I have just landed my Holy Grail on top of a Unicorn in Atlantis...

1951WheatiesPremium

While that is with tongue planted firmly in cheek, it will be only the second one PSA has ever graded which is pretty cool. I thinks it's nicer than the three because it's corners are a bit sharper and it is much cleaner than the pictures I've seen of the 3. Not Honus Wagner but for me it's a heckuva get.

1951 Wheaties Premium Photos Phil Rizzuto - Letter B

1951WheatiesPremium

In case that's not enough to explain the title (and because I'm doing back-flips), here's some context: I have the closest thing to a complete PSA set of the beauties as is currently possible. While many don't even know of the set, it's fair to say they're rare and mysterious and the set is best known because the 12 card set contains one of two cataloged Mickey Mantle cards that carry a designation of 1951, the other being the 1951 Bowman. I now have 11 of the 12 cards and there isn't a copy of the 12th card in a PSA slab yet; only one SGC. That's the card of legendary tennis star Jack Kramer, Letter L.

miwlvrn

Great pickup, congrats!

Can't tell for sure by the scan, but if that is some sort of evidence of scrapbook glue residue on the back that is causing the color difference, it won't grade higher than a 2. Nice looking front though!

JKT

Very cool!

1951WheatiesPremium

Here's the other one - even if it's back is pristine, it's hard not to imagine a tie...

rounding3rd

That's awesome! Very interesting set.

1951WheatiesPremium

@miwlvrn

There is some type of photo staining that is part of the process as this is not the first time I have seen it show up on this issue from what I have seen with this particular issue. As for grade I think anything from 2 to 3.5 seems possible and wouldn't shock me. There's a faint crease top left corner the back stains and a really clean sharp unblemished front. Realistically, it doesn't matter all that much to me but again, from a pure aesthetic standpoint, it looks it should be a 3.5 compared to the 3 to me.

The real fun of this set is that you can't just buy the cards. When I was a kid, there was no eBay. Card shops, card shows, friends, trades, the back of the Sporting News - that was about it for vintage cards. Getting cards involved hunting. There was a chase involved before the haggle and there were some cards that were hard to find. Now, with money and an Internet connection, it's a lot easier to fill want lists. Which is why this set is so fun to collect; the cards are STILL hard to find - in any grade, let alone high grade. Eight of nine baseball players are hall of famers including a Mickey Mantle that has a designation from 1951. The others are (arguably) the greatest American golfer, the greatest American tennis player and a beautiful figure skater named Betty.

Rare. Beautiful. 1950s.

I'm in...

LarkinCollector

@1951WheatiesPremium said:
(arguably) the greatest American golfer

That would have to be a heavily biased argument. As great as Hogan was, I don't see anyone ranking him above Tiger, Jack, Slammin Sammy, or Bobby Jones. I'd still love to have one of those Wheaties Premiums of his, regardless.

1951WheatiesPremium

double post

1951WheatiesPremium

I'll always defer to those who know golf best but I know that Hogan did a lot of winning, helped popularize the sport, and chronologically came before some of the guys you mentioned. He published his thoughts on 'swing theory' which impacted many who came after and the game of golf at large.

And the 'arguably' was for all three - Jack Kramer had a massive impact on tennis but Sampras won more. And beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I think you'd get the least disagreement on Mrs. Schalow:

But you are right, @LarkinCollector

Perhaps I overstated. My bad.

LarkinCollector

@1951WheatiesPremium said:
Perhaps I overstated. My bad.

Top 5-10, no doubt. Off the top of my head, likely 5th just ahead of Sarazen. Top 4 American is pretty murky on how to rank them.

I'm not qualified to talk tennis and no disagreement on Mrs. Schalow

1951WheatiesPremium

@LarkinCollector said:

@1951WheatiesPremium said:
Perhaps I overstated. My bad.

Top 5-10, no doubt. Off the top of my head, likely 5th just ahead of Sarazen. Top 4 American is pretty murky on how to rank them.

I'm not qualified to talk tennis and no disagreement on Mrs. Schalow

I'll also point out that of those mentioned, only Marty McFly could get some of them into this set...

BLUEJAYWAY

@1951WheatiesPremium said:
Here's the other one - even if it's back is pristine, it's hard not to imagine a tie...

Very nice "Stan The Man".

1951WheatiesPremium

It is...this is mine:

mcadams

Cool set. How were they distributed? If the cards were inserted into Wheaties boxes in 1951, you'd think they wouldn't be that tough to locate. Maybe only inserted for a very very short time?

divecchia

Congrats on landing a Holy Grail for your set.

