Nice one! Sure is a keeper

Jansen, a fan favorite. For years people thought he was signaling the year "52" but in the reverse looking like "25".

Turned out, he has his 7th child, just prior to the photo https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...05b0eed2e2.jpg

Wow that is a nice Mantle. Congrats!

So will you do a PSA set registry? I eventually plan to even if many of the low commons get a 3-4 and high's get a 1.

I'm not planning to. Since every single low # common is raw (and many would be grade 2-3), just going to leave them alone.

The registry competition does seem fun. But that would mean effort :p

I hear you. I will break this up into stages. Grade the highs, HoF's, then maybe do by series.

I also will evaluate buying graded ones versus submitting mine as I like having everything in a binder.

I have a full 67 set and about 200 graded ones. I rarely lug the boxes down to look at the cards: 9 out of 10 times I reach for the binder.

This has come to a halt lately at 335/407.

When it comes to all those high numbers, seeing a possible "lifetime" project after all! Now that I managed to get the rest of the big cards, it makes you feel more impatient to have the whole set.

But I can't stomach paying triple the going rate for BIN leftovers

Naturally after the prior post, managed to get a few acceptable deals on small lots and singles of high number commons/minors.

Feeling a little closer now

352/407

A shopping spree with ebay bucks during this month.

One away from being past the halfway point for the high numbers!

358/407

Good stuff, John!

Continued good luck with your quest. :)

For the first time in awhile, there are new additions here. Key ones too!

Picked up Campanella and Reese from a forum member. Now the only main cards left are Hoyt Wilhelm and....for the love of god....Tony Bartirome.

360/407

https://i.imgur.com/9Zp4COi.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/YQpxfmc.jpg

Great looking cards. John!

Congrats! :)

Thanks Dale.

Now the question is: do I wait to see if Bartirome crashes eventually (or risk that situation getting even worse)?

What a beautiful set you are putting together! To me, this would be the ultimate set to have...maybe in the next life.

Appreciate it!

If I do finish putting this together, it will feel so surreal. Especially since it was built from scratch. And if that happens, I won't be concerned with upgrades or finding more challenges with it. Will just enjoy.

Sure there are some other vintage sets that I'll finish or find eventually, but nothing else in my collection will ever come close to this.

So many people love your '53 Bowmans too. I feel like one of the few who hasn't joined that ship :)

Three low grade PSA commons picked up.

I've joined the '52 Topps set builders page on facebook. It doesn't appear to get you any closer with the high numbers :rolleyes:

363/407

Every 4....is 1% closer

One more (very) low grade common picked up.

The race is (verrrrry) slow.

364/407

52 Topps
 

Great thread! I've made some good progress recently on my lower grade (G -- EX) set. Such a great group of cards...so pretty...this is one of my favorite cards in the set. Now I'm looking for the following:

261, 289, 311, 312, 315, 330, 343, 345, 351, 356, 362, 369, 370, 373, 376, 378, 379, 382, 384, 386, 392, 395, 396, 398, 399, 403, 404, 406, 407.

I am only putting together the HOFers and a few other cards I like (Zernial, Rosen, Minoso, etc.). I am down to a handful of cards I need.

Unfortunately, they are Rizzuto Snider Mays Mantle Reese Wilhelm and Matthews. :D

A PSA 2.5 Bartirome is now on its way (along with some commons). Am glad to get him out of the way. Because even though the evolution of the market in the last four years for that card is so bizarre, and it could crash at some point, you just don't know if it will get even more impossible in upcoming years.

I'd rather risk mine losing 600-700 in value than have to possibly two or three thousand more for it down the road, or have the supply dry up even more for it.

Down to 34 left now.

373/407

And one more common now coming from Ted. Two updates in an hour :eek:

374/407

Went against my own habits and bought the bvg 7.5.burgess. the ONLY high I've been able to add in months. Thanks again John, it's been fun watching

I haven’t bought 52’s in a while. Is the Tony B so expensive because that crazy guy bought so many of them? So did his strategy work?

I believe that is the case? Many, from what I understand were also purchasing them and then re-selling them to him as he was continuing his quest to purchase as many as he could? (Link below)
https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=211710

He succeeded in the value of the card going way up, though naturally there's no way of really knowing how many he had (or if/when he's sold them).

What stands out to me is that he began doing this over 5 years ago (but in all that time, nothing has changed with the card's "toughness" or price trend). Usually when there's a pump and dump or really artificial move higher in an asset's value, the rise and fall happens in just a matter of months. People are impatient to make their quick buck and move on.

