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My 1954 Wilson Franks collection (so far)
BaltimoreYankee
Posts: 2,910 ✭✭✭✭✭
I really like the colorful backgrounds (and of course, the floating hot dogs) in this set. My cards are all pretty low grade but decent eye appeal. I have seen threads across the street where someone has the whole set in high grade and that is a thing of beauty. I believe there are 20 cards in the set and I know the Ted Williams card is quite expensive.
Daniel
6
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Those guys look very hungry
Those are not cheap in any grade!! Love the Vern Stephens card from this set, it has an actual background to it.
Wow! Really nice Daniel.
I like the Campy.
I like the "flying" packs of hot dogs - keep waiting for them to get hit in the head...
Nice start! That's a cool set.
and the pitch....Slaughter hits that pack of dogs like fungo heading up the middle for a base hit.....
Meanwhile, Johnny Groth is about to get beaned by a pack of dogs that is bigger than the others - heads up Johnny!
Nice cards Daniel, can't wait to see more!
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Why are the hotdogs so much bigger on the Groth card? Are there other examples with the larger dogs?
I've wondered this myself - I didn't realize it until I got that card. There is one other player (Del Ennis) who has, ahem, larger meat.
Sweet looking collection you have going. Love the set and not easy to find especially in decent shape. Your cards look great for the grades.
Very cool set!
Thanks for the comments, all. One thing that doesn't show on the scans: Many of the backs have hot dog juice stains - hence the lower grades. I think that adds to the charm although I did have a Bob Feller card that I sold because the stain went through to the front of the card.
Very nice, Daniel
Bowman Baseball -1948-1955
Fleer Baseball-1923, 1959-2007
Al
Daniel
Great set you are making and one that is extremely tough in any condition. One thing I focused on when I made my set ten years ago was to buy the card and not the grade. PSA tends to be extremely hard on these for centering. I abhorred the cards that were miscut and off centered on the back, but I had no problem with a sharp, focused card that might be considered o/c on the front by PSA. With the borders so small on all sides, it really was an unfair to see some incredible cards graded with the o/c designation.
Great looking Set ...................what's the toughest card in the set to obtain ????
Robbie
1963 Fleer
Lou Brock Master Set
"With the borders so small on all sides, it really was an unfair to see some incredible cards graded with the o/c designation." - Hi Shane, I believe PSA even mentions this on their web site and says there is not as much of a stigma with O/C grades for this set vs other sets.
Robby - The Ted Williams card is by far the most expensive. I don't know if it was printed in lesser quantities or if it's just because he is Ted and it's a great looking card of him.
First off, congratulations on your progress of this beautiful set. Buying the card and not the holder is particularly good advice on these.
Ted Williams has always been the most expensive card in the set, simply because it's Ted, and a very attractive card in its own right. They did not print Mr. Williams any less than the others. They're all tough. As for the larger package of the franks, my guess is that Groth and Ennis were the first two designed, and the chap got the feeling he needed to downsize the package, as it was dominating the aesthetics too much. Good decision.
As an aside, I have been a strong admirer and briefly a collector of the these cards during the mid-70s. I never got very far because so few were ever available at even the major shows, nor the collector periodicals. No one wanted to part with any that they had; they, like I, wanted more of them! In frustration, I left the hobby for several years because the regionals were simply too hard to get.
Just for the fun and thrill of it, I devoted part of the last chapter of my recent book on immediate post-war regionals, NEVER CHEAPER BY THE DOZEN, to the Wilsons. While I had already given the Wilson Franks an earlier chaper, a further course was warranted, because I wanted fulfill a dream. I titled the chapter, "Have You Ever Dreamed of Cards That Never Were?", culminating in the creation of fantasy 1954 Wilson Franks cards of Mickey Mantle and Jackie Robinson. I created two different poses of each player, with a different color background for each pose. The whole process was very fulfilling.
I cannot load up the images of my fantasy Wilsons. However, my buddy, Chris De Bono at Net54 baseball,com, did so on April 1st of this year. In honor of his first child, I set him a complete set of the four cards. He was sure pleased with them. If you're curious, go to Net54Postwar, April Pickups thread (2017). It's the first entry.
Enough of my aside, keep on punching, Baltimore Yankee. Wishing you the best in your pursuit. I cannot say which of the six you scanned look the best; I like them all. Whilst I do not wish to divulge info from my book, preferring to sell it, you do have the one card that offers a window on the brevity of time one had to buy them in 1954.
Happy hunting. ---- Indiana Jones (Brian Powell)
Jablonski is the toughest card to find- no idea why, I've seen the full sheet and there are no short prints or double prints, but it's definitely tougher than the rest. Groth was a distant 2nd. Erskine and Sammy White seem to be the easiest (for a while one dealer had a pile of Erskines) and Williams, of course, the most expensive.
Agree with Shane on the technical grade- the small borders cause PSA to hammer the grades on centering, so qualifiers don't have the same stigma on these that they do on most others.
Always looking for Topps Salesman Samples, pre '51 unopened packs, E90-2, E91a, N690 Kalamazoo Bats, and T204 Square Frame Ramly's
Anthony is correct in saying that the White and Erskine are the easiest. SCP had around 11 Erskines from the set and would sell one in every auction back in 2006 (I think). Jablonski is definitely the most difficult and brings a heavy premium when sold. The Groth was always considered the second most difficult card to locate but I guess I got lucky because it was one of the first cards I picked up when hunting for the set. I remember the Stan Hack being very tough too.
I wish you the best on your venture, Daniel. This is my favorite set which is why I am 1954.