If you are feeling priced out of some of the more popular post-war baseball sets, consider collecting the 1952 Wheaties Baseball Player subset. The complete 1952 Wheaties set has 30 athletes across many supports, but just ten from professional baseball. However, each player has two cards, both a portrait and an action drawing, meaning there are 20 total baseball cards to collect.
Each panel, the back of a Wheaties box, was uncut and featured a variety of cards. Individually, the cards are 2’’x2-3/4’’ and have blank backs. The drawings are blue on orange background with an ivory/white border. Under the picture are the player’s name, position, and team.
Many publications say the borders are rounded, and they are if you look at the white border. However, grading companies like PSA seem to grade all over the place. High-grade variants exist with borders cut off in squares, with rounded borders including blue background, and rounded borders at the white edge. Because of this, I’d recommend focusing on authenticity and eye-appeal and disregarding the numerical grade.
The key card of the set is Ted Williams, but none of the ten players are commons:
- Yogi Berra
- Roy Campanella
- Bob Feller
- George Kell
- Ralph Kiner
- Bob Lemon
- Stan Musial
- Phil Rizzuto
- Preacher Roe
- Ted Williams
PSA has graded over 2000 1952 Wheaties cards across all 30 cards. The baseball players average under 100 of each player (50 of each card), with Williams having the most graded examples with 112 Action and 92 Portrait cards. Bob Keller has the fewest graded examples on the market, with just 39 between both variants. Mid-grade examples of the Ted Williams card are ~$100. Most other cards being available for between $20 and $50.
The 1952 Wheaties baseball subset is an attractive grouping of 20 cards that is financially attainable as a graded set for most collectors with a bit of patience. The cards have a unique look compared to the more significant releases of the day and would be a great addition to any collection.
Do you collect any other oddball baseball sets? Let me know in the comments or over on Twitter, and don’t forget to follow me on Instagram as well.
