1955 Bowman baseball set..highlights. New scans added with Stars!!

1966CUDA · May 7, 2010 1:20PM

Well, I completed this one raw a year or two ago and just put it away. I was going thru it tonite and forgot how nice some of them were so I pulled some of the nicer ones and scanned them. None of the big stars are in high grade (probably PSA 3 to PSA 6 range) but this group of cards I am posting are really nice in my opinion. All are very crisp and have high gloss like they just came out of the packs.

Hope you enjoy them...opinions welcome:

CubsFan41 · May 7, 2010 1:34PM

Well done.

leadoff4 · May 7, 2010 10:34PM

Thanks for the post... I really like the '55 Bowman set. I know a lot of collectors frown upon the set, but I think it's a nice set. I remember my brother always calling it the "color TV set".

123Slider · May 8, 2010 1:39AM

I agree that it is an underrated set. I loved it as a kid and thought the tv thing was sweet.

itzagoner · May 8, 2010 1:55AM

gorgeous cards....they really captured the mood of the period in which they were designed.

that is what baseball cards are all about, thanks for sharing them.

Mickey71 · May 8, 2010 3:24AM

Don't tell anyone.... This is one of my favorite sets and very underrated. I'm neutral on the light brown cards; but just love the dark grain ones---which just happen to have a guy named Mickey.

Bosox1976 · May 8, 2010 4:22AM

I'm a fan too.

Griffins · May 8, 2010 5:40AM

great cards, and definitely a unique set. What next? companion pieces (packs, boxes, salesman panels) or another pursuit?

mccardguy1 · May 8, 2010 6:29AM

I remember being in the 3rd grade in 1973 and literally was the only kid that collected baseball cards. A classmate knew I collected and she brought me about 500 cards that her father had collected when he was younger. A majority of the cards were 1955 Bowman's which I had never seen before as a 10 year old (or there abouts). Since I was so excited to get these I took a peek at them in my desk and just at that point my teacher saw me and demanded I turn the cards over to her. I wish this had a happy ending but it doesnt as she never returned my cards and probably gave them to her kid who really never cared for them. I wonder all the time about what was in that bag and seeing these cards has got me thinking that I need to collect a raw version of the 1955 Bowman's.

You have some great looking cards and thanks for starting me thinking again about these long forgotten gems.

mikeschmidt · May 8, 2010 7:56AM

great looking examples! I spent a couple of years working feverishly on this set. I wonder how many of your cards came from the Paris, TN find?

Good stuff

zep33 · May 8, 2010 9:32AM

<< I remember being in the 3rd grade in 1973 and literally was the only kid that collected baseball cards. A classmate knew I collected and she brought me about 500 cards that her father had collected when he was younger. A majority of the cards were 1955 Bowman's which I had never seen before as a 10 year old (or there abouts). Since I was so excited to get these I took a peek at them in my desk and just at that point my teacher saw me and demanded I turn the cards over to her. I wish this had a happy ending but it doesnt as she never returned my cards and probably gave them to her kid who really never cared for them. I wonder all the time about what was in that bag and seeing these cards has got me thinking that I need to collect a raw version of the 1955 Bowman's.

You have some great looking cards and thanks for starting me thinking again about these long forgotten gems. >>

you need to track down that teacher and donkey punch her

mccardguy1 · May 8, 2010 10:26AM

<< 

<< I remember being in the 3rd grade in 1973 and literally was the only kid that collected baseball cards. A classmate knew I collected and she brought me about 500 cards that her father had collected when he was younger. A majority of the cards were 1955 Bowman's which I had never seen before as a 10 year old (or there abouts). Since I was so excited to get these I took a peek at them in my desk and just at that point my teacher saw me and demanded I turn the cards over to her. I wish this had a happy ending but it doesnt as she never returned my cards and probably gave them to her kid who really never cared for them. I wonder all the time about what was in that bag and seeing these cards has got me thinking that I need to collect a raw version of the 1955 Bowman's.

You have some great looking cards and thanks for starting me thinking again about these long forgotten gems. >>

you need to track down that teacher and donkey punch her >>

LOL no kidding. I have thought of tracking her down for many years!! It still ticks me off to think her kid probably got my cards!!

SidePocket · May 8, 2010 12:06PM

CUDA was the kid who got your cards, its how he started his set!

