(LOT 362)
The Finest 1950 Bowman Football Set – 100% Complete (144 Cards) & #1 on the PSA Set Registry w/an incredible PSA 9.8 GPA w/Top Pop Bonuses!

PSA Registry information on this set.

It's hard to fathom that the pre-war football card market had produced only two sets prior to WWII; the 1894 Mayo Cut Plug and 1935 National Chicle issues. Fortunately for gridiron collectors, the post-WWII market would see a rapid change, with both the Bowman and Leaf Gum manufacturers issuing various football card sets commencing in 1948. The Bowman Gum Company would issue their landmark gathering in 1948, and after forgoing a 1949 release, distributed a highly coveted set in 1950 that included 144 subjects. These colorful cards measure approximately 2-1/2" x 3-1/2" and include a formidable 24 Hall of Famers, with some of those grid-iron immortals being Y.A. Tittle, Lou Groza, Bobby Layne, Otto Graham, Elroy Hirsch, Sammy Baugh and Chuck Bednarik, just to mention a few.

With that in mind, presented here just happens to be the FINEST 1950 Bowman Football set ever compiled, the #1 PSA Registered Set with an unfathomable 9.799 G.P.A. w/Top Pop Bonuses (8.95 Weighted G.P.A.)! Furthermore, not only does this stand as the current finest set, but likewise THE ALL-TIME HIGHEST GRADED SET ever compiled. Simply stated, it includes a mind-boggling array of high-grade cards listed as follows: "PSA Gem Mint 10's" (11); "PSA Mint 9's (112); "PSA NM/MT+ 8.5's" (3); "PSA NM/MT 8's" (18). Indeed, not a single card is graded less than a PSA 8 with an extremely impressive 11 PSA Gem Mint 10's, and we cannot even begin to comprehend our esteemed consignor's painstaking undertaking to assemble all of these cards in "NM/MT" and higher assessments. A few examples of the extraordinary "Pop" status for many of these cards is listed as follows, further justifying the set's illustrious stature:

• 10 cards are true "1 of 1's" & the HIGHEST GRADED examples (including 9 PSA Gem Mint 10's)
• 9 cards reflect "1 of 2" status w/NONE GRADED HIGHER (including 2 PSA Gem Mint 10's)
• 11 cards reflect "1 of 3" status w/NONE GRADED HIGHER
• An incredible 101 cards (70% of the set!) have "Pop" Status of NONE GRADED HIGHER

Along with the 24 Canton, Ohio inductees, there are 17 rookie cards of which 11 represent Hall of Famers. As is the case for a majority of the hobby's sophisticated Set Registry enthusiasts, it is clear that our consignor went the distance in meticulously selecting some of the finest available 1950 Bowman subjects to complete this world-class marvel.

The eleven "Gem Mint 10" cards include #6 Lou Groza/HOF; #8 Mac Speedie/HOF; #24 Cliff Patton; #25 Bosh Pritchard; #41 Adrian Burk; #52 Elroy Hirsch/HOF; #110 Joe Watson; #123 Buddy Young; #125 Tom Kalmanir; #140 Jim White and #141 Gene Roberts, with nine of those eleven "10's" standing as "1 of 1" highest graded subjects! As previously stated, an additional 112 cards (a remarkable 78% of the set) grade "PSA Mint 9", with the remaining 21 cards depicting "PSA 8.5" (3 cards) and "PSA 8" (18) technical assessments.

So often we hear the old cliché "a picture is worth a thousand words", and that expression can certainly be applied to the brilliant aesthetics emanating from the cards in this pinnacle 1950 Bowman set. All 144 subjects have withstood the test of time (70 years to be exact), evidenced by their brilliant color palettes, stellar contrast, razor sharp edging/corners, snow white borders, immaculate-like surfaces and superb resolution. Imagine, not a sole card has received a grade less than a PSA NM-MT 8, an absolutely unfathomable achievement considering these subjects were issued only five years after WWII. Very rarely is the advanced collector provided the opportunity to capture a myriad of high-end cards in a single taking. Our sophisticated consignor has relentlessly pursued the most meticulous card quality, literally "cherry picking" each subject over a significant number of years with the end result being this "masterpiece compilation" that stands as an historical reminder of Professional Football's storied past. While all the cards and their respective grades/"Pop" data are listed on the PSA Set Registry under the #1 listed set titled "MEMORYLANEINC", for your convenience we have provided the following chart including all 24 Hall of Famers along with their PSA Grades and Population data.

Considering the set's irrefutable PSA #1 stature, Memory Lane has decided to offer BOTH this world-class gathering and all 144 subjects as separate lots, with the highest bid (the complete set vs. the total tally of the 144 individual cards) ultimately determining the winning bidder (the complete set) or bidders (the separate 144 lots).

PSA Registry information on this set.

MIN BID $25,000

MLI is offering The Finest 1950 Bowman Football Set in an alternative selling format. All Lots numbered from 363-506 will be sold individually to the highest bidder, unless Lot # 362's hammer price exceeds the hammer price of Lots 363-506 combined cumulative total. In which case, the cards would be sold as a set. Once bidding starts, the green check mark below simply designates which format has the current high bid. In case of a tie - the set wins.

Lot 362 (Set Total):  $108,048
Lot 363-506 (Individual Card Total):  $187,751