New to the forums and vintage collecting, starting my first project!
 

hi everyone...I guess first I'll introduce myself. My name's Travis (though most just call me T) and I live in the Phoenix area. I've been into card collecting off and on for about 10 years but the new stuff has just lost its appeal to me. The industry has shifted too much towards only being about the "big hit" and most other cards just don't have any value at all anymore...I decided I'd had enough.

So I knew that I wouldn't be able to just walk away from collecting altogether, so I decided that I'd venture into vintage collecting as I've always loved the look of them and they don't have any of the flaws of modern cards.

Over the years anytime I've ever looked at old cards, one design has always caught my eye as being one of the best looking old sets of all of em. The 1955 topps baseball. I love these cards! So for my first vintage project, I decided to dive right in and start working on putting this set together!

So far I've got a little less than 90 cards towards the set. I won't post them all up here, but I thought I'd post a couple of the highlights and then as I get new stuff in I'll put some pics up of those as well.

I'll post a link to my photobucket album at the end of this thread so you can take a look at everything I have in the set so far if you'd like to :)

As far as what I've got so far, these are probably my two best...

#123 Sandy Koufax RC
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0110.jpg

#124 Harmon Killebrew RC
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0113.jpg

thanks for the read! Look forward to hearing your comments and I'll keep the thread updated with new acquisitions!

http://s1193.photobucket.com/albums/...omplete%20Set/

*sorry the photos are kind of huge...I'll try to fix that with future posts ;)

Nice cards, and welcome!

Classic
 

Classic set, got to like the "big" cards pre-57. Lots of HOFers/rookies. Nice Koufax/Killebrew. Good luck. Here's my one and only '55 card:

http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/q...55Clemente.jpg

P.S. Not to sound like a wet blanket but be REALLY careful about building complete vintage sets and make sure you want to tie your $ up on a particular set...I've done so with the '57 and don't regret it all but have also fell into the trap of set building and ended up spending hundreds+ on common cards, etc. that in retrospect I later wish I spent elsewhere. For me, I think one or two full sets is achievable but the rest of my disposable income I would rather spend on a handful of key cards/rookies from each vintage set rather than spending that $ on commons/short prints, etc from one particular set just to finish that set....JMO

Agree with Patrick about spending big $$$ on quite a few commons, but then again, I collect stars and hall-of-famers, with an emphasis on prewar. A lot of the guys here are set collectors, however, and I also understand the appeal of that approach: you've essentially recreated the whole panorama of the single season (or group of seasons--see the 1926-1929 Exhbits Postcard backs, for example). It just depends on what you like, and whether your focus is on maximizing value appreciation over time or pure personal enjoyment. There's no right or wrong approach.

Personally, I think the '55's are the most beautiful set Topps ever produced. Sold some of them in high grade off a few years back, and regretted it, although the values may have declined. Still have the Killebrew rookie in PSA 8, since he's one of my favorite players and a most gracious gentleman to meet at autograph shows.

Larry

Excellent choice!
 

Should I ever develop the ability to focus my collection for longer than a month, '54, '55 and '56 Topps sets are all on my hit list [for fun, not investment]. All three sets boast spectacular cards.

My only '55 currently is Jackie Robinson, of which I do not have a scan handy.

Great looking start you've got going based on that album though.

Good luck with the rest of the project!

Regards,

Richard.

NB. Anyone know who the 4 unissued '55 Topps cards were supposed to depict?

thanks Ease, I appreciate it!

Nice Clemente!! hoping to get my hands on one of those sooner than later for my set...pretty much smooth sailing after that one, lol. Good advice about the set building. I'm planning to try and do a little of both. Work on a set and then spend some time just picking up some nice singles until I feel the urge to work on a set again :)

I agree with you Larry, I love the 55's! For me, its kind of a combination of factors. There's obviously a great deal of personal enjoyment for me in it and that great sense of accomplishment when a set is finally finished, but I also look at long term appreciation in value as a factor too. So I just have to find that happy medium, lol. Thanks for the comment!

Don't have a clue about the 4 unissued...might have to look into that. Wonder if one of them was slotted for Mantle in the hopes they could steal him away from Bowman?

I really like the 54 and 56 sets too along with the 53's. Just something about those particular sets that really grabs my attention. Second to those among my favorite topps baseball sets is the '62 which I may someday start working on.

Would love to see a scan of ur Jackie! Haven't gotten to that one yet in my set but I'm sure you'll be seeing a scan of it in this thread sooner or later!

You're exactly right. This thread wouldn't be complete without one eventually ;)

<img border="0" src="http://www.richardarmstrong.ca/Robinson/1955_Topps_Robinson.jpg" width="500">

I also have the 1955 Topps Double Header of Jackie [and Don Hoak], but it's just raw and I'm leary of trying to scan it.

