[Bigdaddy]

A couple of years ago I ran across a lot of about 2/3 of a 1957 Topps baseball set at a local card show. The dealer was selling the commons individually. As I looked through the pile, I noticed that not only were there no doubles, but they were in order and all had good registration and pretty good centering. I started to pull out a pile of them but then decided to make an offer for the entire lot with the idea that I'd put the set together. I got a really good deal on the bunch, but what I found out as we were discussing the pending deal is that they all had a letter written in ink on the back along with an ink stamp. The fronts were clean, but the backs had been 'marked', sort of a cattle brand if you will. I convinced myself that was OK, as some of the T206 guys actually collect back stamps, and besides, this was the back and not the front. I ended up also buying all the stars he had pulled out to sell individually, including Brooks RC, and made my way home with a bundle of 60 year old cards I had no intention of buying at the beginning of the show. I'll never forget what the dealer told me as we consummated the deal - "I might as well sell the whole lot as the landlord don't take baseball cards for rent".

I finished up the set at Chantilly in July of 2019, with Mick being the last card I needed. And as I look through the binder full of 1957s today, I'll glance at the back of a card to see if it was part of 'the find' or added later.

Enjoy your '55 Bowmans for what they are - a group of cards that have been together since 1955, enjoyed by the owner, and still together after so many seasons.