But since that hasn't happened yet with the Bartirome after all this time, I didn't want to take the chance of the card (or the perception of it) continuing to get more difficult to find in upcoming years, and it becoming that much more expensive.

He has continued buying, and has not sold any to my knowledge. Last count, believe he had 50.

Assuming all those are his, he has 45 alone on the first page/first post I linked in the post above.

Is he still posting publicly about any of this? I figured he'd also been banned from other forums and who knows where else

I believe he is still lurking, but havent seen him post publically. His ID (s) has still been bidding on bartiromes.

Damned fine cards, John.

Appreciate it Adam.

I'm pleased with the eye appeal of the top of the set, and that I was able to get the big boys in grade 3 and most of the other huge cards in around grade 4 without breaking the bank. And all clean except for Jackie (even though it's a very weak 3, am glad to have gotten him at all just before the spike in recent months).

The commons (both high and low #) drag down the overall set grade a little since about half of them would be 1.5s or 2s, but that's ok. It's difficult enough to build this at all, much less get everything in at least VG

The Jackie card is the only regret (in regards to not seriously pursuing a copy pre-spike) I have had in building my 52 set...I simply waited way too long to find a Jackie as I had no idea this card would nearly double in value in such a short period of time. Earlier in the year, similar grades were going for almost half of what I paid for a copy last week.

In watching prices (as compared to typical market values) for the key cards in this set over the past 15 years, I noticed typically December is the best month to buy. Well this year that theory did not hold water as the Jackie was twice the price this December as it was last spring. I don't believe I have seen the Mantle, Mays or Mathews from this set double in value over any given 6 month period like the Jackie has.

Will the spike of this card continue in 2021?

The '52 Mays has had a big push lately (though it took awhile to participate much in the covid boom). But once it finally did, it caught up quick.

Mathews has still been a laggard this year though. To the point where Jackie may have passed it as the second-most valuable card in the set. Neck and neck now. For a card that has always been so prized and seen as so incredibly difficult, you would've thought it would do a little better.

As far as 2021, I'd be surprised if things didn't level off. When even the easier cards like Mays have spiked, that could be a sign that the overall pop (even for the "leaders" like Jackie) has about run its course

well, I am just watching and scheming and picking them up when it makes sense

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...0Reese%201.jpg

Which is made much easier by me not giving a damn about grade or slab.

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...Martin%201.jpg
https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...Snider%201.jpg

Though I will get a slab when it makes sense:

https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...ps%20Berra.jpg
https://photos.imageevent.com/exhibi...s%20Lemon.jpeg

Great cards! I detest grading and have cracked my share of cases. Love seeing these "pure" (not raw) cards!

Thing is I gravitate towards cards that looked like they did when i was a kid. My 1970s cards were pack-fresh but OC (Topps) and my vintage cards were well-loved. Makes it a lot easier to collect older cards on a reasonable budget.

That's just how I've always felt. Along with it being cheaper, I even enjoy having sets with some off-centered cards. A mix of all kinds of centering gives it more of a realistic feel.

My arbitrary cutoff for not minding "well-loved cards" is all vintage prior to 1972. That's the year that the sets start to really lose value and feel more modern. With this '52, I would have been fine with a full set of grade 1.5s, but the better deals for the HOFers ended up being in that 3-4 range.

What would a basic (ungraded) 1952 high number common generally cost in mid-grade? I know this is a wide open question, but just think of it conversationally. A guy at yesterday's show had 4 or 5 high numbers (looking ex or so) and I asked him what he would need to get for them, and just wanna see if it was in the right ballpark (pun intended).

Most of the PSA 5 Hi # commons in my set ran from $150-200...the centering of each card played caused any given card to fall on the lower or higher end of the range. I don't have any raw commons though, so I am unable to speak to raw prices.

Surprisingly the High's dont have as much disparity among grades as the low series. PSA 1-6 are usually below 400. I know it's weird, but Rosens big find of highs, unless you are 7 or better, kind of killed the mid grade market for highs. 75 for a psa 1 or 200 for a psa 4. There are exceptions for minor stars, but it is strange.


Myself, focused on solely dead centered cards after culling through probably 10,000 52s. From about good to VG, it doesn't matter, but centering is a must for me.

