The 1953 Topps set is one of the most beautiful sets ever produced.
It displays some of the most vibrant colors and realism ever utilized in a trading card set to that point in time.
The closest being the Goudey cards from 33 and 34.
This tribute is a true testament to the tremendous popularity of the set, still considered one of the most stunning ever made.
While the set features no Hall of Famer rookies, it still is full of the stars from the day.
Mickey Mantle, Satchel Paige, Jackie Robinson, Yogi Berra, and Willie Mays all have cards within the set.
In addition, the cards consist of one of 2 banner areas on the bottom of the card.
American League gamers have a red banner, while National League gamers make use of a black version.
This strong color border is of the most obvious wear as it bleeds to the edge of the card itself.
This is like that of the 1963 topps set. Really hard to find these in high grade.
Set Checklist
Much smaller sized than the previous year’s offering of 407 cards, the Topps company was fearful of a repeat late-summer sales performance that apparently led to the damage of thousands of unsold cards in 1952.
The entire 1953 Topps Baseball product run was released in multiple waves, including Series 1 (# 1-85), Series 2 (# 85-165), Series 3 (# 166-220) and Series 4 (# 221-280).
Originally planned as a 280-card set, the last 6 cards were never printed, resulting in the 274-card set as it exists today.
The 6 missing cards are as follows:
#253: Joe Tipton
#261: Ken Wood
#267: Hoot Evers
#268: Harry Brecheen
#271: Billy Cox
#275: Pete Castiglione.
Satchel Paige
This is Satchel Paige’s only Topps Baseball card.
For people who only collect Topps, this is a super desirable card. Paige had a short MLB career as he played in the Negro League for the majority of his playing time.
Still, one of the most dominant pitchers of all time, it’s a great card to have.
Jackie Robinson
Jackie Robinson was the first card printed in the set.
Card #1 always holds a premium in vintage sets since it was damaged more often.
Jackie Robinson and Satchel Paige were both printed more than other cards in the set.
Originally, people thought it was 2x but after a few studies, it was determined that it was only 1.5x
Mickey Mantle
While the 1951 Bowman may be Mantle’s true rookie card,
And 52 Topps Mantle is the most famous card
The 53 Topps Mantle is the best based on eye appeal.
And it’s the 3rd card of one of the greatest Yankees.
Willie Mays
Willie Mays was in the Korean war during the 1953 season, but he still got a card.
This 1953 Topps Card shows Mays bent in a fielding present with a farm in the background.
As with Mantle, this is Mays 3rd card.
His official rookie was in the 1951 Bowman set.
