else. However, once I found a Dolan Nichols, the no option variation, at a dealers table that looked like a gem mint card with a $4 tag on it. I just couldn't pull the trigger without telling the dealer he might have a thousand dollar card sitting there. He checked with the dealer next to him, then thanked me and said "pick out $50 worth of cards that you want". Missed out on a killer pick-up but felt good that about the situation. Fact is, a year earlier I would not have known about the value of that card.
5. There appears to be a vast supply of PSA 9 commons in the #360 to #440 range. Definitely not a scarce range so I am guessing there might have been a "find" in mint condition, or a large printing of cards in this series range. I would be interested in hearing from 1959 Topps experts on the reason.
6. I only put the PSA 9s in my set registry, with exception of the 8.5 Mantle I mentioned earlier. I figure I am nowhere near the top of the pack so even though I have about 70 1959 PSA 8s from cards I submitted to PSA, I have not listed them. I have made trades with them and periodically put them on eBay. However, I am thinking that when I get close to completing the set, PSA 8s might well find their way into my registry.
7. If it took me seven years to complete 25% of the set in PSA 9, does that mean I have another 21 years to go? Not likely as I will be too old to appreciate them at that point. What it does mean is I have to step it up and focus more on this set that the others I am building. I will probably have to sell other cards from my collection to get the funds to make this leap. But as all of you 1959 Topps Baseball collectors know, it is a beautiful set with vivid colors and great pictures, several subsets, and multiple cards of many HOFers. Definitely a great set to build and when the cards are mint, they look awesome!
0
Comments
Great post! I'm building the 59 set raw with a focus on centering, most cards probably would grade 7/8/9. I've also found the range #360-440 to be very easy to find in high quality - I'm about 50% done with the set but have 70 of those 80 cards. I do find #400 Jackie Jensen to be tough to find centered. Congrats on doing the right thing with the Dolan Nichols card.
Good luck with the rest of the set. It's a classic in my opinion and the cards are gorgeous in mint condition.
Mark
"Molon Labe"
Have fun.
Doug
Liquidating my collection for the 3rd and final time. Time for others to enjoy what I have enjoyed over the last several decades. Money could be put to better use.
I have the 27th set on the Active list, and I am thrilled with it. I can only imagine how awesome your set will be when its 100% at 9.0!
Keep up the search!
Nick
<< <i>Your karma will return to you 100-fold, Rich. Very classy move on the Nichols. >>
+1 - This is a great story and I wish you the best.
Since you are going for a 9, I have to ask. How much do you love Ford Frick?
Also, thanks to all for the encouragement.
<< <i> If it took me seven years to complete 25% of the set in PSA 9, does that mean I have another 21 years to go? >>
Hiya Rich.
Thanx for sharing and I wish you the best on working on the set. One of our esteemed members - aka Mariner - has one of the finest sets on the planet.
I'm sure something as trite as: doing a set is a marathon rather than a sprint might sound hackneyed. But, I've been working on a 63F set since 2004!
Thanx for sharing your POV - and reflections/milestones. Threads like these are the backbone of our forum.
<< <i>
<< <i> If it took me seven years to complete 25% of the set in PSA 9, does that mean I have another 21 years to go? >>
Hiya Rich.
Thanx for sharing and I wish you the best on working on the set. One of our esteemed members - aka Mariner - has one of the finest sets on the planet.
I'm sure something as trite as: doing a set is a marathon rather than a sprint might sound hackneyed. But, I've been working on a 63F set since 2004!
Thanx for sharing your POV - and reflections/milestones. Threads like these are the backbone of our forum.
Hey +1 for a Mike sighting, one of the forums true gentleman
<< <i>
<< <i> If it took me seven years to complete 25% of the set in PSA 9, does that mean I have another 21 years to go? >>
Hiya Rich.
Thanx for sharing and I wish you the best on working on the set. One of our esteemed members - aka Mariner - has one of the finest sets on the planet.
I'm sure something as trite as: doing a set is a marathon rather than a sprint might sound hackneyed. But, I've been working on a 63F set since 2004!
Thanx for sharing your POV - and reflections/milestones. Threads like these are the backbone of our forum.
+1
Great thread. I have loved the look of the 1959 set since I was a teenager in the 90's. it remains out of my price range for now, but maybe someday. Best of luck to you on your set. Keep us updated.
Steve
1935 National Chicle
1961 Golden Press
1962 Bell Brand Dodgers
Top 200 cards in the hobby
Top 250 cards in the hobby
All time lakers
All time Dodgers
1957 Disney Characters
1965 Donruss Disneyland
1966 Get Smart
Brian
Thanks for sharing and best of luck with your 59's.
To be honest, no direction, but...
1966-69 Topps EX+
1975 minis NrMt Kelloggs PSA 9
All Topps Heritage-Master Sets
-Nathanael
Oops..having trouble with scans. Will try again.
-Nathanael