What was the best 1952 Topps card ..... in 1952?

[tedzan]

Here is the very Mantle card I acquired in the Fall of 1952. I paid a nickel at our neighborhood candy store, and opened
up a Topps waxpack expecting to get Mickey. I will never forget that day, as I very carefully shuffled thru the cards and
Mickey was in the middle of the stack.

Regular season was nearly ended and by then most baseball fans had become quite excited over this 20 year old rookie.
He had a great season with 171 Hits....23 HR's....scored 94 Runs....87 RBI's....and, batted .311.......what a coincidence,
Mickey's BB card number, how did TOPPS know that ?









Whoever here said that Mickey's card was probably a "common TOPPS card" in the Fall of 1952 when the High # series
cards were available is forgiven.


TED Z
.

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by tedzan

Here is the very Mantle card I acquired in the Fall of 1952. I paid a nickel at our neighborhood candy store, and opened
up a Topps waxpack expecting to get Mickey. I will never forget that day, as I very carefully shuffled thru the cards and
Mickey was in the middle of the stack.

Regular season was nearly ended and by then most baseball fans had become quite excited over this 20 year old rookie.
He had a great season with 171 Hits....23 HR's....scored 94 Runs....87 RBI's....and, batted .311.......what a coincidence,
Mickey's BB card number, how did TOPPS know that ?









Whoever here said that Mickey's card was probably a "common TOPPS card" in the Fall of 1952 when the High # series
cards were available is forgiven.


TED Z
.

cool story.....cool you kept that card all those years.

[irv]

Originally Posted by 1952boyntoncollector

cool story.....cool you kept that card all those years.

X2, Thanks for sharing, Ted.

I believe I mentioned this before, but I still find it odd that your card has roughly the same mark in almost the same spot as my Mickey.

I know it's going back a ways, but do you remember the card coming from the pack with that mark/crease on it?

[brian1961]

Originally Posted by tedzan

Here is the very Mantle card I acquired in the Fall of 1952. I paid a nickel at our neighborhood candy store, and opened
up a Topps waxpack expecting to get Mickey. I will never forget that day, as I very carefully shuffled thru the cards and
Mickey was in the middle of the stack.

Regular season was nearly ended and by then most baseball fans had become quite excited over this 20 year old rookie.
He had a great season with 171 Hits....23 HR's....scored 94 Runs....87 RBI's....and, batted .311.......what a coincidence,
Mickey's BB card number, how did TOPPS know that ?









Whoever here said that Mickey's card was probably a "common TOPPS card" in the Fall of 1952 when the High # series
cards were available is forgiven.


TED Z
.

To be sure, great story, Ted. Also to be sure about forgiving the chap who thought Mickey's Topps card was probably a "common" player. Now, having said that, I imagine that his Bowman counterpart would have initially been viewed as a common.

When Mantle went to spring training in 1952, his future was a question mark, since his terrible leg injury suffered during the second game of the 1951 World Series had not healed as yet. Moreover, weighing heavily on Mickey was the reality that his beloved father was dying. Extremely rough time for Mick. Shortly after the funeral, Casey put Mickey in center field, as he originally planned. The Bowman of Mantle is numbered 101, which off the top of my head would be a series two card, appearing in Bowman packs in May to early June.

--- Brian Powell

[tedzan]

Originally Posted by brian1961

To be sure, great story, Ted. Also to be sure about forgiving the chap who thought Mickey's Topps card was probably a "common" player. Now, having said that, I imagine that his Bowman counterpart would have initially been viewed as a common.

When Mantle went to spring training in 1952, his future was a question mark, since his terrible leg injury suffered during the second game of the 1951 World Series had not healed as yet. Moreover, weighing heavily on Mickey was the reality that his beloved father was dying. Extremely rough time for Mick. Shortly after the funeral, Casey put Mickey in center field, as he originally planned. The Bowman of Mantle is numbered 101, which off the top of my head would be a series two card, appearing in Bowman packs in May to early June.

--- Brian Powell

Hi Brian

You are correct....the 1952 BOWMAN MANTLE was issued in BOWMAN's 2nd series cards which were available circa late Spring/early Summer of 1952.

