this is crazy

i think i've mentioned a couple of times that trips to card shows haven't really been the same since i've completed the vintage sets i was working on. in fact, at a recent show i attended, i had that conversation with brian from highly subjective and completely arbitrary who is working on a few sets including a very impressive run at the 1964 topps venezuelan issue. we agreed that it was probably a good thing that i wasn't chasing vintage because of current prices.

still, i had the itch and i've finally decided to commit to another vintage set build. this time, it's 1955 bowman. here's the design/wrapper graphic i created for the set binder:

there are a couple of reasons for choosing this set:

1. i already own about 25% of the set (not including my complete dodger team set) thanks to a vintage lot purchase made several years ago.
2. it's the first 1950's set i ever owned a card from

i already have a complete set from the 1950's (1957 topps), but this set checks a different box in that it is in the "original" card size. and so, i picked up some 8-pocket pages and assembled my partial set. 

of the first 16 cards, i was only missing card number 1, so i sought it out to kickstart my set build. it's hall of famer hoyt wilhelm

here's the back

the backs vary from biggest thrills to advice to memories to just regular narratives. the fact that some of the backs feature first hand information makes the set a bit more personal, i think.

i am going to show the set in order with only completed sheets. so, here are the first two sheets of my set:

cards 1-8

and backs

that's wilhelm, al dark, joe coleman, eddie waitkus, jim robertson, pete suder, gene baker, and warren hacker. baker's card is notable for the large bandage he is sporting over his right eye. reminds me of little league when i took a pitch to the eye the night before picture day and have a decent shiner in my photos as a result.

cards 9-16

and backs

those guys are gil mcdougald, phil rizzuto, billy bruton, andy pafko, clyde vollmer, gus keriazakos, frank sullivan, and jim piersall. not sure if it was intentional, but rizzuto having card number 10 lines up with his jersey number.

it was today (march 6) that i realized the checklist for the set so far is set up with pairs of teammates. it looks to continue that way almost to card 40 and then picks up again. that's a nice quirk.

there are some big names in the set - aaron, mays, and mantle among others - so i expect this will take a while, but despite the date, i'm not foolin'! the set build is on, and here is my want list to prove it!