Lot # 1354: 1953 Bowman Black & White Near-Complete Set (63/64) Including 16 PSA-Graded Cards

Presented is a near-complete set of 1953 Bowman B&W, missing only #31 Woodling for completion (offered as a separate lot in this auction). The unusual Bowman B&W set is by far the scarcer of the two 1953 Bowman baseball issues. Condition is 38% Nr/Mt to Nr/Mt-Mt, 53% Ex to Ex-Mt, and 9% Vg to Vg-Ex (including one altered and a couple that measure a bit small). Sixteen cards have been professionally graded and encapsulated by PSA. Keys: #1 Bell (Ex-Mt), 15 Mize (75/25 T/B, otherwise Nr/Mt), 25 Sain (Ex), 26 Roe (Nr/Mt), 27 Lemon (Ex-Mt), 28 Wilhelm (Ex-Mt), 36 Piersall (Ex), 39 Stengel (Ex), 46 Harris (trimmed bottom-left corner, otherwise Nr/Mt), 51 Burdette (Ex), 52 Branca (measures a bit small, otherwise Vg-Ex), 60 Cox (Ex-Mt), and 64 Hansen (Ex). Sixteen PSA-graded cards: NM-MT 8 (10 cards): #17, 18, 19, 23, 33, 42, 44, 45, 50, and 59. NM 7 (5 cards): #5, 7, 16, 47, and 61. EX-MT 6 (1 card): #35. The 1953 Bowman B&W set gets less attention than the 1953 Bowman Color set because it is a smaller set and has fewer stars (and there is no Mantle) but in the "old days" of collecting, the 1953 Bowman B&W cards were far more desirable to many collectors, and were appreciated for their greater rarity, more so than in modern collecting times. This is an extremely attractive mid- to high-grade near-complete set (minus one). Total: 63 cards. The size/weight of this item requires that there will be an additional shipping charge for this lot.