Lot # 1326: 1952 Topps "Canadian" Gray Back Cincinnati Reds PSA-Graded Complete Team Set (10)

Complete team set of 1952 Topps "Canadian" Gray Back Cincinnati Reds, each graded and encapsulated by PSA. This set consists of the following: #135 Howell (GOOD+ 2.5), 137 McMillan (GOOD+ 2.5), 142 Perkowski (GOOD 2), 144 Blake (GOOD 2 [MK]), 151 Post (GOOD 2), 156 Hiller (Authentic), 161 Byerly (GOOD 2), 171 Erautt (POOR 1), 176 Edwards (VG 3), and 179 Smith (FAIR 1.5). As noted in the Standard Catalog of Baseball Cards, gray back cards from #131-190 (typically printed on cream-colored stock) within the 407-card 1952 Topps set have come to commonly be known as Canadian issued. The same phenomenon exists with 1954 Topps and an abbreviated set printed on gray stock designed for issue solely in Canada that year. Some collectors feel this is a misnomer, instead theorizing that Topps produced a run of cards in this manner for one of two reasons. One theory hypothesizes there was a temporary shortage of regular cream-colored stock in the factory during production. The other centers on the slight differences in the card fronts which, as the Standard Catalog notes, are "subjectively darker or more muted than the 'U.S.A.' versions." Some collectors believe these cards were designed as part of a distribution arrangement with Doeskin tissues, in which cards were inserted with packages of tissues. While no concrete evidence of this relationship has been unearthed, it is known that the "Rails and Sails" nonsport issue produced by Topps in 1955 was issued along with Doeskin tissues at the time. Bob Lemke, former editor of the Standard Catalog, presents a detailed analysis of these variations on his blog, which includes input from several longtime collectors and hobby researchers. Whatever the explanation for these cards, it is without dispute that they are extremely rare and even a single example can be hard to find. Total: 10 cards.