1952 Topps

[ALR-bishop]

According to Bob Lemke's article in the current edition of SCD only 44 of the players, coaches and managers pictured in the Topps 1952 set survive. The most recent casualty, Turk Lown

[Republicaninmass]

Rip, Mr Lown. A great responder ttm to his fans

[vintagewhitesox]

Al, any truth to the long time story that Topps dumped a bunch of the hi #s in the ocean, which accounts for the rarity of those cards?

[autograf]

I think Cy Berger of Topps fame was the one who said that and if he did, it's probably true. I know they're a pain in the butt to pick up. I'm up to 43 of the 97 now. And no Mantle. Powerball's up above $100M tomorrow night, so guess I'd better get out and get my ticket.

I'm up to about 80 autographed now after adding Kretlow, Snider, Irvin and Ashburn from National purchases.

Love some 1952 Topps. A beautiful set........64 years old, so any survivors have to be mid-80's at least. Like the greatest generation, they're dropping fast.

[Leon]

Originally Posted by autograf

I think Cy Berger of Topps fame was the one who said that and if he did, it's probably true. I know they're a pain in the butt to pick up. I'm up to 43 of the 97 now. And no Mantle. Powerball's up above $100M tomorrow night, so guess I'd better get out and get my ticket.

I'm up to about 80 autographed now after adding Kretlow, Snider, Irvin and Ashburn from National purchases.

Love some 1952 Topps. A beautiful set........64 years old, so any survivors have to be mid-80's at least. Like the greatest generation, they're dropping fast.

Been looking for high numbers for a short while. They don't come cheaply and aren't abundant, that is for sure.....

[ALR-bishop]

Sorry, pulled a Bob here

[ALR-bishop]

I think Berger started that rumor to cover the fact he was inserting the leftovers in Christmas rack packs

I do not think that hobby legend has ever been fully substantiated, but think Berger did encourage it. I think it is just as logical that not nearly as many high number sheets were produced in the later portions of that summer. Good thing the Mantle was a DP

The high numbers are easier to find and cheaper than the gray back "Canadians" at this point

[Bcwcardz]

Where does the ocean dump story come from. I know it's been legend for years but were there any witnesses to it, like seeing stacks of cards on a barge ect. ?

Sent from my SM-T350 using Tapatalk

[egri]

Originally Posted by ALR-bishop

According to Bob Lemke's article in the current edition of SCD only 44 of the players, coaches and managers pictured in the Topps 1952 set survive. The most recent casualty, Turk Lown

RIP Mr. Lown. He fought in the Battle of the Bulge, and wouldn't speak about it when he returned. A few years ago, Woody Paige did a column on Lown, and when he tried to ask about the war, Lown shut him down.

He signed TTM for me about two years ago.

[ALR-bishop]

Scott---thanks much for that link

[autograf]

Fantastic article. Never get tired reading those guys and how they structured their lives after baseball...stories about their wives and families and all that. Reminds me of my grandparents. Also and how baseball wasn't the cash cow that made the players set for life...at least most of them. They played cause they loved it and it was a living although not a huge one in most cases. He made it to 90, married 65 years with kids and grandkids. Most of us would sign on the dotted line right now.............

[autograf]

Just checked.......I have a single autographed 1952 high number.....you guessed it......Turk Lown.....

[irv]

Originally Posted by Republicaninmass

[I]


Maybe the reports are skewed as even a high number in psa 1 is worth quite a bit more than the grading fee? Except for the SP's in the high #200s, the highs, and a few in particular, are very tough. Try going to a show and finding any, and ask the dealers how quickly they sell.

Where can I find that info on which ones are tough to come by?
I notice, when looking on E-Bay, cards I have never seen before get a lot of bids and are gobbled up quickly, but that is all I have to go by.

Originally Posted by SMPEP

I'm not buying a 25% difference between the 5th and 6th series either. The 5th series cards are graded when they are in great condition. The 6th series cards are graded in any condition. You want a better reflection of the differences - try looking at PSA 7 5th series versus PSA 6th series cards. I still think that would be a bit inflated (as the last cards issued in each year were less novel and I bet they got destroyed less), but it would be a better proxy.

Cheers,
Patrick

I have been told to get all my high numbers graded quite a few times, regardless of the condition, and I guess I likely should?

Originally Posted by mikemb

Yea, and 5 years later when I was 15 years old, making $2.00 an hour and could afford to buy them, they were gone! Below is a page from the 1972 Wholesale Cards Co. catalogue (Bruce Yeko).

[IMG][/IMG]

Interesting. Even way back then collectors were snapping up the high series numbers.
Thanks for posting that up.

Originally Posted by autograf

Just checked.......I have a single autographed 1952 high number.....you guessed it......Turk Lown.....

I love hearing things like this!