Over the next few weeks I will be celebrating a milestone recently reached in my 1956 Topps set build.
Just after my birthday last Saturday I received my 230th different card, leaving me with 112 left to acquire. My set build stands at 67.25%, a four-card purchase from COMC put me over 2/3 completion.
Some things to know before I show off all 230 of my singles across four posts:
- I officially started this set build when I started this blog! There's some symmetry about a foolish and seemingly endless undertaking that has been more rewarding than I could have imagined. Neither is finished, but it would be perfect if my final blog post was about the final card I need for this set.
- I initially attempted to complete the set in PSA 5 or better, so you will see a lot of slabbed singles. Pandemic pricing has had a permanent effect on sale prices of these cards, so an entirely PSA-graded set seems unpossible at this point.
- You're going to see some heavy hitters here. This is not meant to brag about my collection. I've made no secret of the fact that I have sold some incredible cards over the years to build 67% of this set. Was it worth it? Probably not, but I'll only regret saying goodbye to Trout and Judge and Bryant (Kris and Kobe) and McDavid and Crosby and Ovechkin if I fail to finish this set. If I succeed, I might retire from collecting completely. Can't imagine anything within my budget that could possibly top this.
The 1956 Topps set was broken up into four series. Series 1, which we'll look at today, is the largest chunk at 100 cards. Here's how my set shapes up so far.....
Series 1
1. Will Harridge - American League President
2. Warren Giles - National League President
3. Elmer Valo - Kansas City Athletics
4. Carlos Paula - Washington Senators
5. Ted Williams - Boston Red Sox
6. Ray Boone - Detroit Tigers
7. Ron Negray - Philadelphia Phillies RC
8. Walter Alston - Brooklyn Dodgers RC
9. Ruben Gomez - New York Giants
10. Warren Spahn - Milwaukee Braves
11. Chicago Cubs Team
12. Andy Carey - New York Yankees
13. Roy Face - Pittsburgh Pirates
14. Ken Boyer - St. Louis Cardinals
15. Ernie Banks - Chicago Cubs
16. Hector Lopez - Kansas City Athletics RC
17. Gene Conley - Milwaukee Braves
18. Dick Donovan - Chicago White Sox
19. Chuck Diering - Baltimore Orioles
20. Al Kaline - Detroit Tigers
21. Joe Collins - New York Yankees
22. Jim Finigan - Kansas City Athletics
23. Freddie Marsh - Baltimore Orioles
24. Dick Groat - Pittsburgh Pirates
25. Ted Kluszewski - Cincinnati Reds
26. Grady Hatton - Boston Red Sox
27. Nelson Burbrink - St. Louis Cardinals RC
28. Bobby Hofman - New York Giants
29. Jack Harshman - Chicago White Sox
30. Jackie Robinson - Brooklyn Dodgers
31. Hank Aaron - Milwaukee Braves
32. Frank House - Detroit Tigers
33. Roberto Clemente - Pittsburgh Pirates
34. Tom Brewer - Boston Red Sox
35. Al Rosen - Cleveland Indians
36. Rudy Minarcin - Cincinnati Reds
37. Alex Grammas - St. Louis Cardinals
38. Bob Kennedy - Chicago White Sox
39. Don Mossi - Cleveland Indians
40. Bob Turley - New York Yankees
41. Hank Sauer - Chicago Cubs
IG tip - Hank Sauer was the NL's MVP in 1952 |
42. Sandy Amoros - Brooklyn Dodgers
43. Ray Moore - Baltimore Orioles
44. Windy McCall - New York Giants
45. Gus Zernial - Kansas City Athletics
Here's a fun fact about this Zernial card: I have no idea where I got it. I have kept a record of every purchase for this set build - where I bought it, and the price I paid including shipping/tax. The only one I cannot trace is Gus here. [edit: bought it on eBay]
46. Gene Freese - Pittsburgh Pirates
47. Art Fowler - Cincinnati Reds
48. Jim Hegan - Cleveland Indians
49. Pedro Ramos - Washington Senators RC
50. Dusty Rhodes - New York Giants
51. Ernie Oravetz - Washington Senators RC
52. Bob Grim - New York Yankees
53. Arnie Portocarrero - Kansas City Athletics
54. Bob Keegan - Chicago White Sox
55. Wally Moon - St. Louis Cardinals
I made this mid-grade Moon mine for the pre-pandemic price of $6.63. Deals like that tricked me into thinking I could find players like Portocarrero and Paula for under $7 slabbed. Lol... not anymore... :/
56. Dale Long - Pittsburgh Pirates
57. Duke Maas - Detroit Tigers RC
Duke's given name was Duane. |
58. Ed Roebuck - Brooklyn Dodgers
59. Jose Santiago - Cleveland Indians RC
60. Mayo Smith - Philadelphia Phillies
It's interesting to me that Mayo here is one of only three managers/coaches in this set. (Good, cause there were at least five Hall of Famers managing in 1955 - not counting Alston.)