And lastly, those unissued cards. I've always wondered if Mantle was one, and if Pee Wee Reese was as well, as both are absent from 1955, but featured in earlier and later Topps issues. I'll have to do some investigation...somebody must know more.

Regards,

Richard.

Koufax Rookie
 

Travis---you should read the Stephen King book "Needful Things"

Topps did a "reissue" of the missing cards in 2006 for the National Show and per Topps they are as follow:

#175 Stan Musial
#186 Whitey Ford
#203 Bob Feller
#209 Herb Score

Benn working on the 55 Topps Set for about 10 years now (Slabbed NRMT +) and it brings me great joy as I near its completion.

<a href="http://s875.photobucket.com/albums/ab318/toledo_mudhen/?action=view&amp;current=Musial175001.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i875.photobucket.com/albums/ab318/toledo_mudhen/Musial175001.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

1955 Topps
 

As one who has already finished the '55 Topps set in PSA 7 or better I don't have one regret about spending a lot of $$$ on commons to complete the set. Call me crazy but I love to collect complete sets. Although it took me 3 years to complete the set in high grade. With a little patience and a little money control anyone can collect a great vintage set.

Currently I am now working on a 56' Topps set in PSA 7 or better. In fact I just bought my last card of Series 1. I am now working on Series 2. Already got the Mantle out of the way and a couple of the the semi-stars. Mostly I am picking up the commons right now. Hope to pick up some HOF soon.

To me set collecting is the most rewarding thing in our hobby but of course that is just me.

Great set to start on and looking forward to seeing it come together. Goodluck!

Couple of my favorite cards from the set:

Well there you have it. Thanks for posting that list -- and that Musial. Great looking card.

Regards,

Richard.

1955 Topps
 

I also agree its a great looking set, Ive had the complete set many times over the years and ended up trading or selling it for other things.
I currently have loads of extras in 55T avail for trade including -
55T T.Willaims,Aaron,Banks,Spahn,J.Robby,Koufax,Clemen te,Hodges,Mays,Snider, also many Hi#s.
NOTE - most are low grade - G-F-P

It's a great looking set, no doubt. But as other posters alluded to, make sure you really want to use your resources to finish a set, as those commons get really expensive. I built the '56 Topps set but now wish I'd just bought a few key cards from the set and had $2000 left over from what I spent in commons. That would buy me a nice Mantle or Robinson.

hahaha...what're you tryin to say? ;)

bloody hell...NRMT+ all of em? that's awesome! I'm actually doing this 55 set ungraded just to kind of get myself started and get a feel for how I like set building (lovin it so far). One of these days, money permitting of course, I will probably try to put together a high grade slabbed set like that. Do you have your set scanned in a bucket somewhere? Would LOVE to take a look at it!

wow, awesome stuff! I definitely would like to work on a graded set eventually...I think that'd be really awesome (and fun to show off!) My problem is that the good Lord did not grace me with an abundance of patience...so I guess I'll have to train myself to take it slow :D

I think after finishing this set it'd make me very sad to unload it so hopefully I won't feel compelled to do that! lol.

yeah I hear ya. I think when I decide to start a graded set, it'll be something where I'll take it real slow (probably over several years) and work on other projects/pick up singles along the way to keep it all balanced and satisfy the various degrees and aspects of my obsession!!

Thanks for all the comments everyone!

It all depends upon what your mindset is about collecting. Some people are very happy to just own a few key cards from a set. Others are "type" collectors and make do with a single example of each set. Some collect HOF cards or subsets of such. Some people focus on a single player.

But some people are not happy unless they collect as they did as a kid. I was never happy having just a few cards from a set. If the manufacturer printed it as a set, I felt it was meant to be collected as a set.

That disease is called "set collecting."

Scratch whatever itches, and NEVER take advice from anyone on a message board, about how you should collect.

Collecting is a very personal expression. I am a devoted set builder, although I do dabble with star and HOF persuits on occasion, particularly where sets are cost prohibitive. As far as the large capital investment in commoms, to a true collector it's really shouldn't be an issue. In many ways, the commons are actually more fun.

so does that mean I should ignore yours as well? ;) Honestly I tend to do exactly what you just said...I scratch what itches...some may call that being inconsistent...I call it doing whatever tickles my fancy at the moment, lol. Right now that's set building...later I may decide I want to go with singles, and then later I may say I wanna do another set...regardless it'll be fun and that's really the whole point right? :p

I agree completely...I've always held the opinion that any given card is worth exactly what someone will pay for it. So if its worth it to you or me to spend a lot of money on commons in order to put a really nice set together, then that's that! :D

Well, I've picked up a few more nices ones for this set, just waiting for em to show up in the ol' mailbox so I should have some updated here soon!

