Identity concerns
 

Yeah, me too - I find that it helps if you don't turn the lights on.:rolleyes:

You should have posted another card, Peter .... the 59 Musial is the epitome of meh. :)

He even looks like he's saying 'Meh'. Probably foreshadowing the season he was about to have; he showed up to spring training overweight and turned in such a clunker he took a 20% paycut the following year.

Did you mean Topps?

https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/ltIAA...eV/s-l1600.jpg

I realized my explanation wasn't particularly clear on this one, but yes more or less. Because of the whole contract situation with players and the card companies back then, and Mantle being with Bowman, we were deprived of a 1955 topps card of his, in that art style, was what I was trying to say.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-dUlIY3w9mW...0/55T+MICK.jpg

I don't have one favorite set, but I do have favorites. And I could choose other sets for some of these.

That being said:

Overrated: I'm going to say, Topps cards after 1974. When the '74's came out, I thought to myself, "Yeah well, they're nice enough, but they're too similar to the '73's with the white border". I stopped collecting after '74. While 1975 was a little different, Topps got into this white border thing. There wasn't enough of a difference really, in my opinion, between the sets. One could kind of make that argument about 1954 - 1956, and to some degree 1968-69. But the white border thing just went on and on. They got too generic.


Underrrated: The 1968 Topps set. I have a sentimental feeling about the set, because it was the first I really collected. I had collected a little bit in previous years, but '68 I really amassed a lot of cards. I wish I could describe the feeling that I got from looking at all the different cards. MLB was all new to me and each card had a feeling about it. From looking at the blue of the Dodgers team and the colors of the Pirates team card, to the cards of Herman Franks and Alvin Dark. I loved the backs of those cards as well. Oh, Ed Mathews has 509 home runs...he must be good! Each card was a world unto itself. The burlap borders were just fine with me, thank you very much.


Favorite: There are so many great sets. As I said, I could never just pick one. At this moment I'm feeling the 1969 Topps. I could also have put this under "Underrated". What an amazing design, and the pictures - they got them so right. The set is sort of an offshoot of the 1968 set, but it sort of clarifies that set. Again, some of the photos are great. The World Series run from that year was also one of their best, if not their best.


Least favorite: 1962 Topps. I was just never into the wood grain border thing. The cards are somber and not uplifting at all. If I had been collecting then, I would have been hoping and waiting for a better design the next year!

Yeah, the wood grain sets don't do it for me at all. 1955 B, 1962 T, even 1987 T, none of them. If they never do that style again I won't miss it.

The appeal of the 62s extends far into the future

https://r.search.yahoo.com/_ylt=A0ge...j3NMDzGroMPdY-

Overrated: 1952/1953 Topps.
I don't care for the art look. Give me photos.

Underrated: 1963 Fleer.
Nice design. I wish they would have had the opportunity to issue a complete set before the bully jumped in.

Favorite: 1961, 1962, & 1963 Post.
These are the cards I collected as a kid. Went to the commissary with my mom to pick out cereal boxes based on the cards I needed. Of the three years, the '63 have my favorite design.

Least Favorite: See Overrated.

Topps did not enjoin the Fleer 63 effort. There are several FTC proceedings in that period that discuss Fleer's complaint's about Topps' anti competitive behavior. Topps mostly prevailed. There are also sales figures in them indicating the Fleer 63 set did not sell well. A second series was originally planned and dropped.

The Topps contracts with players were exclusive only as to marketing the player's image with gum and confections, hence the Leaf 1960 marbles and Fleer 1963 cookies. It appears when it came to horrible gum or tasteless cookies, the market picked gum

I agree with you Mike that the 63 Fleer set is a very nice set, but like the great Bowman 1953 Color set which was also truncated, it was not a market success at the time

Everything I've seen written about the Fleer/Topps issue says Topps forced Fleer to stop. Here's an example:

https://waxpackgods.com/1963-fleer-baseball-cards/

Not having seen the actual legal papers (and not being a lawyer I probably wouldn't be able to translate it to human :D, sorry lawyers, I couldn't resist), I've always gone by second hand accounts. I did a quick search for something on it (hence the link above) and came up with squat regarding the 1963 case. I did find a legal document regarding the later suit that Fleer won and which paved the way to the '81 Fleer and Donruss sets.

Oh well, another myth shattered?

Interestingly, I do like the '55 Bowmans though! I like the style of the pics and can deal with the wood grain in the style of a TV. I also like the backs of those cards. I like the ones with the stories a lot.

If you take away the wood grain on the 62's and just look at the photography there are some really great images in that set.

Good point.