1952 Topps Reprint Set: An Affordable Alternative

Even in the early 1980s, collectors were finding it cost prohibitive to buy high grade originals so the company set out to create a complete 1952 Topps reprint set.

Issued in 1983 and sold to sports card dealers by the case, the 52 Topps reprints came in a blue box and is the first reprint set issued by Topps. It's really considered a classic in its own right today, even though the cards will never be confused with the original 1952 baseball series.

The 1952 Topps reprints were reduced from the original card size to the modern day standard 2-1/2 x 3-1/2 measurement. The reprint set contains 402 of the original 407 cards from the ’52 Topps set. Topps wasn’t able to secure the agreements necessary to produce #20 Loes, #22 Dom DiMaggio, #159 Rogovin, #196 Hemus and #289 Holmes.

This 1952 Topps Reprint Set usually comes in the original blue factory box issued by Topps. Sets included a blue sticker folded over the top to indicate a factory seal. While many were obviously opened to be enjoyed, many remain unopened and they do carry a slight price premium. Most of us might prefer to know exactly what we’re getting though! Generally, Topps did a pretty fair job with the quality control on this set, which wasn’t cheap when it was issued in 1983.

Of course the set is loaded with many stars and important cards made popular in the original including #1 Pafko, Rizzuto, Spahn, Hodges, Snider, Page, Sain, Lopat, Roberts, Slaughter, Reynolds, Feller, Schoendienst, Mize, Martin, Berra, Minoso, Bauer, Ashburn, Erskine, Mays, Mantle, Wynn, Robinson, Campanella, Reese, Adcock, Mathews, Nuxhull, Dickey, and Groat.

The 1952 Topps Reprint set is another way to enjoy the first-ever issue from the Topps company and with complete sets available for around $100, it’s a nice little set to own.