From what I've seen lately, ungraded high # commons in Ex average about $150

PSA 5 commons are getting an avg of $250 each now

Thanks for the replies, guys. The seller told me he needed between "$150 and a couple of hundred" for each of them. I wasn't going to fork out (and don't have) that kind of bread (especially without having any insight) to spend on them, but I wanted to make sure I didn't miss a cool opportunity.

Thought I'd share, best centered jackie and willie I could find decently priced. Jackie Was a psa 2.5, now a 2. Willie was also a psa 3. Both terribly undergraded, though willie has a little gouge under his chin

I'm about 50% complete, with 50% left to be graded. Missing Mantle and Matthews and unlikely to buy them at current prices.


https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...2e663c0fbe.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...9338ca4d36.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...26739be40f.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...ae5d89b491.jpg

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Did you submit these for a possible grade bump, Ted, but they went the other way, or is it something different than that?

I cracked them out. They look like no brainers for bumps

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I can maybe understand the Mays a little, but that Jackie?? I know a scan/pic doesn't tell the whole story but from here that is likely the nicest looking 2 Jackie I have ever seen! :confused:

Literally imperceptible wrinkle, 3/4 past the Dodgers logo on the far left

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I think you got a grader who was in a bad mood that day, Ted?

Seeing/reading this makes me even less likely to send any of my cards in as most have some sort of issue here or there.

Spending the money it would cost me to get some of my top/high value cards graded simply wouldn't be worth it.

Sorry to hear that happened, Ted.

Beautiful cards!

Thanks guys!

I'll even take some scuffing and turds on the fronts in lieu of centering

https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...79521da03e.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...0892809982.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...bf89237827.jpg

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That's some great stuff Ted. I can never keep track of what you need, how, and where ;)

Tonight I just got Dick Groat PSA 2 from everything that was up for auction tonight, a.k.a wheelbarrows of money going to PWCC for high numbers at record levels

It's a rough 2 on the front, but that card can't be had for less than 550-600 anywhere now otherwise (I don't count the one available BIN in a non-big 3 TPGer slab)

375/407

And your Bartirome received the same grade as your Robinson. :confused:

That's just not right.

I know Dale, live by the sword, die by the sword

1952 Topps
 

I picked up this beauty today. Closing in slowly on the set. Still looking for: 261, 311, 312, 345, 362, 373, 386, 396, 403, 407.

Very nice. I have always wondered why did they choose the pick of him with his eyes closed? Wonder how many cards exist with the player having their eyes closed? I bet someone out there collects just that thing haha!

Always thought he was just looking down.

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I did too but I think Campyfan is right, they look closed.

An SGC 2.5 Nuxhall picked up. Threw a modest offer out there (that I never thought would be accepted after last night's auctions), but it was.

Now that I was able to find that one and Groat (which are really getting tougher to snag without paying way up, so I feel fortunate)....if I can get Hoyt, which based on the last few posts, every one else is :p , then this will finally start to feel close.

376/407

It's been a long time since I've expressed disappointment with acquiring any of these, but unfortunately that happened today.

The Bartirome package arrived and I'm not happy. Most of the seven cards are worse than the pics, both graded and raw. The Bartirome is one of the worst psa 2.5s I’ve ever seen. The only mid grade one, a psa 4, has a minor bend across the top left quadrant that creases down that part of the back.

It’s almost bad enough to wonder if someone messed the with the cases. But since the raw ones are a disappointment too, he may have had just the worst of everything he was selling left. Plus there wouldn’t be much to gain by removing a legit PSA 4 high # common from a slab and replacing it with the equivalent of a 2.5-3. The cards smelled and felt real so they are likely authentic.

I’m probably not even going to confront him about it though, because replacing them is not worth the very minor value increases I’d have in the end after paying more expensive prices and new shipping/taxes/etc elsewhere. So I still plan on keeping them.

But I should’ve stuck to my instincts. Even though the seller was a veteran for this venue with a great rep, buying '52 highs from him in this spot just didn't feel quite right.

Hi John, sorry this happened.

was it someone from the board or via Ebay?

It wasn't anyone from this forum. Other than that, I think I'll hold off on any public info (until I decide for certain what to do)

Sorry to hear that, as that couldn’t have been a cheap transaction. I’d still say something, as there are certain expectations with those types of buys. If disclosure of condition and details were held back, I wouldn’t let that slide.

I’m also curious who this was from, as we probably go through some of the same sources for our cards. I’m chasing all the expensive stuff in my 52 high set, so I’m nervous of running into the same.

