March 21, 2019: Sports & Americana Auction
This lot is closed for bidding. Bidding ended on 3/21/2019
Travel back in time 64 years with this intriguing lot that features two handsome partial sets from 1955 Topps and 1955 Bowman baseball, plus seven of the coveted Red Man Tobacco cards that represented one of the great peripheral issues of the era. The absence of many of the key Hall of Famers from both issues alters the calculus a bit, but the importance of the two issues makes this a marvelous venture nonetheless, especially for a collector who might have some of those important keys just lying around and looking for a good home. The classic 1955 Topps Baseball partial set of 167/206 cards is offered here in a highly collectible condition of Very Good to Excellent, with some below and the emphasis probably to Very Good; almost two dozen cards edge up to Ex-Mt condition. The Bowman partial set (205/320) is in even better grades, essentially Excellent to Ex-Mt, with some below and the emphasis to Excellent, a condition level noticeably superior to how these cards are typically found in older collections. More than three dozen cards edge up to the upper end of the spectrum at Ex-Mt, a marvelous designation for an issue that was the final set in Bowman’s brief run in the baseball card business, an extremely condition-sensitive offering that features the wood-grain “television” borders that so easily reveal the slightest wear. A sharp No. 47 Henry Aaron in a PSA 4 holder headlines the 1955 Topps partial set that also features fellow Hall of Famers Billy Herman (Very Good), Hal Newhouser (VG-Ex) and Phil Rizzuto (VG). The missing numbers from 1955 Topps (39): No. 1, 2, 4, 5, 28, 31, 40, 50, 81, 100, 123, 124, 125, 145, 155, 156, 157, 161, 164, 166, 168, 179, 180, 181, 183, 187, 190, 191, 192, 194, 196, 197, 198, 200, 201, 204, 207, 208 and 210. The classic 1955 Bowman set is a popular milepost for serious collectors as the last issue produced by the Philadelphia-based Bowman before the company was bought out by Topps. This handsome partial set includes a single card with third-party grading: a PSA 5 No. 68 Elston Howard. A half-dozen Hall of Famers also share the spotlight: No. 1 Wilhelm – Very Good, 23 Kaline – Ex,103 Mathews – VG-Ex, 130 Ashburn – Ex, 171 Roberts – Ex-Mt and 213 Kell – VG-Ex. The missing numbers: No. 2, 10, 22, 25, 29, 33, 37, 38, 59, 60, 66, 67, 70, 88, 89, 97, 98, 102, 123, 134, 146, 158, 160, 168, 169, 170, 179, 183, 184, 191, 197, 202, 204, 219, 220, 225-235, 238-260, 262, 264-272, 275, 277-299, 301-311, 313, 315-320. The 1955 Red Man Tobacco card grouping includes five with tabs as indicated: Tabs – Bell – Ex, Consuegra – VG, Avila – Ex-Mt, Harshman – Ex and Jensen – VG-Ex; No Tabs – Shantz – Poor and McDougald – VG.
1955 Topps and 1955 Bowman Baseball Partial Sets and Red Mans (379 Cards)
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