Question About 1959 Topps Original or Reprint?
 

Hi everyone -

First time poster here. I used to have a pretty large collection of cards years ago. Unfortunately, I gave most of that collection away. Really regret that. I did keep some of the cards though, thankfully. But I thought I'd try to collect some of the ones I used to have again.

Anyway, I was just wondering, with the 1959 Topps set, is there the danger of getting a reprint, when you think you're getting an original?

I've seen some reprints being sold on Ebay where the sellers point out that the cards don't have anything on them which would denote that it is a reprint.

I'm thinking that if this is the case, maybe sometimes, somebody might accidentally sell a reprint when they think they are selling an original.

I know that getting a graded card is the safest way to go. But are there any "identifiers" among the 59 set, which would alert the buyer that he got a reprint instead of an original?

I'm thinking perhaps the thickness of the card, faded backs, things like that.

Thanks in advance for any input you guys can give me.

I hope I am posting this in the correct forum...

I'm beginning to think I may have posted this in the wrong forum. My apologies. I don't know if this can be moved to the correct one. Still learning my way around!

PM Leon, he can move it to the correct section for you.

Thanks, I appreciate it.

Moved.
Since it is your first post we can let it be an introduction on the main page. I guess this would have gone in the regular pre-1980 baseball section as opposed to the BST where it was. No harm no foul.
Welcome and good luck in the hunt..

Ok, thanks a lot! :)

There are some reprint of individual cards, both legit reprints and reproductions... but it is only of certain players. I doubt the entire set would have been reprinted.

If you have a bunch of real 1959 (or any year) Topps, reprints will stand out in comparison. Check thickness, gloss, opacity (see through effect when held to light). Reprints will be obviously different, and often identified as reprints at first glance

Yeah, that's what I'm wondering. I don't think the entire set has been reprinted.

There were some cards apparently reprinted on the 50th anniversary of the set, with an insignia in the lower right hand corner saying "50th Anniversary". But there are some that again, that don't say anything. I ordered a Roger Maris reprint that I'm still expecting in the mail, to see if I can compare some of the cards I have questions about to it.

I still have to learn to post pictures here! But I have a couple of grey backs that look a little lighter than some of the other grey backs I have. I mean, I know there can be some variation with the print. But I wonder about these cards. And also, I have a few cards that feel a little thinner, including these grey backs that I'm talking about.

Btw, what kind of a light would you use? I read maybe a black light?

Once I figure out how to post some pics, I'll post some pics of these grey backs.

If those are foil stamped, they're probably original cards that were stamped to put in Topps Heritage as Insert cards. They are original 1959 cards, but were in packs recently.
They look like this:
https://img.comc.com/i/Baseball/2008...&size=original
2008 Topps Heritage - 1959 Topps Buybacks #453 - Les Moss
Courtesy of COMC.com

Yeah, these were the cards I was talking about. So wow, these are original? Ok, good to know! Thanks.

Lets be clear (and this is a pet peeve of mine) there are indeed legit reprints of 1959 Topps, made by Topps (since they obviously have the rights to reprint their own cards) but there lots of counterfeits around to. People use the words interchangeably when they are two different things. Reprints are a legal product produced by someone who owns or acquires the rights to do so. Companies like CCC and TCMA among others have done legit reprints as has Topps with their archives products among others. Counterfeits are done by people with no rights to produce them and is stealing someone else's intellectual property and with an intent to defraud.

I have seen counterfeit 1959 Topps (Hank Aaron sticks out in my memory) and the color on the reverse was just too intense and the stock was wrong.

Yeah, great point. I was actually using the word reprint, but I was also thinking counterfeit. My concern was about getting a card that I thought was legit, but was not the real thing. Right now, I'm concentrating on 1959 cards, but of course, this would be a concern when collecting any set.

This is my first thread here, and I thought I could just copy and paste a photo, but it doesn't seem like I can do that. I'd like to take some photos of some of the cards I have concerns about. I'm thinking I have to click one of the icons above where I'm writing.

I have a couple of cards with these faded grey backs. And then there are some that don't feel as sturdy as some others I have. I wonder if there was some variation in the card stock for the '59s.

59 Topps
 

Life comes at you fast. I put these cards in this binder page about 40 years to the day. These are the grey backs. The white backs seem clunkier or thicker stock to me. There are Topps gurus on here who can explain the set better than I, but technically I have been collecting it since 1979....

I would be comfortable buying all commons on ebay. There are specialty dealers who sell this set in large groups in all conditions, and Greg Morris breaks them down card by card in all conditions. Good luck, Rob

THANK YOU for that, Rob! I just checked out my grey backs vs. the white backs, and yes, the white backs are sturdier!

And right, the commons are probably going to be safe, I guess, as you say. I do have a couple of grey backs where the back does seem slightly more faded than the rest of the grey backs. One is an Al Dark and the other is a Tom Sturdivant. There may be some others, but I know those two for sure. But maybe that just had to do with how they were printed.

https://www.comc.com/ is a great place to by commons. You can purchase cards over time and then have them sent to you at one time to save a ton on shipping.

Hey, thanks. I have seen them on Ebay. I will look into them, for sure.

DO NOT buy from COMC through ebay. They jack the prices up and you don't get to stock pile cards and then have them shipped all at once to save on shipping.

Wow ok, hey thank you again. Really appreciate that.

Can't make up your mind? Is it faded or is it Dark? Can't have it both ways! :cool:

Another site I've used, especially for smaller bunches of commons, is Sportslots. Unlike COMC, the cards ship directly from the listers, so pay attention to who you are buying from so as not to rack up shipping charges from many different sellers. I believe there is an option that somehow all the cards from different sellers get shipped at once to you, but I've heard that isn't working so well.

I'm more impressed that they're still in side loading pages.

Right, faded or Dark!

Well, I'm beginning to think it's just Dark, faded, lol, because I ordered a reprint of a 1959 Topps Roger Maris, just to see what a reprint might feel like, and it arrived in the mail today, and it feels totally different than a real card. The reprint is much sheener and smoother on both sides, with the cardboard being a little thicker. The backs of real 59 Topps cards are not at all sheen. I'm not saying every reprint would feel like this necessarily, but as someone said above, it was immediately evident that the Maris card was a reprint. So, I'm thinking that all the cards I have, of the 59 set, including Al Dark, are legit.