1991 Topps Archives 1953

Let me begin by thanking Matt for starting this project, and for allowing me to contribute. It's an extremely ambitious project, and I hope we can gather some momentum and keep finding new packs to open.

I'll start by telling everyone a bit about me... Who am I kidding? "I don't care about you, show me the cards, freakshow!" is what you're saying. Or hopefully, if you're by yourself, just thinking.

Otherwise, folks will stare.

I don't have a blog of my own, as I'm far too lazy...errrr...busy to start one. But I enjoy reading all of the blogs out there, and with my irrational fondness for junk wax, I thought this would be a perfect chance to toss my hat in the ring.

Anyway....on to the cards!

For my inaugural post, I chose a pack of 1991 Topps Archives 1953 from my local card shop. 

I remember these when they came out. I must have wasted at least a dollar, maybe two buying these back in 1991. They were a bit ahead of thier time, as Topps Heritage is all the rage with the kids these days.

I consulted my trusty "Baseball Card Phone Book" to get more info about these. Topps reprinted 273 of the original 274 cards, and added an "extended series" that included players not in the original set. There were "only" 18,000 cases produced of this issue.

(By the way, if you don't have an SCD Standard Catalog, get on Amazon or Half.com and grab one that's a couple of years old. I got mine for about $3, and it is fascinating...)

Starting off, here's the pack. 12 cards per, no inserts.

Now, the cards:

#183 Stu Miller & #316 Fred Haney (Haney is one of the "extended" cards. See if you can tell the difference!)

#129 Keith Thomas & #327 Duke Snider

Here's what the back of the cards look like, for reference:

#121 Walt Dropo & #329 Al Lopez

#250 Bob Wilson & #276 Kenny Raffenberger (I love the Sox hats from this time period!)

#173 Preston Ward & #254 Preacher Roe

#172 Rip Repulski & #28 Edward Pellagrini

So, there you have it. No "money cards", which you can interpret as no Mantle or Aaron. These are nice, for what they are. They were produced at the height of the Stadium Club craze, so they have that nice glossy finish and card stock. The "extended" series is kind of crappy looking, in my opinion, but the original '53s (and thus the remakes) are beauties. I'm certain these cards would be great for TTMs, if that is your thing. I'd rush out and buy some, as there are probably only 16,000 of the original 18,000 cases still out on the open market.

See you next time!