Most people I know, on the blogs and forums, think 1952 Topps is over-rated. It's certainly not the #1 of Topps sets (as some people think), but the cards really do have a mystique in person. It's hard to help admiring such a daring set, with 407 cards, a new big size, a facsimile signature, and stats on the back.
But I have to admit it is amateurish in some ways. The design isn't really that nice, and the downside of having 407 cards in a set is that there's a lot of no-namers. Another problem is that the pictures weren't actually color photographs, but black and white photos recolored. That usually wasn't much of a problem, but it looks odd sometimes, and sometimes the artist flat-out messed up. Looking through my cards, I found a funny example which I'll show tonight.
How about you just look at that card for a minute. A pinhole at the top, general condition flaws, the good-ol' hands-behind-your-head-without-a-ball pose, a funny flying sock logo, a signature in cursive, and, on his chest, Chicago. Wait a second.
You've probably noticed it by now. The poor artist completely forgot the I, and had to improvise with a faint line in between H and C. Ouch.
I don't really understand why he would've missed the I if it was on the uniform in the first place, but maybe I don't understand the exact process of how the pictures were made.
I guess that's it. I just thought it would be fun to share a cautionary tale of inattention. Good night.
Good eye. When I ranked my favorite Topps flagship designs back in 2016, 1952 came in at #14. The design itself isn't great, but it's not the worst either. I think I ranked it that high because for nostalgic purposes.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible his uniform was just kind of bunched up, so the I was lost in the folds?
ReplyDeleteI can't say for certain that's impossible, but it doesn't seem likely. I'd assume if that was so it would be obvious, so the artist wouldn't scrawl a hasty I in between letters.
DeleteI have yet to ever own a '52 Topps, so it's hard for me to weigh in on whether the set is overrated or not.
ReplyDeleteDidn't the artist also forget to recolor the background?
ReplyDeleteThe background looks fine to me; what do you mean?
DeleteIt looks to me like it's in black and white.
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