1954 Topps Complete Set

[cubsfan-budman]

My favorite set! Nice job completing it!

[Harliduck]

Thanks for the comments!

Andy...wow, 10 years...I can't wait for your post of completion! Still very cool to me that there are others with similar goals. Good luck on your quest for the Aaron...I can say I never tire of that card. I think some day I will want another one, I miss the chase. I still find myself looking. It's a sickness. Kaline was my first of the big 3...I too love that card. I'd love to see a scan of yours...

[Harliduck]

Some fun facts on the 54s...

* I have or am working on just about every Topps vintage set, and this is the only time I have notice they have three cards from the same team IN A ROW.

#115 Rip Repulski - St. Louis Cardinals
#116 Steve Bilko - St. Louis Cardinals
#117 Solly Hemus - St. Louis Cardinals

*Only time twins have been pictured on the same card -
Ed & John O'Brie
This card is also considered Topps first multi-player card of them all

*First and Last card, same person - TWO base cards of the same player -
#1 Ted Williams
#250 Ted Williams

*Only time a card and player represents Four different teams -
#19 Johnny Lipon
- Pictured in Red Sox Uniform
- Listed on front as a Baltimore Oriole
- Listed on back as a Chicago White Sox
- Mentioned in the dialogue on back as a St. Louis Brown
Whats really funny is they misspelled his name, it's actually Johnny Lipton

* Rookie card of one the coolest trivia questions..."Who is the only player in sports history to win a World Series AND an NBA Championship? Also, the only player with multiple major sport Championships??"

- Gene Conley - Milwaukee Braves, Boston Celtics

*Last base card of a 1927 Murder's Row NY Yankee (Phillies Coach) -
- Earle Combs - HOF

* 20 HOFer's (21 HOF Cards)

*Topps paid $125 per contract, beating Bowmans $100. Ted Williams got $400!

* #204 Angel Scull NEVER made it too the big leagues

* There are 7 different color schemes -
- yellow, light blue, green, red, orange, dark orange, and white

* There are 60 Rookies in this set!!

* During the Bowman vs. Topps war, 82 players still appeared for both companies in 1954

* Who led the entire 1950's in hits?? Richie Ashburn...a 1995 HOFer...

* With RC of Hank Aaron, Al Kaline, and Ernie Banks, who were the AL & NL Rookies of the year in 1953??

AL - Harvey Kuenn
NL - Jim Gilliam

- Both had cards in 1954, although Gilliams RC is 1953

Sorry, I get obsessed with this sort of stuff! I could go on...

[brick]

Congratulations. Love that set. If I didn't already have one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel I would also do this set in mid grade.

[ALR-bishop]

60 rookies and 25 coaches/managers.

Congrats on the set

[t206blogcom]

Congrats! Job well done.

[cubsfan-budman]

Originally Posted by Harliduck

Some fun facts on the 54s...

* I have or am working on just about every Topps vintage set, and this is the only time I have notice they have three cards from the same team IN A ROW.

#115 Rip Repulski - St. Louis Cardinals
#116 Steve Bilko - St. Louis Cardinals
#117 Solly Hemus - St. Louis Cardinals

Sorry, I get obsessed with this sort of stuff! I could go on...

Awesome Trivia!

[sox1903wschamp]

Congrats John. Thank you for sharing.

[Harliduck]

Thanks all!

Nice cards Andy, thanks for posting. That Al is NICE...great card.

Al...25 coaches/managers...shows you how hard up they were! Still hard to think about all the players they couldn't get contracts for....imagining Mantle, Musial, Feller, ect on a 54 Topps card is crazy...of course those would have been PRICEY and I would't be done right now, haha.

[Cardboard Junkie]

Johnny Lipon is really Lipton?? Never heard that before. U sure?

[Zach Wheat]

[QUOTE=Harliduck;1113333]Some fun facts on the 54s...

*Only time a card and player represents Four different teams -
#19 Johnny Lipon
- Pictured in Red Sox Uniform
- Listed on front as a Baltimore Oriole
- Listed on back as a Chicago White Sox
- Mentioned in the dialogue on back as a St. Louis Brown
Whats really funny is they misspelled his name, it's actually Johnny Lipton

* Rookie card of one the coolest trivia questions..."Who is the only player in sports history to win a World Series AND an NBA Championship? Also, the only player with multiple major sport Championships??"

Congrats! And thanks for the fun bit of trivia...

[GoldenAge50s]

Whats really funny is they misspelled his name, it's actually Johnny Lipton


Not true Zack---Lipon is his correct name & spelling.

[brob28]

Congrats John! Anytime a vintage set is completed is time to celebrate. I completed a '56 set a few months ago and felt like a million bucks afterward. Good luck on your '61 set, I'm about 85% done with mine - another great set.

BTW - I'll guess a 6 on the Wilhelm due to the lower right corner looking a tad soft. Bottom line on it though, is it's a great looking card

[CobbSpikedMe]

Originally Posted by Harliduck

Thanks for the comments!

Andy...wow, 10 years...I can't wait for your post of completion! Still very cool to me that there are others with similar goals. Good luck on your quest for the Aaron...I can say I never tire of that card. I think some day I will want another one, I miss the chase. I still find myself looking. It's a sickness. Kaline was my first of the big 3...I too love that card. I'd love to see a scan of yours...

Hey John,

Yup, 10 years and counting. I picked up the Warren Spahn from Kit Young as one of my first real vintage cards when I got back into the hobby at the end of college. I also picked up my first T206 (Hannifan) and a 1956 Ernie Banks at the same time. I was hooked on vintage from then on and it's been a great ride. I decided to go after the entire 1954 Topps set no matter how long it took. There have been times where I've picked up a bunch of commons and times where I've only picked up a couple cards in an entire year. That's why it's taking so long. But I always planned on it being a very long journey and knew I wouldn't be killing the set quickly.

Here are a couple of my cards including my Kaline.

Thanks a lot,

AndyH