1966CUDA · May 8, 2010 1:04PM

<< CUDA was the kid who got your cards, its how he started his set! >>

Very funny, I wish I had!!

Started this one bout 14 years ago and slowly finished up about 2 years ago.

<< great cards, and definitely a unique set. What next? companion pieces (packs, boxes, salesman panels) or another pursuit? >>

Griffins- Actually was thinking about leaving it raw and maybe picking up the several variations in the set. Also have kinda started a raw 1965 OPC baseball set. And as you may remember I bought a group of T218's from you a while back and am now about 20 cards shy of complete on that one too.

<< I wonder how many of your cards came from the Paris, TN find? >>

Marc- Actually, I don't think any were from there...the majority of the high-grade cards I got in one purchase. Guy traded them in at a local comic book/card store about 15 years ago. He had kept them in a cigar box all those years and rarely took them out. I had the Mantle so when the owner offered them to me that's when I started the journey of completing the set. Picked them up cheap if I remember correctly.

1966CUDA · May 8, 2010 1:54PM

Well, going thru this set the last couple of nites has made me fall in love with it all over again. I now have scanned the star cards and will post them here....I will call these "the good..the bad..and the ugly". Actually the Mathews and Newcombe are as nice as the first batch of scans and maybe a few more in here. I hope you like them. And, if there are any '55 Bowman experts maybe you can answer a question?? As you see in these scans I am adding there are several of the low-number light woodgrain cards that show darker woodgrain on one of the borders.....since these were supposedly the low number print run, and no dark woodgrain cards are in that run, how did dark woodgrain get on the edges of some of the cards?????

Here they are...again, comments are welcomed:

SidePocket · May 8, 2010 4:08PM

Very cool set CUDA, these are classics.

1966CUDA · May 9, 2010 6:40AM

Griffins · May 9, 2010 8:36AM

I"m pretty sure the darkgrain and the lightgrain cards were on the same sheet- here's a couple of salesman samples that show that:

mikeschmidt · May 9, 2010 8:46AM

There were actually three series in 1955 Bowman -- I think many simply revert to the price guides for the "low # versus high #" series distinction, and the light bordered series is actually a subset of the first [of three] sheets in 1955 Bowman.

Anthony -- on a slightly separate topic, all of my research over the past decade is that the advertising panels were from the first series printing, with no high numbers ever known with the promo sticker on back.

Griffins · May 9, 2010 8:56AM

Marc- that seems to be true of every Topps and Bowman salesman sample I've been able to locate scans of. Makes sense that the first sheets off the press would be used to get the ads out to salesman early.

1966CUDA · May 9, 2010 10:29AM

I actually just looked in an older Beckett yearly guide and the 1st series goes to #96 and I just checked my cards and the lighter woodgrain cards end at #65 so I guess, indeed, there were dark & light woodgrain in the 1st series.

-Claude

1966CUDA · May 9, 2010 10:35AM

Anthony- That 1955 sample says "20 years of leadership". Were there Bowman cards in 1935??

mikeschmidt · May 9, 2010 11:08AM

<< Anthony- That 1955 sample says "20 years of leadership". Were there Bowman cards in 1935?? >>

No, there were not. I think you mean 1936, as 1955 would officially be the 20th year. But remember that Bowman used to be simply Gum, Inc. Their first baseball production was the 1939 Play Ball set. I believe the 20 years of leadership was perhaps some marketing hyperbole at the time -- and not one that was questioned much.

I've always been curious about that, too :-)

1966CUDA · May 11, 2010 2:15AM

Found another that looked like it was worth scanning.

1966CUDA · May 11, 2010 9:52AM

One last group of scans....these one's are all crisp and nice corners but with centering issues. How bad does the centering look with these to you guys??

mikeschmidt · May 11, 2010 12:44PM

Claude -- the t/b centering has never bothered me on this issue, although the wide l/r borders can look quite bad. For example, the Gerry Coleman card you pictured I find highly distracting. But the Harvey Kuenn, Smoky Burgess examples -- the t/b is off, but not distracting at all. I would characterize the Joe Adc.ock as miscut.

Nonetheless, fantastic looking group of cards

1955 Bowman baseball set..highlights. New scans added with Stars!!

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