1953 Bowman Color and B&W Card Backs

[ALR-bishop]

James---I also added the 16 card B&W extension set to my 64 card original
(65 with the 2nd Behan). Am glad to find out you have officially designated the extension as an accepted part of the set. Surely that will cause the value of that set to take off.

[toppcat]

PSA pops don't support the 97-112 SP theory, probably some weird shortage in a major find back in the day in the day led to the idea like the 1967 Topps Brooks Robinson.

[Volod]

Here is Ted Z's original complete article from BBC Mag. I believe he won't mind my posting it for the edification and enjoyment of those who have never seen it. I did have to edit it down, removing the illustrations, in order to make the text as readable as possible here under the posting size limitations. Still, probably best viewed using browser zoom control, if you have such.

[tedzan]

Hi Steve

I appreciate you posting the text of my 1953 BOWMAN article. Bob Lemke started this BASEBALL CARDS magazine in 1981.
It was a really great hobby publication during the 1980's.

I love this colorful picture in my article. Bob Lemke produced it for this article.




Gee, this invokes many fond memories of this great hobby during the 1980's.


TED Z

T206 Reference
.

[Volod]

You're right, Ted. I also enjoyed BBC mag while it was publishing in the 80's. Lemke and others there did a fine job of researching the available information on vintage card sets, and you and other experts in the field provided a lot of valuable material that would otherwise not have passed down to current hobbyists. Thanks for that.

[G1911]

I have never found 113-128 to be tougher than 97-112. They used to be listed separately in the catalogs, but I've found no factual basis to support that they are tough. The PSA pop report strongly suggests that they are not tougher (https://www.psacard.com/pop/baseball...an-color/34128), which is not gospel, but difficult to manipulate in this quantity when they're all 250-300 straight grade pops for commons. Very large sample size of this series.

I don't believe this old myth that they are tougher; perhaps the pack out meant some areas only some parts of a sheet in greater quantity than others, but on the whole, there's no real quantifiable evidence that suggests they are actually tougher. Also, it just doesn't pass the common sense test that half of a sheet would be scarcer.

A lot of things are said in the hobby that contradicts actual data and doesn't pass the smell test. This one should be put to bed, I think, unless non-subjective evidence can be mustered.

[tedzan]

"G1911" (you could at least give us your first name)

Anyhow, back in the 1980's & 1990's (when there were many collectors working on completing sets), I helped many of them with their various BOWMAN sets.
With respect to the 1953 BOWMAN set, I saw many, many want-lists AND the majority of the cards needed were #113 - 128.

So, you can call it a "myth" (or whatever)....however the empirical data says, you don't know what heck you are talking about.

Personally, I have completed FOUR sets of these 1953 BOWMAN's, and I can attest to the fact that this group of 16 cards (#113 - 128) are tougher than other
cards in this set. Especially cards #121 to 128.


TED Z

T206 Reference
.