I thoroughly enjoy completing sets and especially like the commons. So many of them I haven't seen before and can really appreciate the fresh photos and scanning the backgroud for period signs, fans, etc. I know what all the stars look like and am always excited for the first time I see a card I don't recognize. Complete the set! Your Koufax and Killer are very nice. Keep us updated and enjoy the chase!

that's an interesting perspective...and its true too. we all know what the stars look like but some of these other guys a lot of us may not be familiar with...so building a set like this is almost a history lesson in a way ;)

well I finally have my first update! these two were waiting for me in the mail when I got home tonight, and I dare say this is likely the biggest update of any that will follow because it includes the big kahuna!!

#2 Ted Williams

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0002.jpg

and the motherlode...

#164 Roberto Clemente!! (that nasty lookin scratch thing running down the side of his hat is from my scanner by the way not on the card :p )

http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0152.jpg

still got some more I'm waiting on...one of the things I bought was from a seller in Canada so it may take a while to get here :rolleyes: lol. Thanks for looking!

Got a lot of 24 in the mail today...15 that I needed and 9 that were dupes (some of which ended up being upgrades). That puts me over the halfway mark, woohoo!

Here's a couple of the highlights of the lot :)

#001 Dusty Rhodes
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0001.jpg

#031 Warren Spahn
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...0001-Copy2.jpg

more comin in...and I started my '54 Topps graded set (though that one will be much slower going) I'll start a thread up for that one once I've received my first card :cool:

'55 Topps
 

Great looking '55's, Edward! As I alluded to, I could look at the '55's for hours. Have sold '55 Banks in SGC Nmt-Mt+, Jackie Robinson in PSA 8, Al Kaline in PSA 7, Gil Hodges in PSA 8, Willie Mays in PSA 7 (high end), and wish I had them all back! What gives you a great deal of pleasure and enjoyment has a lot of value too!

Best of luck on your endeavor!

Larry

Mine should be the first advice you ignore!

lol...dunno where you got Edward from, my name's Travis ;) but I appreciate the nice comments at any rate! I find it always kinda sucks when you have a really nice card and end up selling it. You always wish you could get it back. Hopefully nothing comes up down the road that'll make me have to sell this '55 set. I'd like to be able to enjoy it for many years to come!

so if I ignore your advice about ignoring advice then... ;)

kind of a chicken and the egg argument yes? lol. I like the one that says "there's an exception to every rule" but is there an exception to that one?

ok sorry...too early in the morning to think that much, hahaha.

Been kinda slackin on the updates lately, so I'll just put up a big one this time to make up for it

Latest additions to the '55 topps set!

#4, Al Kaline
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0003.jpg

#28, Ernie Banks
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_008976.jpg

#47, Hank Aaron
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0039.jpg

#50, Jackie Robinson
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0044.jpg

#155, Eddie Mathews
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0142.jpg

#187, Gil Hodges
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0169.jpg

#189, Phil Rizzuto
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0171.jpg

#194, Willie Mays
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0175.jpg

#198, Yogi Berra
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0180.jpg

and the bookend...

#210, Duke Snider
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0187.jpg

That pretty much takes care of all the big dogs in the set...now the hunt begins for all those blasted commons! LOL. I'm a little past the half way mark now...woohoo!

Those are some good looking cards. Happy hunting on the remainder.

thanks! just added 14 more today (mostly just run of the mill commons, but they're in nice shape) past 60% done now!

Your burning through the set pretty quickly! I have been working on a 1954 Bowman set for about a year and a half off and on. I am down to only missing 35 cards, but in the meantime I have finished 5 other vintage sets. 1973-1977 Topps! Enjoying your progress, keep it up!

Great project, one that I completed and abandoned about 25 years ago. That 1955 Teddy Ballgame is perhaps my favorite Topps card of all time. Just a perfect composition right down to the team logo mirroring his follow-through. Close second in the set, for me, is Mays. Only gripe I have is that a lot of the cards used the same head shots as the 1954s.

Thanks darrend! Yeah I've gone thru this one pretty fast...my next project will take much longer but will be even more enjoyable :D

Yeah the 54's and 55's have pretty similar designs but I really like em both. Thanks for the comment Exhibitman!

I just wanted to join in this discussion. The first venture into vintage collecting I had was to build the '55 Topps set. My resons were slightly nieve but I took on the challenge none the less. Small set and no Mantle to worry about. It took about 2 years for me and loved it until I found myself worrying about all those commons. I ended up selling all of the commons off in one lot to help pay for my honeymoon. My only regret was I didn't think to takes some pictures to remember the experience. Great collection and I wish you luck. Keep the pics comming. It brings back good memories.
Drew

ask and ye shall receive! lol. I just got a bunch in the mail today from my recent shopping binge on ebay, lol. Up to about 86% of the set in hand now. Added all of the pics to my photobucket (link in signature). I'll keep em comin til its done! :D

more in the mail today...getting real close now! up to 189 out of 206...just 17 more to go and this baby's done! bucket updated with the new additions :D