When the 1952 Baseball season started at the Stadium, there was a fair number of fans who would often boo Mickey, especially when he Struck Out or mis-played a ball in the Outfield.
To be fair to Mickey, a lot of this booing was also due to Joe DiMaggio's absence from the game. But, by the Summer of 1952, Mickey's excellent performance at bat and in the field had
turned around those boos into cheers. Indeed, Mickey was a very important factor in the Yankees winning the AL pennant that season. The Sporting News and the New York newspapers
really got on the "Mantle bandwagon".

I recall quite well when the 1952 TOPPS series of Hi #'s became available..mid-September 1952. And, by then Sports fans, and especially BB card collectors, were all very excited about acquiring anything associated with Mickey. Therefore, timing here has a lot to do with his TOPPS BB card being "hot", while his BOWMAN BB card not getting much respect.


TED Z
.

[irv]

Originally Posted by brian1961

To be sure, great story, Ted. Also to be sure about forgiving the chap who thought Mickey's Topps card was probably a "common" player. Now, having said that, I imagine that his Bowman counterpart would have initially been viewed as a common.

When Mantle went to spring training in 1952, his future was a question mark, since his terrible leg injury suffered during the second game of the 1951 World Series had not healed as yet. Moreover, weighing heavily on Mickey was the reality that his beloved father was dying. Extremely rough time for Mick. Shortly after the funeral, Casey put Mickey in center field, as he originally planned. The Bowman of Mantle is numbered 101, which off the top of my head would be a series two card, appearing in Bowman packs in May to early June.

--- Brian Powell

Originally Posted by tedzan

Hi Brian

You are correct....the 1952 BOWMAN MANTLE was issued in BOWMAN's 2nd series cards which were available circa late Spring/early Summer of 1952.

When the 1952 Baseball season started at the Stadium, there was a fair number of fans who would often boo Mickey, especially when he Struck Out or mis-played a ball in the Outfield.
To be fair to Mickey, a lot of this booing was also due to Joe DiMaggio's absence from the game. But, by the Summer of 1952, Mickey's excellent performance at bat and in the field had
turned around those boos into cheers. Indeed, Mickey was a very important factor in the Yankees winning the AL pennant that season. The Sporting News and the New York newspapers
really got on the "Mantle bandwagon".

I recall quite well when the 1952 TOPPS series of Hi #'s became available..mid-September 1952. And, by then Sports fans, and especially BB card collectors, were all very excited about acquiring anything associated with Mickey. Therefore, timing here has a lot to do with his TOPPS BB card being "hot", while his BOWMAN BB card not getting much respect.


TED Z
.

Info I didn't know about.

Thanks for sharing guys!

[ALR-bishop]

NYT 12-28-52


\

[SMPEP]

My Father-in-Law VERY actively collected the 1952 Topps set. To the point where 50 years later - I could show him a small part of a card and he could identify the card.

He was from NY and he traded as many cards as he could to get Mantle.

I won't even tell you how many he had in "pack fresh" condition.

When he first learned they had become valuable ... he called his mom. You all know the story of what had become of them.

Cheers,
Patrick

[savedfrommyspokes]

Originally Posted by SMPEP

When he first learned they had become valuable ... he called his mom. You all know the story of what had become of them.

Cheers,
Patrick

My Uncle could tell a similar story about the call to his Mom regarding his collection.....makes you wonder WHO dumped more 52 Mantles over the years, Sy Berger OR the Moms of the 1950s?

[1952boyntoncollector]

Originally Posted by SMPEP

My Father-in-Law VERY actively collected the 1952 Topps set. To the point where 50 years later - I could show him a small part of a card and he could identify the card.

He was from NY and he traded as many cards as he could to get Mantle.

I won't even tell you how many he had in "pack fresh" condition.

When he first learned they had become valuable ... he called his mom. You all know the story of what had become of them.

Cheers,
Patrick

Heck my grandfather had a shop in westchestor new york and sold those cards...i keep hearing how he has unopened stuff from 1952-55 that my mom inherited along with business related furniture and the like and she keeps delaying going to the storage when items were put there in the mid 1980s. We planning going there for the holidays..if find anything will let you know but assume nothing of value remains though she recognized the design of those cards from putting them in her bicycle etc...