THIS is it Folks! The Complete 1952 Topps Baseball Card Set - All 407 Cards Come PSA Encapsulated and Graded In This One Incredible Lot!
Appropriately titled the "1952 Topps Dream Set" on the PSA Registry with an amazing 5.86 Grade Point Average!
This “Excellent/Mint” Grade Set is 100% PSA Graded Where Every Card is Graded Between PSA EX 5 & NM-MT 8 as Follows:
51 Cards Graded PSA EX 5
6 Cards Graded PSA EX+ 5.5
275 Cards Graded PSA EX-MT 6
10 Cards Graded PSA EX-MT+ 6.5
58 Cards Graded PSA NM 7
7 Cards Graded PSA NM-MT 8
The 1952 Topps Baseball Card Set Details:
In 1951, Topps produced a set of game cards featuring a limited roster, absent of most of the game's stars. Topps' inaugural set failed to provide meaningful competition to rival Bowman, whose cards had been a candy store fixture since 1948, and contained all of the era's key players. In response, Topps adopted the 'bigger is better' mentality and released an aggressive set for 1952 they described as 'giant size' - not just for producing large-format cards that measured 2 ?" by 3 ¾", but also for including an expanded checklist in six series that tallied some 407 cards.
The large-format cards had a direct impact in becoming immediately popular with collectors. First, larger cards resulted in larger packs, which in turn resulted in larger boxes. These large boxes took up a lot of real estate on the sales counter and caught the eye of consumers more easily. Secondly, Topps put the added size to good use by utilizing vibrant color photography on the front and placing additional statistics and biographical material on the reverse. The result was not only a more attractive trading card, but a more informative one as well, and it proved a winning combination with collectors.
Topps staggered their 1952 release in six series, which was designed not only to provide consistent sales throughout the year but also to build anticipation among collectors who awaited the release of their favorite player's card. Cards in this set featured numerous Hall of Fame Players including Warren Spahn, Robin Roberts, Enos Slaughter, Bob Feller, Red Schoendienst, Richie Ashburn, Larry Doby, George Kell, Bob Lemon, Early Wynn, and Eddie Mathews. An emphasis was placed on stars of the New York area following the most memorable pennant race in history when Giants slugger Bobby Thomson hit the 'shot heard round the world' off Dodgers hurler Ralph Branca. The Giants would go on to lose the World Series to the Yankees, but in the process established New York as the capital of 'baseball'. The Yankees are well represented with Hall of Famers Phil Rizzuto, Johnny Mize, Yogi Berra, Bill Dickey, and Mickey Mantle. The Dodgers checklist is loaded with the likes of Jackie Robinson, Roy Campanella, Pee Wee Reese, Billy Herman, and Dick Williams. The Giants are represented by Monte Irvin, Willie Mays, Leo Durocher, and Hoyt Wilhelm.
The PSA Set Registry Description of the 1952 Topps Baseball Card Set states that it’s “The Holly Grail of Modern Day Cards” As a result of the popularity of set registries, collectors have engaged in fierce competition to obtain these cards causing their value to continually rise. Given the fact that the set is now more than 70 years old, finding cards that have survived in Ex+ condition can be difficult - as many in 1952 viewed them as 'toys' and an emphasis was not placed on condition. Countless 1952 cards were battered and beaten in bicycle spokes or while being flipped down a wall as part of a popular game that resulted in countless cards changing hands. Still more were simply tossed into the trash by Spring Cleaning Mom’s who never dreamed that their act of destruction helped turn the scarce surviving 1952 Topps Baseball Cards turn into today’s “Cardboard Gold”.
Key Cards in the Set:
The Key Card in the 1952 set is The Iconic 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle #311 card, which features the youthful image of the Great New York Yankees center fielder. This Set Includes an Amazing “Pack Fresh” PSA Near Mint/Mint 8 (OC) Version of this Collectors Dream Card!
With Joe DiMaggio's retirement following the 1951 World Series, the Yankees became the young Mantle's team and the spotlight of the nation's largest city fell upon him. Capitalizing on this, Topps released his card as the first card in the sixth series. The longevity of the Topps brand and the popularity of the 1952 set have made this the most popular card ever produced and the most valuable card of the post-war period.
