April 3, 2025: Spring Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 4/3/2025
Presented is a true rarity, one of the great Topps peripheral issues from the 1950s in a near-complete set, the colorful 1956 Pin set that remains a genuinely difficult search given the scarceness and condition sensitivity. The offered group of the 1 1/8th-inch in diameter pins is eight from being complete at 60, with eight of the keys being neatly ensconced in PSA holders. The whole near set of the unnumbered pins, raw and slabbed, is highlighted by an uncommonly clean and elegant presentation, with the bold, vivid background colors nicely showcasing the portraits, almost all employing the images used in the regular-issue Topps set that year. With pinbacks almost as-issued and problem free, any of the pins deemed less than Ex-Mt or Near-Mint are typically based on simply nominal wear at the edges, almost none of which significantly detracts from the presentation. Twenty-five years ago, we would have simply called this a Near-Mint group and be done with it. It comes out to roughly 75 percent being pretty evenly divided between Near-Mint and Ex-Mt, with the final 25 percent mostly VG-Ex. All of that said, here’s the breakdown: PSA Slabs (8) – Banks – PSA 6, Berra – PSA 7, Kaline – PSA 7, Mays – PSA 4, Mathews – PSA 7, Rizzuto – PSA 3, Snider – PSA 6 and Spahn – PSA 6; Raw (44) – Near-Mint – Boyer, Collins, Conley, Gomez, Haddix, Hatton, Hofman, Kennedy, Sauer, Al Smith, Hal Smith, Mayo Smith, Sullivan, Tremel, Turley, Wehmeier and Zernial; Ex-Mt – Amoros, Arroyo, Black, Boone, Groat, Harshman, Kluszewski, Long, Miranda, Moon, Negray, O’Brien, Paula, Rivera, Sievers and Spooner; VG-Ex – Donovan, Finigan, Fowler, McMillan, Mossi, Power, Rosen and Skowron; Very Good – Hegan and Triandos; and Fair – House. The missing pins (8) – Aaron, Diering, Hodges, Jensen, Lopez, Jackie Robinson, Stobbs and Ted Williams.
1956 Topps Baseball Pins High-Grade Near Set, Eight Keys Slabbed (52/60)
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