I'd be doing back flips too!!!

Donato

1951WheatiesPremium

@mcadams said:
Cool set. How were they distributed? If the cards were inserted into Wheaties boxes in 1951, you'd think they wouldn't be that tough to locate. Maybe only inserted for a very very short time?

This is the basic story associated with the issue:

The 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos set was designed, produced and intended for release by General Mills in 1951. It featured some of the brightest sports stars of the day in various action or portrait shots on a 5 x 7 card; it is probably best and most accurately described as a lithograph on card stock with a high gloss finishing coat over a photo quality image that had a unique font underneath each picture that identified the subject by name and a 6 character alphanumeric identifier in the lower right hand corner, whose last letter corresponded to a different subject. Similar to the 'Team Issues' that were being sold in picture packs of 12 in baseball stadiums (and via mail in offers) around the country, this offering clearly has the look of a finished product that was intended for public consumption. However, while it is unclear if these were, in fact, ever issued on a test basis, their existence is undeniable with a fair number of copies surfacing ever since. A General Mills executive who was close to the original project (and perhaps more than one executive), disappointed that they were only ever used a 'salesman's promo' and nothing more, tucked some of them away for safekeeping and upon his retirement, liberated them from their place in storage. Over the years, they were handed out to friends, family, former colleagues and hobbyists as singles, sets and/or (in some rare cases) even small stacks by the executive, with his widow selling off any final remainders after his passing. While the exact reason as to why the set was never released has never been confirmed, four of the stars featured in the 1951 Wheaties Premium Photos - Richie Ashburn, Al Rosen, Mickey Mantle and Betty Schalow - are not featured in the 1952 Wheaties Multisport On-Box Set that features eerily similar poses among athletes that are common to both sets, leading most to assume that contractual issues between Wheaties and one or all of these parties may have prematurely ended their release, if not stopped it outright, with many pointing to Mickey Mantle as the likeliest holdout.

1951WheatiesPremium

Here's a link to a thread I created in the PSA Registry section:

https://forums.collectors.com/discussion/987963/1951-wheaties-premium-photos-set-registry#latest

Basically, it's all the good info I have on the set and some other basic information about players. There's even a link to a net54 thread where some hobby heavyweight offer their theories and opinions. My hope is that people with good info will contribute and others will just enjoy reading and learning about the set. I actually wrote a 30 page report on the set that led to PSA creating the specs for Ben Hogan and Jack Kramer's card this past summer. My investigation continues to be based on fact which makes it hard to draw real conclusions as there just isn't much hard evidence associated with the set, it's manner of release or who produced it.

I am hoping to post about the set 'dating' controversy today in that above thread, if you want to know more. Much of the speculation about the date has to do with the image on the Mantle card and the eerily similar Don Wingfield photo.

1951WheatiesPremium

The post about the Wingfield photo controversy is up in the other thread.

I actually may be in first soon - before submitting Phil. I'm hopeful but the Rizzuto, assuming it's a 3 or better, is enough to get me 1st place regardless.

I have to say, the 'What If' tool on the Registry is awesome...

1951WheatiesPremium

Mr Rizzuto is off to PSA...

...wish me luck!!!

1951WheatiesPremium

Oh baby don't it feel like heaven right now
Don't it feel like somethin' from a dream
Yeah I've never known nothing quite like this
Don't it feel like tonight might never be again
Baby, we know better than to try and pretend
Baby no one could have ever told me 'bout this, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah yeah
The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you see one more card
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part

Who knew Tom Petty collected?

I often play this when I sit down to check a submission

1951WheatiesPremium

UPDATE: Phil is a PSA 3 and I am #1!!!!!!!

LarkinCollector

Congratulations!

1951WheatiesPremium

@LarkinCollector said:
Congratulations!

Thanks so much! It's one thing I can cross off my bucket list: a number one set on the PSA Registry

divecchia

Congrats on getting to #1 in your set!!!

Here is a link to set.

https://psacard.com/psasetregistry/baseball/company-sets/1951-wheaties-premium-photos/alltimeset/246449

Donato

1951WheatiesPremium

@divecchia said:
Congrats on getting to #1 in your set!!!

Here is a link to set.

https://psacard.com/psasetregistry/baseball/company-sets/1951-wheaties-premium-photos/alltimeset/246449

Donato

Thanks very much! For the kind words and the linkage!

1951WheatiesPremium

Oh happy day!