1952 and 1953 Topps Cards

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Posted By: T206Collector

I have an opportunity to purchase about a shoebox full of early 1950's Topps baseball cards next weekend from a family friend, who has had them since childhood. I had an opportunity to see these cards about 15 years ago as a teenager, and the owner gave me a couple of 1952 Topps commons for my interest, but was not selling (and back then, I couldn't have afforded it anyway). Now the owner is 15 years older and has no one in his family that he wants to hand down his cards to, so he is turning to me, either to buy them outright or help him sell them at a fair price. I am very familiar with the prices of T206 cards, but other than reviewing a price guide, I do not have any real familiarity with early Topps issues.

I am looking for answers to a few questions about the 1952 and 1953 Topps sets. Putting aside the Hall of Famers, what is a good value for common cards in those sets? If memory serves me (again, I haven't seen these cards in 15 years) these cards will be in approximately VG condition, by and large, with some that would grade out at a 4, but more than would grade out at a 2. What would an average common 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5's sell for on eBay? What's a good buy/sell price? What do I need to know about high number commons?

Any information that you can provide would be appreciated. I'll keep you posted on what happens. It may be that I will be soliciting offers from many of you down the road.