1950's Topps/Bowman question

[Lucas00]

Lots of people do.

Check out picturesofcardboard on Instagram for some really rough ones.

[G1911]

Tons of us do. I have most all Topps/Bowman cards from 1948-1975, plus lots of other sets, I don't even use penny sleeves for. Shoeboxes full of old cards, to handle and collect without panicking over a wrinkle or a bent corner. It's a lot of fun. Still not always cheap, but a lot cheaper and a lot more to collect that way.

[jayshum]

Originally Posted by G1911

Tons of us do. I have most all Topps/Bowman cards from 1948-1975, plus lots of other sets, I don't even use penny sleeves for. Shoeboxes full of old cards, to handle and collect without panicking over a wrinkle or a bent corner. It's a lot of fun. Still not always cheap, but a lot cheaper and a lot more to collect that way.

Same here. I have complete runs of Bowman and Topps sets, and everything pre-1975 is probably VG at best including my raw 1952 Topps Mantle that I have in a top loader.

[jchcollins]

I usually don't go for true beaters, but here is a thread from a few years back on midgrade / still presentable cards (with issues) that got a lot of traction -

https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=255366

Yes, certainly to the overall question. My objective with vintage is eye appeal. If I can get lower grade cards for a bargain that still meet my objectives with eye appeal, I'm all about that.

[vintagebaseballcardguy]

As I get older, I increasingly think this is the way. I could even be persuaded to approach the large 60s sets in this fashion. I'm 51. There's no way in the world I will ever be able to build 50s and 60s sets in high grade, and I honestly don't have the urge to do so. I'm happy to just have a copy of a given card. I don't want true beaters, but lower grade cards are fine with me. If it comes down to not having a set/card at all or having it in lower grade, I'd rather have a lower grade copy than none at all. For whatever reason, I never follow through and actually do this. I guess part of that is due to the fact that I'm spending less on the hobby overall than I once did. Another roadblock for me with collecting lower grade sets is I never seem to come across lower grade cards in quantity at a reasonable price. They must be out there somewhere, but I rarely see them. Many who sell lower grade cards want so much for them that it doesn't always make sense to go that route because better condition cards could be had for not that much more, and I end up right back where I started by not acting.

[darkhorse9]

I have a near complete run of Topps and Bowman sets from 1948-2025 (no 52 Topps High #'s). I'm working on 1939-1941 Play Ball sets.

I've never bought a card with a high grade. I buy almost everything raw. I do have standards, though.

No writing on the card, soft corners are okay but not rounded, centering shouldn't distract from the rest of the set. Any creases should be light.

Almost all my prewar cards would be graded a 1 or Auth, but I'm fine with that. I doubt much in my 1948-1956 collection would get higher than a 4 if I ever graded (which I won't)

I have everything in binders and I look at them frequently. I collect for fun, not profit. Everything I have goes to my non-collecting son so he can sell it when I'm gone. Whatever he gets is free money to him, so he's under strict instructions to waste that money on something fun.

[Section103]

All of the beautiful cards on Net54 can seriously skew your perspective of what is "normal". I still buy the best card I can afford, but given that my collection goals are lofty (for me), that means I own tons of low grade cards. Enjoy what you have with all of your heart and dont let comparison be the thief.