It's 1953..and you have a nickel..

[darkhorse9]

I'm curious as to people's thoughts on this.

Imagine it was 1953 and you were eight years old. You had seen a couple of the cards from both Bowman and Topps that your friends had and finally got a nickel to buy your own pack.

You run to the store and see boxes of both Bowman and Topps sitting there. Which one gets your nickel?

Remember...at this time there were no checklists so you had no idea which players were in which, and you certainly had no idea about future value since they would go into your shoe box.

Which one would you pick and why?


For me..I'd probably go with Bowman. Big clear color photos were quite a change. Also, that other one was just drawings. Boooring.

[Vintagevault13]

Interesting thread. Taking away current knowledge/preferences, I would probably have gone with Bowman and not the "new upstart" in 1953 since color photography was relatively new to cards at that time. Having said that, if I could go back in a time machine I would buy all the Topps I could get my hands on (Paige, Mantle, etc.).


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[Brianruns10]

'53 Topps in the hopes of scoring that Mantle card. Not to mention I'd be interested in finding out for myself if some anecdotes are true about the first series of '53s have some high number '52s added into the mix.

[GasHouseGang]

Knowing what I know now, and with my current prefences, it would be the 1953 Bowmans. However, when I was 8 I probably would have chosen the Topps cards since they are so colorful, and I liked the drawn cards. I'm thinking of the Batman cards that were out when I was a kid. I bought the "Black Bat" variety that were like comic book drawings, and I didn't like the photo's from the actual T.V. show nearly as much.

[KCRfan1]

I would go for the Bowman. In 1953, Topps is the new kid on the block and Bowman is what I am familiar with ( in all of my 8 years hypothetically ). Even at my pretend 8 years of age in 1953, I would hope that I would recognize the 1953 Bowmans as the most beautiful set ever produced at the time, and now, to date IMO.

[Republicaninmass]

53 topps, because (supposedly) they could hold 52 hi numbers!

[Bestdj777]

I would probably spend my money on candy.

[steve B]

I think it would depend on whether the Bowmans were color or the black and white.
Then maybe on whose gum I liked better.

Steve B

[the 'stache]

'53 Bowman Color, absolutely.

[marvymelvin]

I would buy 3 packs of Topps 52's from the bargain bin!!

[tedzan]

No guesswork here.....as a very young kid, I collected Sportscards from 1947-1953. I was a BOWMAN fan from 1948-1952; and, I bought (or traded) lots of BOWMAN's.

When TOPPS introduced their large size cards in 1952, I was fascinated by them. I stopped buying 1952 BOWMAN cards. So, in the Spring of 1953, I favored the TOPPS
cards over the photographic styled colorful BOWMAN cards.

It's my guess that many kids back then had the same sentiments as I did. Furthermore, TOPPS had better a distribution system than BOWMAN. 1953 TOPPS cards were
every where to be found. For example, certain areas in the South did not get 1953 BOWMAN low # cards (#1 - 112).

And, it's true....at the start, 1952 TOPPS Hi #'s were found with 1953 TOPPS 1st series cards (in certain areas in this country).


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TED Z

[KCRfan1]

Great insight to the times Ted. I always love your contributions!

[hammer]

53 Topps but I guess I am a Topps kid but if they were out I would pick up the 53 Bowmans because I loved baseball cards back then. And I was a fanatic.

[the 'stache]

Ok, my honest answer? I'd have gone outside and looked for another nickel, so I could buy a pack of both!

I love the early 50s Topps cards. But to me, the '53 Bowman Color set belongs in the pantheon of all-time great baseball card sets. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. More is less. Too many baseball cards (especially today) clutter cards with unnecessary information, logos, etc.

The '53 Bowman Color set didn't do that. I don't need to see "Eddie Mathews" name to know the guy I'm looking at is Eddie Mathews. If it's somebody I don't know, I can flip the card over. But for the greats of the game that played in the early to mid 50s, there's no bigger treat than to see them in their natural setting. The photography in that set was so beautiful. No set since then has surpassed it in sheer visual appeal.

When I think of the most beautiful sets, I think of the T206 set, Turkey Red, '14 and '15 Cracker Jack, '33 and '34 Goudey, and the 1953 Bowman Color. There are other great sets, but those are, for me, the very pinnacle.

