AUTOGRAPHED: 1977 Topps #212 Jim Mason w/PSA/DNA Auction LOA (Blue Jays)

1956 Topps Pins
Checklist & Values

WOW ! Few issues compare to the 1956 Topps Pins set. The colorful and attractive 1-1/8" diameter pins were packaged with bubble gum and featured a color photo of player on front with a pin clasp on back. Many of the images for pins are the same as on the 1956 Topps cards. If you collect 1956 Topps cards than YOU MUST add at least one of these 1956 Topps Pin to your collection.

Packed with stars (no Mickey Mantle), the 1956 Topps Pins set also had a few scarcities such as Chuck Stobbs, Hector Lopez & Chuck Diering.

In the end, collectors of the day preferred cards to pins and Topps cut back the 1956 Topps Pin set from a planned 90 pins to just 60.

1956 Topps Baseball Pins checklist, values & prices

1953 Topps Baseball Cards
Checklist & Values

The 1953 Topps set is a collection of gorgeous portraits drawn by the leading sports artists of the day. Key cards in the 1953 Topps set include: Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays & Satchel Paige. Satchel Paige had his name spelled incorrectly (2 'L') on the card front.

As with all Topps sets from the 1950's & 1960's, 1953 Topps was issued in series, (#1-85, #86-165, #166-220 & #221-280) with the final series "High Numbers" the least produced, least available and thus the most costly. Topps and Bowman still at war likely accounts for the 6 missing #'s from the High Number series.

1953 Topps Baseball card checklist, values and prices.

Topps Vault & Proofs

Auctioneer Guernsey's went thru Topps offices gathering over 3,000 items for the auction. Topps spokesman reported auction sales of OVER $1.5 million !!! Additional sales were made from a mail-only auction. Collector Keith Olbermann, at the auction, described it as an archaeological dig.

Topps archive material continued to accumulate after the auction ending up with another treasure of over 250,000 transparencies, uncut sheets, color separations, art, photos, slides, proof sheets & wrappers, canceled checks, contracts and one-of-a-kind items to sell.

Topps Vault, Proofs & Blank-Backs

Baseball card collecting terms (part D-F)

Die-Cut A special card that differs from a basic card by "Die-Cutting", cutting away portions of the card to create a special design. Most are serially numbered & limited.

Error Card Baseball card history is filled with error cards, many of them very interesting. Hank Aaron is on 2 of my favorite error cards. Aaron's 1956 Topps card action photo shows Aaron sliding home but it is actually Willie Mays not Aaron. Topps again goofed on Aaron's 1957 "reversed negative" card showing Aaron batting left-handed.

"Error Cards" are usually found early in print runs and often corrected. When this correction happens a VARIATION is created. Some variations are extremely interesting and very expensive while others are totally boring and you wonder why they were even made.

Extended Set Also frequently called Update Set or Traded Set.
They are sets issued after the original release to update the regular set with new and traded players.

Facsimile Autograph is an autograph printed on a card to show what the player's actual signature looks like. They are not "real" autographs.

Factory Set are complete sets usually in special boxes produced by the manufacturer. "Hand-Collated Sets" are sets collectors have put together card by card from packs.

AUTOGRAPHED: 1977 Topps #212 Jim Mason w/PSA/DNA Auction LOA (Blue Jays)

1956 Topps Pins Checklist & Values

1953 Topps Baseball Cards Checklist & Values

Topps Vault & Proofs

1956 Topps Pins
Checklist & Values

1953 Topps Baseball Cards
Checklist & Values