Thanks,
Bill

After thinking about it a little more (and looking back again at what I was shown), it wouldn't be quite right for me to bring anything up with the seller. He never hid anything or made any false claims about condition. And even though the pics of the commons weren't that big, if I'd asked for larger photos to learn more, he would have been quite likely to provide whatever I wanted ahead of time. Also, the prices weren't really out of line for what I did get.

Plus, after looking back at the (somewhat larger) pic of the Bartirome, there was more initial indication of the extent of the damage than I originally thought.

Basically, I got lazy with doing my due diligence on this one.

One more common. At this point, they all seem to count a little more

377/407

The simple fact you pulled a Bartirome away from the hoarder makes me smile. Hope the final 10% goes well

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I'm just glad that the majority is done. Still sometimes talk to Dale about how if we hadn't already gotten this far on the '52, there's no way we would now.

Below is a good representation of what you and countless others have seen happen since covid began for the set. First the Mays that 1100 bucks would get in late February, followed by the Mays that it got someone in an auction last night (plus fees for that one, no less):

https://i.imgur.com/OjIRNwl.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/3nN4K84.png

With the arrival of Pafko and Berra today, and Martin yesterday, I can now say my 52 Topps low number run is now complete!

With 35 highs still needed, and some spendy ones at that, it is going to be extremely tough for me to ever complete the whole set, but I must say, I am pretty happy to have finally completed the low number run! :)

Great stuff, eh, you hoser!! (Did I speak correct Canadian there? :rolleyes:)

Yep, that is spot on!

Thanks Jolly! :)

Nice way to finish it off, congrats!

Dale, congrats on completing the low numbers. Don't give up hope on completing the set.

Thanks Jay. :)

I am not entirely giving up but with these last 3 cards I was stung with having to pay duty on, so my chances of looking/obtaining high number cards from south of the border just became way more expensive and that is not a path I am going to continue to go down.

If I can acquire them up here that will be a different story but eliminating cards that come from the U.S., easily cuts my chances of finding/obtaining them by at least 75%, imo.

It was a fun run but like what I have been doing lately is collecting hockey cards from CDN sellers, and that has also been fun (and much cheaper) so that is what I will likely continue to do going forward for the time being anyways.

Hi Dale, I'd just keep plucking them off, and scouring the boards. I've been trying to pick up high number lots. Though only needing a handful of cards, it's been tough to locate them buried in lots for a fair price. Sadly, I just cant justify paying retail for the whole lot, mostly of which I do not need. Maybe I am going the way of the Dodo?


Also, grading fees and times have increased dframtically. I prefer to have my highs ( about 90% slabbed) and stars graded, and would submit nice commons at the $6 level. However the cheapest they may ever be is 8.50.

Has this helped the price of raw or graded commons? Picking up Vg lots at $5 per card, grading them, and having a card worth 13.50 after 10 months just doesn't do it for me. It's a losing proposition. What happens from here? Graded set collectors just give up? It just seems to be coming to a turning point.


I do have a decent lot of 50 to submit, and probably naother 50 which will just barely fit my set. I still need 230 graded, but at this point, aside from the ease factor in selling/pricing it seems like a fool's errand.

Oh, I will continue to look, Ted, but like I mentioned, the odds of me finding any/many has been severely reduced. I've noticed lately, reading Blowout, etc, that some are also seeing an increase in import duties so it's a gov't initiative that is being further enforced, imo, to collect taxes/stop people from purchasing items stateside.
I guess a way to avoid this would be for the sellers to stop marking the price of the contents on the outside of the shipping label, but not all want to do that for their own reasons and maybe some I don't understand? (insurance?)

Wilhelm snagged from a new listing.

With grade 4 Wilhelms pushing almost 2000 lately after fees, crossing this last big one off the list for 600 in an acceptable pr-fr (gotta love those old slabs) is fine with me. These cards only get tougher, it seems.

Not sure if the back has something on it or some paper loss, but at least it's not that bad. I prefer to think of it as something minor on the card, cause I've treated paper loss as a dealbreaker. Will go with that :p

378/407

https://i.imgur.com/DFZqDVN.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/WBV2ZcJ.jpg

Hey Hi series HOFer RC! I'd say ya did good

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Thanks!

And just found three more reasonable PSA 2 commons.

381/407

I just picked up my first lot of 52 Topps courtesy of Ted (Thanks Ted!). I'm by no means making a run at the set, but I'm happy to now have a few of these iconic cards. They truly are works of art in my opinion.

Mark