Childhood Memories Come at a Price

Baseballattic

8 years ago

A reader in last month’s column emailed me to ask about a collection of 1952 Topps baseball cards he still has from his childhood. He has fond memories of these cards growing up as a child in New Jersey. He would take his pennies earned from delivering newspapers to the nearest Five and Dime General Store to buy packs of 1952 Topps baseball cards. Inside every penny pack was one baseball card and one stick of chewing gum. Nickel packs were also distributed nationwide that contained six cards in each pack.

The specific question asked was, “How much are my baseball cards worth?” I get this question a lot. Without knowing exactly what cards he has and seeing the condition, I am unable to suggest an approximate value.

The 1952 Topps baseball set is a widely collected set even today in 2016. The set contains 407 cards and the size dimensions of the cards are 2-5/8 x 3-3/4. These “large” cards were designed to take market share away from Bowman Baseball Card Company who previously produced much smaller cards. Mickey Mantle’s rookie card #311 is the key card in the set. The cards were distributed across the country in six different series (times of the year) during 1952. Cards #311-407 were printed and distributed in the fall of 1952. Unfortunately, the 1952 Topps baseball cards didn’t sell extremely well in the 1950s. In the fall of 1959, salesman turned executive Sy Berger was shocked to learn of the massive quantities of unsold 1952 baseball cards. The executive team had been going to circuses and sideshows for years and peddling the cardboard relics. However, nobody wanted the cards. With 1960 around the corner and the need to make space for future inventory, Sy needed a plan to quickly dispose of these 1952 Topps baseball cards. Sy rented a barge, loaded up all the cards onto the barge, drove out to the Atlantic Ocean, and then dumped the cards into the water. On that fateful fall day of 1959, tens of millions of baseball cards were hurled overboard. We know there were mass amounts of Mickey Mantle rookie cards on the barge because it was printed later in the year and many of sixth series of cards never even made their way out into the marketplace. By the fall, baseball was nearly over and football was in full swing. Additionally, the children had already spent their summer paychecks and allowances.

I am starting to see some price appreciation with this set of baseball cards from 1952. Many moms threw out these baseball cards when their sons went to college or moved out of the house. These sons are now empty nesters and looking to downsize. They have some disposable income and want to buy back their childhood memories. The cards are obviously more expensive today than in 1952 but childhood memories and experiences are priceless.