1962 Topps High Numbers

[BillP]

I'm a 60's collector and am about half way through the 62 set. Questions for the folks out there: Are the High Numbers plentiful? I get the condition sensitivity with the set itself, but the prices seem to be well below Beckett except when it comes to the Rookie Parade. Comparing the process of 66 & 67 selective SP's v the same in 62 looks like 62's can be had for lower.
I came across comments about the availability of 62 semi highs and highs from 10 years ago or so last night. The commentary seemed to point to the 6th series being tougher to collect than the 7th, except the last 8 cards.

So looking for feedback to help me gauge pricing on the last two series of the set.

thx billp

[Jim65]

When I was putting my Mets together, I don't think the '62 highs were hard to find, including the Rookie Parades.

[ALR-bishop]

http://www.sportscollectorsdaily.com/toughest-high-grade-1962-topps-high-numbers/
http://www.psacard.com/Articles/ArticleView/4374/set-registry-grainy-gems-a-look-at-the-1962-topps-baseball-card-set
http://www.sportscollectorsdigest.com/classiccard6

[savedfrommyspokes]

Most of the highs from 62 were easy for me to find at reasonable prices with the exception of the 570, 572 and 591-598 cards.

[BillP]

Most of the highs from 62 were easy for me to find at reasonable prices with the exception of the 570, 572 and 591-598 cards.

thx. for the replies guys. 76 cards in the series. I wonder if the final 8 rookie parade were printed separately as most all seem to call these SP's out as much more difficult than the remaining SP's.

[toppcat]

When I was putting my Mets together, I don't think the '62 highs were hard to find, including the Rookie Parades.

Same here. The Rookie Parade cards have been priced higher in the guides since as long as I have been in the hobby (33 years). Some sources allege they are short printed but I say hogwash to that. 61, 66 and 67 are all harder high number wise than the 62's.

[mckinneyj]

The rookie parade cards do command a considerable premium nowadays and seem rare enough in comparison that they deserve it. However, my recollection as a 8 year old back in 62 was that they were pretty common - and, they were the first cards that we'd flip or put into the spokes of our bikes. Who'd ever heard of Bob Uecker, Denis Menke, or Jim Hickman? Who wanted cards with 5 little heads floating in a sea of yellow? They were 5 guys we'd never heard of. For that matter us 8 year olds felt the same about team cards or manager's cards. I'm sure that our behavior contributed some to today's relative rarity.

[savedfrommyspokes]

The rookie parade cards do command a considerable premium nowadays and seem rare enough in comparison that they deserve it. However, my recollection as a 8 year old back in 62 was that they were pretty common - and, they were the first cards that we'd flip or put into the spokes of our bikes. Who'd ever heard of Bob Uecker, Denis Menke, or Jim Hickman? Who wanted cards with 5 little heads floating in a sea of yellow? They were 5 guys we'd never heard of. For that matter us 8 year olds felt the same about team cards or manager's cards. I'm sure that our behavior contributed some to today's relative rarity.


As a percentage to their "book value", I agree that these rookie parade cards do seem to sell at a higher percentage than most of the other high series cards, including the SPs. My guess as to why these cards command a higher percent of their BV is first the fact that there are five players representing in most cases five different teams on each card and are a must for a team set collector. More demand for each of these cards by team collectors (in theory 5 times more demand than for a single player card by a team set collector), I would think would help to positively influence the sell prices. Second, some key rookie cards for players like Uek, Pepitone, Hickman, McDowell, Bouton, etc can only positively help their demand.