As a kid in Alexandria, VA, I bought Topps 5-cent packs from 1955 - 1960. I don't recall seeing 1955 Bowman cards being sold at stores in my neighborhood, but I guess they were, as I was able to trade for several. Topps cards I found in packs back then include 1955 Clemente, Koufax, and Killebrew; all the Mantle cards from 1956 - 1960; plus most of the star cards of that period. I still have most of the star cards, but when I started collecting again, I traded many of the commons toward older cards. Unfortunately, not many of these cards survived in top condition, mainly due to the games my buddies and I played with them in an effort to win each other's cards. The very few that I have ever gotten graded are ones I was willing to sell/trade - these included my 1955T Clemente (traded it at the 2014 Cleveland National, because the abrasion on Clemente's face bothered me every time I looked at this card) and my 1955T Mantle (still have this card, but I never liked Mantle's image on this card, although I think most collectors do):
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