Topps Company looked to improve upon their inaugural 1952 issue by taking a page from competitor Bowman's playbook, launching their 1953 edition by placing Jackie Robinson in the pole position as card #1, with Roy Campanella, Pee Wee Reese, Eddie Mathews, and Mickey Mantle also moving from the previous year's high-number series to the '53 set's first series. This gave collectors a chance to quickly grab a copy of popular stars that they might have missed out on in '52. The artwork of the 1953 Topps set was vastly improved, according to most collectors, and stands as one of the most attractive baseball collections ever produced. Topps also got a taste of what real competition was like, forced to trim their 1953 set from 280 cards down to 274 after having to remove six subject because of contract conflicts. Featured here is an admirable mid-grade collection that earns a respectable 5.3 set rating, led by #1 J. Robinson, 82 Mantle, 220 Paige, and 244 Mays. all coming in at a grade of PSA 5. There are 10 cards graded PSA 8, including #86 Billy Martin. For a complete breakdown of grades for each card, please visit our website for a link to the PSA Set Registry.
LINK: 1953 Topps Complete Set