[tedzan]

Please do not misconstrue my above comments. As a 14 year old kid in 1953, I had out-grown BB card collecting and was into cars and girls.

When I returned to the hobby in 1977, I first worked on upgrading and completing my 1952 Topps set and my Bowman sets (from my youth).
And, especially the 1953 Bowman Color and B/W sets.

In the process of constantly upgrading, I completed 4 color 1953 Bowman sets.

Furthermore....in 1985, I published a 5-page article on the 1953 Bowman set in Bob Lemke's Baseball Cards Magazine.






TED Z

[brett 75]

Ted Page 2-5 please ! Would like to finish the article if possible. Thanks ,Brett

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by brett 75

Ted Page 2-5 please ! Would like to finish the article if possible. Thanks ,Brett

Haha. I was going to say the same thing!!

[tedzan]

I will post the pages tomorrow.

I appreciate your interest in this.


TED Z

[tedzan]

Page 2





Page 3




TED Z
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[ALR-bishop]

Thanks for posting the article Ted. I started collecting in 1957 at age 7, so started and stayed with Topps. The 53 Bowman color set is the only Bowman set I have put together. I did it recently, mostly for the Musial who did not make his appearance on Topps cards until 1958. I really like the set. I do have an unopened 1953 Topps pack, but no 53 Bowman pack or wrapper

[KCRfan1]

Thanks for the article Ted, it was a nice morning read for me.

[ALR-bishop]

[tedzan]

I will post the last 2 pages later this afternoon. I have to run out now.

Thanks for your interest......and, if yoiu have any questions, feel free to ask me.



TED Z
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[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

Thanks for posting the article Ted. I started collecting in 1957 at age 7, so started and stayed with Topps. The 53 Bowman color set is the only Bowman set I have put together. I did it recently, mostly for the Musial who did not make his appearance on Topps cards until 1958. I really like the set. I do have an unopened 1953 Topps pack, but no 53 Bowman pack or wrapper

Two of my very favorite cards ever made. God, those are beautiful.

I will have them both before the year ends.

[Lueth2048]

1953 Bowman easily. 1953 Topps is the only large sized Topps set that I don't like. I like the hand drawn 1950-52 Bowman sets, but don't like the hand painted Topps set.

I remember reading the story about the 1953 Bowman's in Baseball Cards Magazine.

[hammer]

Great packs and cards. I wish those days were back again or find me a time machine.

[tedzan]

I consolidated all 5 pages here for your convenience.

Page 1




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Premium 3-card insert




I'd like to credit Bob Lemke (editor, BaseBall Cards Magazine) for the guidance he provided me on this article, and other Bowman
articles that I published (1983 - 1986) in his magazine.


TED Z
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[savedfrommyspokes]

Ted, I enjoyed your 53 Bowman article the day I picked up that issue 28 years ago and again recently when I reread it. The 53 Bowman set is my favorite of the Bowman sets....I am 134/160 on completing it.

[philliesphan]

I'd buy the Topps.

I really really love the Bowman Color photography and prefer it from a collecting standpoint today. However, I also fundamentally believe a baseball card should have the name of the player on front. For that reason alone, I'd go with Topps (which has beautiful artwork, names, etc.)

[GoldenAge50s]

This thread is taking me back!

As a 13 yr old in 1953, and already having collected cards from 8 yrs old up until then, there is no doubt what we waited for in 1953--the new, big size Topps cards!

After all the small Bowman's from '48 thru 1951, the 1952 Topps took me & my friends by storm! Here were some great big, colorful cards that were different! '52 Bowmans were still small & we couldn't wait to see what Topps would look like in 1953!

Spring 1953 came & we had TWO sets to collect, but Topps got the 1st nickles every time!

As it came to pass I bought both and to this day have my original 1953 Topps set and both of my original Bowman Color & B & W sets, complete from date of issue, but there is no doubt Topps was the new "most wanted"!

[Theoldprofessor]

I was 11 that year, and for my August birthday I asked for and received a BOX of 53 Topps hi numbers. I can remember opening them in the car, on the way back from the store. And yes, there was a Mays in there.

Best day of my childhood.