Re-visiting an old 1954 Topps Canadian thread

[cubman1941]

Somehow I came across the old thread on 1954 Topps Canadian cards.

I know that only the first 50 were printed in gray but how hard is it to distinguish between the gray and white backs and are there any other distinguishing marks? The reason for the question is I see one on eBay but the back doesn't really look gray like the 56's.

Thanks.

[flkersn]

The difference is very obvious when cards are side-by-side. Unfortunately, most cards being offered on Ebay as 54T grays are not. I started contacting some of the sellers but got a lot of pushback. And the problem is growing. Putting the best spin on it, some of the sellers mistake "dingy" whites for gray. Some are even out of the 1-50 range.

Best plan is to really look at both backs. After some experience, it will be a lot more obvious

[rsdill2]

Agree with Bill, who is an expert (hi Bill).

The best way to tell is a side by side comparison. I know of no way to tell the difference on any of them by looking at the fronts.

Unfortunately, a side by side comparison is not possible on eBay. And it's become a real problem with people listing gray backs on eBay that aren't gray backs and nobody at eBay cares. Even PSA struggles with them and I've seen dozens of mislabeled PSA cards. I've reached out to PSA with my concern and it falls on deaf ears. I've been keeping a database on '54 gray back Jackie Robinson's that are PSA labeled. I estimate about HALF of the PSA labeled Jackie Robinson 1954 gray backs are mislabeled and are in fact the standard cream back. Crazy.

Individual scans don't always show it the best either. If a seller lists a '54 gray back, I always look at that sellers other items for sale and compare the backs of other '54s they may have listed.

Good luck out there, it's the wild west with '54 gray back identification.

[cubman1941]

Thanks to both of you. The one I looked at on eBay sure didn't look like a gray back. I guess my best bet is to check with reputable dealers or list what I want on our site.

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by flkersn

I started contacting some of the sellers but got a lot of pushback.

Take them off your reputable sellers list.



Incidentally, how much of a premium does a grey back 1954 Topps Baseball card fetch?

[rsdill2]

50x the value of a standard cream back, maybe even 100x. A vg common cream back may run you $5. A VG gray back will be $250 minimum. More for stars or high grade.

At least that’s a rough estimate.

So a pretty big deal when they’re mislabeled. Much more so that any other Topps year with back variations (52 grays notwithstanding, but for whatever reason those are usually not misidentified).

[Balticfox]

Originally Posted by rsdill2

50x the value of a standard cream back, maybe even 100x. A vg common cream back may run you $5. A VG gray back will be $250 minimum. More for stars or high grade.

At least that’s a rough estimate.

Well that explains why dealers are so touchy about the "grey" backs they have for sale.

[ValKehl]

Being a Pete Runnels collector because he was my favorite Washington Senator when I was a kid, I'm fortunate to have an example of his 1954 Topps card with the gray back. Here's a scan of the back of it along side an example of the common white back for comparison.