Thanks for the pics! It brought back some good memories scrolling through them. Keep going and hopefully you'll knock this one out soon on to with the next one. Good Luck!
Drew

my pleasure, glad you are enjoying them! here's a few new additions I got in today :)

#108 - Rube Walker
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0098.jpg

#197 - Al Smith
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0177.jpg

#204 - Frank Smith
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0184.jpg

#206 - Pete Daley
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0186.jpg

#207 - Bill Consolo
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...t/IMG_0185.jpg

12 more to go!

hey Travis, beauty cards and welcome to the site

Sorry Travis, I don't know where I got Edward from either. The misnomer probably occurred because my earlier post was made at 3:48 am! But these truly are beautiful cards, and I agree with Adam re the Williams. I intend to go back to purchase the stars and hall-of-famers sometime in the future. The pure connoiseur in me (as opposed to my investment-oriented half) demands it!

Best of luck in your collecting!

Larry

What's the best deal (in your opinion) you have found so far in putting this set together? I bought my Clemente rookie PSA 3 for $250 and was pretty good with that. Then when I recieved the card the seller threw in 9 other Clemente cards with it (from 59 and into the 60's) Still can't believe it. I'm not sure he knew what he was doing

thanks I appreciate it!

I hear ya there bud...sometimes there's cards that you just gotta have! Thanks for the comment and kind words!

hmmm...I guess in terms of good deals, I'd have to go with a lot that I purchased. It included the Dusty Rhodes, Warren Spahn and 20 or so other cards and I got it for a little over $100 if memory serves, so I thought that was a pretty good pickup :) That's pretty damn cool that the guy threw in a bunch of freebie clemente's...can't go wrong with that!!

2 more in the mail today, so down to the final 10 that I need to wrap this baby up!! here are my latest additions:

#193 - Johnny Sain
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_0002-1.jpg

#195 - Ed Roebuck
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_0001-1.jpg

got these in today from a fellow board member, thanks Ed! just 5 more now!!!

#011 - Ferris Fain
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_0005-1.jpg

#016 - Roy Sievers
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_0003-1.jpg

#067 - Wally Moon
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_0004-1.jpg

#073 - Jack Shepard
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_0002-2.jpg

#184 - Harry Perkowski
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_0001-2.jpg

Well I checked the mail today and there were a few packages for me. I'm now down to needing just ONE card to complete this set...and the stink of it is it's a card that I bought on ebay over two weeks ago and it hasn't shown up yet!!! I guess that about figures :rolleyes:

Anyway...here are the new ones that I DID get :D

#092 - Don Zimmer
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_0001-3.jpg

#104 - Jack Harshman
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_0003-2.jpg

#180 - Clem Labine
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_0004-2.jpg

#201 - Sherm Lollar
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_0002-3.jpg

so, the last one that I BOUGHT was the Don Zimmer, but it looks like the last one I'll be receiving to finish this one up will be #24 - Hal Newhouser. Hope it gets here soon!!

Good job on a quick completion! Thanks for the updates and pictues. I'll always have a special place in my heart for this set
Drew

my pleasure Drew! really glad you enjoyed them :)

well here it is folks, the last one!

#024 - Hal Newhouser
http://i1193.photobucket.com/albums/...IMG_0001-4.jpg

and that's all she wrote! stick a fork in this set, it's done!!!! :D

Congrats! You put together a really great looking set!

thanks Ease! This was a lot of fun to put together and I'm hooked now! I initially wanted to just give set building a try...as many in this thread mentioned, I wasn't too sure how I'd feel about spending tons of money on commons. Having done it now though, I love it and find completing this project very rewarding and will definitely be doing more! Thanks to everyone for all of the comments and support...on to my next project!!

Congrats on a Job well done!
 

I am glad that you enjoyed the journey. Getting to the end in my opinion is always the most fun part of set collecting.

Next time pick a set that you can not finish in a month :rolleyes: :)

Anyways congrats on finishing your set and I look forward to your future projects.

Great job! Great set! Very much enjoyed your witnessing your progress. Good luck on the 54. Best wishes and keep posting!
Drew

haha, yeah I had sold off all of my current era football cards as I'd decided I didn't want to play that game anymore...just don't like how its going. So I have a big chunk of money to throw at something. trust me, finishing the set that fast was a fluke :)

my next project (one of em anyway) is a '54 Topps set graded PSA 7+ so kinda like the '56 one you're working on. That one will take me a whole lot longer but that's cool because the journey is always fun!

Thanks Drew! I've got a thread up now for my '54 set I'm working on so keep your eyes on that for updates and I'll probably end up starting up some other projects too. I'm really enjoying the vintage set building now that I've gotten up and running in it so I'll be around for a while! :D