61. Bill Skowron - New York Yankees
62. Hal Smith - Baltimore Orioles
Fun fact: this one of two catchers named Hal Smith in the 1956 Topps set. The other Hal Smith also squatted for a bird team.
63. Roger Craig - Brooklyn Dodgers RC
67. Vic Power - Kansas City Athletics
68. Chuck Stobbs - Washington Senators
69. Chuck Tanner - Milwaukee Braves
70. Jim Rivera - Chicago White Sox
71. Frank Sullivan - Boston Red Sox
72. Philadelphia Phillies Team
There aren't many players in this set who are still living - probably less than 20. "Twig" here held on until 2021, passing away at age 95.
74. Jim King - Chicago Cubs RC
This poor guy toiled for the St. Louis Browns and both Washington Senators squads. Obviously he never played in a World Series. The only decent squad Sievers was ever involved with was the infamous 1964 Phillies - who traded him to the (second) Senators in mid-season.
76. Ray Crone - Milwaukee Braves
77. Harvey Haddix - St. Louis Cardinals
78. Herman Wehmeier - Philadelphia Phillies
79. Sandy Koufax - Brooklyn Dodgers
It all started with Sandy...
80. Gus Triandos - Baltimore Orioles
81. Wally Westlake - Philadelphia Phillies
82. Bill Renna - Kansas City Athletics
83. Karl Spooner - Brooklyn Dodgers
84. Babe Birrer - Detroit Tigers RC
Another nicknamed Bengal hurler here; Birrer's given name was Werner.
85. Cleveland Indians Team
86. Ray Jablonski - Cincinnati Reds
Thanks a lot, Soviet Union... |
91. Gail Harris - New York Giants
92. Red Wilson - Detroit Tigers
93. George Susce Jr. - Boston Red Sox
94. Ronnie Kline - Pittsburgh Pirates
I'm just now noticing that print circle on the left side of Kline's cap, and it bothers me. This is where my purchase log comes in handy; I feel better knowing I only paid $14.30 for this PSA 7 single. I'd be lucky to find a 5 at that price now.
95. Milwaukee Braves Team
Aaron... Mathews... Spahn... oof.
96. Bill Tremel - Chicago Cubs
97. Jerry Lynch - Pittsburgh Pirates
99. Don Zimmer - Brooklyn Dodgers
100. Baltimore Orioles Team
Next week we'll take a look at the slightly smaller second series, cards #101-180. (I will not have 79% of those!)
I know this was a long post and I tried to mix in some facts - and Easter eggs - to break up the monotony of scanned slabs. Let me know if you found anything interesting ;-)
Thanks for reading, and have a great weekend!
~
Chris, e-mail me your needs list for this set please. I don't have many dupes, but I do have some.
ReplyDeleteWow that is an amazing sight. I am 341 cards from completing my set.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I realize now about this set is Topps really put some thought and work into this set. Probably more than any other set in their history.
Roy Sievers was the preverbal semi-star when I was collecting in the 1980s. Him and Rocky Colavito
Some beautiful cards you have there. Good luck for finishing the set!
ReplyDeleteThis might be the most impressive post I've ever seen, card-wise. Wow. Hope you complete it!
ReplyDeleteVery cool! Are the unslabbed cards stored with the slabbed ones?
ReplyDeleteNo I have a graded card shoebox for the slabs and I put the free range singles in top loaders/separate box.
DeleteThis is awesome. Good luck on the rest!
ReplyDeleteCompleting the 1956 set was and always will be my biggest collecting achievement and that's with some of the cards in less-than-ideal condition. Good luck with your quest.
ReplyDeleteIt's so much fun looking at the cards in this set. Couldn't pick a favorite, there are so many great ones.
ReplyDeleteMy '56 set is the opposite of yours - condition varies so much and so much random trimming and dinging that it seems that no two are the same shape or size. I still need 282 cards, 83% of the set . . .
Looks like you posted your Zernial acquisition in October 2020. https://thepedestriancollector.blogspot.com/2020/10/big-mailday-and-big-announcement.html
Thank you!! I was able to find a receipt and now I know why the purchase never came up in my search:
Delete1956 TOPPS # 45 ZERNIAL (W) ATHLETICS PSA 5
Having seen some recent auctions for graded cards from this set, I found myself wondering how you were gonna be able to keep collecting it the way you had planned. Some of the prices have seemed quite high to me. Even the commons are ending well into the triple digits.
ReplyDelete