No athlete in the history of the hobby has more individually significant cards than Mantle, and the most important Mantle card is, arguably, the most important baseball card in the entire industry. If you were to select one card to act as the poster child or the symbol of baseball card collecting, it would be the 1952 Topps Mantle #311. The 1952 Topps card has taken on a life of its own. The card is more pop-culture art than a mere baseball card at this point. There is no doubt that it is the anchor of the most important baseball card set ever made, but the power of its image is greater than the sum of the card’s parts or attributes. If there were a Mount Rushmore of cards and it was limited to one spot, this card would get it every time.
Card #261 features the card of the player who would challenge Mantle for the title of the game's greatest star in the 1950s and 60s: Willie Mays. This set includes a PSA EX 5 Graded Example of this Mays Card.
In 1951, Willie Mays won the National League Rookie of the Year and led his Giants to the World Series. Although they failed to win, he had established himself as one of the game's bright young stars. The image of young Mays playing stickball in the streets of New York, combined with his 'Say Hey' catchphrase, made him incredibly popular, which makes this card highly desired by collectors for the same reasons that have driven the value of the Mantle card in this set.
Another card of note in the 1952 set is that of Brooklyn Dodger Andy Pafko. Up until the 1980s, collectors would often keep their cards unprotected and bound together by rubber bands. As a result, the first and last cards in the set would succumb to the pressure of the band and become wrinkled and sometimes heavily creased. Pafko is featured as card #1 in the set and has become forever linked with the 'condition rarity' associated with vintage sets. Both the First (Pafko) and last (#407 Eddie Mathews) cards in this set are Graded PSA Ex 5.
High Numbers:
The sixth series, starting with the Mickey Mantle Rookie Card (#311) and ending with the last card in the set (Eddie Mathews #407), are considered the 'High Numbers'. These cards are more difficult to obtain than cards issued earlier in the year, and as a result they sell for a much higher premium. Many reasons have been given for the shortage, with the most common explanation being that they were issued during a time when the baseball season had ended and football was leading the sports pages. It has been widely stated that the unsold sixth series cards were disposed of by Topps - and like most trash from the New York City area - were dumped offshore into the Atlantic Ocean. Regardless of the reason, modern population reports have confirmed the shortage and heightened collector's desire for these 6th Series High Numbered Cards.
In addition to Mickey Mantle, there are several key cards issued in the high numbers. Among these is card #312 featuring Jackie Robinson, who many consider to be the most important individual to play the game, (PSA EX 5) and card #314 containing Roy Campanella, (PSA EX/MT 6) who would win three MVP awards. Finally, another valuable card in the set is that of Hall of Fame third baseman Eddie Mathews, a member of the Elite 500 home run club. Mathews is contained on card #407 in the set, which means not only is it a high number, but it is also the last card in the set, and subject to the same condition issues as the aforementioned Pafko card.
This 1952 Topps Baseball Card Set is the set that the baby boomers turned to during the card boom of the 1980s, cementing its popularity and value with collectors over the decades that followed. The simple, yet memorable design, combined with legendary star power and iconic Topps Rookie cards such as Mantle, Mathews, and Mays have made 1952 Topps the most popular set of the post-war era.
For an Even More Detailed List of Every PSA Grade of Every Card in This Set, Go to The PSA Registry Website and Search "1952 Topps Dream Set" Under the 1952 Topps Sets Category To View All 407 Actual Card Grades.
ESPN aired a report on the current card market where they sated: "The Recent Card Market is Booming with Modern Cards Like Mike Trout, Luka Doncic, and Lebron James, literally selling for millions, but consider the long term investment of more Vintage Cards, like the Classic 1952 Baseball Card Set". We agree. Luka Doncic is a great young player, but when you think about it, would you rather pay $4.6 Million for a Doncic Card, and $3.9 Million For a Mike Trout Card - as reported - or have this Landmark 1952 High-Grade Topps Complete Baseball Card set for a Fraction of that price? Most Educated Collectors know that this Set is by far the favorite to be the better long-term investment.
A Complete 1952 Topps Baseball Set in Similar High Grade Condition is Almost Impossible to Find with none Offered for Sale in Many Years, So Don't Wait Many More Years to locate another!