1952 Topps numbers??

[Republicaninmass]

I'd wager to say, he ain't a common!

Brooklyn Dodger, 4x all star, cubs hall of fame.

Certainly the allure of card #1 in topps foray into a post war monster must be the rest of the premium!

[cardsagain74]

Yep the 15-20x premium for all Pafkos has never made sense to me either. I guess the mystique and notoriety it gained from being tough in high grade filtered down to all of them.

I agree with Ted that it wouldn't be a common, but I don't think it should command more than maybe triple the typical low # common in low-mid grade.

And it actually used to be even more expensive (relative to the rest of the set) in mid grade. While Mickey, Willie, Jackie, and other notable '52s have obviously gone to the moon, a PSA 4 Pafko cost about the same today as it did a dozen years ago

[G1911]

Agreed, I have a red back and need a black back. It’s annoying the going rate for a common is so high. Pafko doesn’t carry much if any premium in most sets. His card is no tougher than any other in the 1st series.

[Kutcher55]

It’s a famous card and it’s the #1 card in the set. Not exactly rocket science. The other thing to mention is that the lower grade versions haven’t appreciated much at all in the past two years while most star cards from this era have exploded in value.

[ALR-bishop]

My theory is the Bartirome guy is secretly hoarding Pafko as well

[G1911]

I am hard pressed to think of a single other example of card #1 carrying such a huge premium in lower grades in a baseball card set.

[Tom S.]

Originally Posted by G1911

I am hard pressed to think of a single other example of card #1 carrying such a huge premium in lower grades in a baseball card set.

1933 Goudey Benny Bengough would be right up there IMO.

[cardsagain74]

Originally Posted by Kutcher55

It’s a famous card and it’s the #1 card in the set. Not exactly rocket science. The other thing to mention is that the lower grade versions haven’t appreciated much at all in the past two years while most star cards from this era have exploded in value.

Apparently the rest of us are too dense to figure out the matter as clearly as you have, but it's not that famous (outside of serious collector circles).

As mentioned, it's an easy card to get in low-mid grade. And most are a little surprised that it carries such an extreme card #1 premium (even for '52) relative to other vintage sets in those grades.

That's not exactly rocket science either.

[ALBB]

If your selling it, it's - hey, this is a very tough card, back then kids stacked their cards and the #1 card was always abused( ignoring the fact that the card is beat to hell ! )

If you buying it, its - Hey ,I know its hard to find in real nice shape,because back then kids stacked their cards and the #1 card was always abused (ignoring the fact that that never seemed to matter when selling 52T Pafko )

[Kutcher55]

Originally Posted by cardsagain74

Apparently the rest of us are too dense to figure out the matter as clearly as you have, but it's not that famous (outside of serious collector circles).

As mentioned, it's an easy card to get in low-mid grade. And most are a little surprised that it carries such an extreme card #1 premium (even for '52) relative to other vintage sets in those grades.

That's not exactly rocket science either.

The card is famous for people who collect vintage baseball cards and certainly for anyone building a 52 set. Is it as famous as the 52 Mantle? No but the card has cache. Do you disagree? I didn’t think so. So it’s not exactly a mystery as to why it holds value far above random 52 Topps commons, which was the question initially raised. It’s a prized card for a lot of people. I own a modest SGC 2.5 and when I was able to get such a famous card a couple of years ago for only $200 I was thrilled. You might not like it or agree with it, but hey it’s not exactly rocket science! It doesn’t make you a fool if you don’t think it should carry a premium, but it is somewhat foolish that you are apparently unwilling to accept the reasons why low graded versions are still somewhat expensive. It’s not even really subject to debate that the card is a famous one and significantly more in demand than some random common.

[cardsagain74]

Originally Posted by Kutcher55

The card is famous for people who collect vintage baseball cards and certainly for anyone building a 52 set. Is it as famous as the 52 Mantle? No but the card has cache. Do you disagree? I didn’t think so. So it’s not exactly a mystery as to why it holds value far above random 52 Topps commons, which was the question initially raised. It’s a prized card for a lot of people. I own a modest SGC 2.5 and when I was able to get such a famous card a couple of years ago for only $200 I was thrilled. You might not like it or agree with it, but hey it’s not exactly rocket science! It doesn’t make you a fool if you don’t think it should carry a premium, but it is somewhat foolish that you are apparently unwilling to accept the reasons why low graded versions are still somewhat expensive. It’s not even really subject to debate that the card is a famous one and significantly more in demand than some random common.

I didn't say it shouldn't carry a premium. That is beyond clear from my posts above. I said 20x seems excessive for low-mid grades in always abundant supply. 20x is more than "somewhat" expensive.

Plenty agree. Some don't. Your opinion is not the end-all authority on the matter.

But the marketplace is. And for the OP, naturally you just have to either accept it or not build the whole set.

I've been through it. If you think Pafko is bad, try spending a thousand bucks on Tony Bartirome (because of some scamming jackass). That was the only card that made me grit my teeth for a second.

Would still do it all over again though. The end goal was worth it!