Masterpieces and Uncommon Commons XXV
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on:
2/12/2010
The first major post WWII baseball card set was issued by the popular Bowman Company in 1948, with many young avid fans scrambling to their local stores to seize whatever bubble gum packs they could possibly afford. With Topps also releasing their first “Blue” and “Red” Back sets in 1951 as well as the prestigious 1952 Topps issue, it was obvious that the baseball card mania experienced in the 1930’s and beginning of the 1940’s was back on the map in full throttle! Bowman continued their prominent run of sets through the mid-1950’s with one of their premier sets the 1952 issue which included 252 subjects. Consisting of super bright coloring, these 2-1/16” x 3-1/8” gems included classic color art images taken from actual photographs with the reverse side gray shaded backs depicting brief player biographies. Many of the fans favorite players were issued in the 1952 Bowman set including the incomparable 1951 New York rookie stars Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays, each making their second appearance on a Bowman card. Of the total 252 subjects, many Hall of Famers, notable stars and rookie cards are included, making this a highly desirable early 1950’s issue. With that in mind, presented here is a breathtaking 1952 Bowman set, 100% complete, and currently ranked 8th on the PSA Set Registry with a spectacular 8.002 G.P.A./Set Rating! Furthermore, 251 of the 252 cards have been graded a PSA NM-MT 8 with only Ralph Branca’s specimen encapsulated in a PSA 9 holder (forgive us for that one)!
We can’t overemphasize the significant number of stars included in this monumental offering. Some of the immortal Hall of Famers include Mantle, Mays, Snider, Musial, Berra, Campanella, Rizzuto, Ashburn, Stengel, Spahn, Feller, Reese, etc….the list goes on and on. To reiterate, EVERY card with the exception of Ralph Branca (a PSA 9) has been graded a “NM-MT 8” with the consigner obviously “cherry picking” ALL of the 252 subjects! At the time this was written, the following statistical information relating to PSA’s “pop” report should assist you in having a clear understanding of the magnitude of this astounding offering:
• How impressive is the PSA 8.002 rating? Consider that PSA has currently encapsulated almost 41,000 cards from the 1952 Bowman set with the average grade approximately “6.5”. Therefore, this offering exceeds the average PSA grade by a solid “1.5” grade, an incredible favorable disparity!
• Only 3.2% (excluding qualifiers) of the total cards have achieved a higher grade than the 8.002 rating!
• 40% of the set’s cards are bested by only 3 or less subjects! This includes:
o 4 cards with NONE graded higher
o 7 cards with 1 graded higher
o 38 cards with 2 graded higher
o 52 cards with 3 graded higher
• An impressive 25 Hall of Famers and 6 notable rookie cards are included in the set.
Wow! Very impressive indeed considering the period of time it must have taken to assemble 251 cards in PSA 8 holders (don’t forget the one PSA 9)! Seldom does the avid enthusiast have the opportunity to capture a set of such pristine looking cards in one offering with a majority of the cards portraying pinnacle aesthetics via their brilliant colored hues, vivid contrast and clarity, dazzling white borders, fine centering, bold typography, sharp edging and pinpoint corners. The Bowman and Topps Gum Companies were fully responsible for re-igniting the card collecting craze that was temporarily put aside due to a world at war, with avid collectors always taking on the challenge of building their early pioneer type sets. What then could be more rewarding than claiming ownership of one of the best 1952 Bowman sets in existence via its stratospheric “8.0 G.P.A.” that is a sheer product of virtually every subject currently residing in a PSA 8 holder. The time is now to forge the painstaking task of seeking 252 high grade 1952 Bowman cards simply by placing the final bid for this virtually unparalleled offering!
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