1, 2, 3 Andy Pafkos (1951 Topps)

Somehow over the years, I've accumulated eight copies of Andy Pafko's iconic 1952 Topps No. 1 card. I don't think any would grade over a "2" by PSA and in the future I plan on sharing how that collection has grown over the past few years. 

I mention it because although 1952 Topps is Pafko's most famous card, his first Topps appearance was his 1951 Topps mini game card and it is one of my favorites Pafko ever appeared on. 

But in my collecting, this card has been overlooked. I picked up one to get if off my needs list but as one of Pafko's rarer appearances, it just hasn't popped up in person or on eBay listing that frequently. 

I'm not sure what changed but recently I was finding reasonably priced Pafko's all over the place this spring and summer and I've added three copies to my collection. Particularly with his vintage cards from the 50's, this is the type of Pafko collector I am. The more the merrier. 

The 1951 set didn't have that big of a print run with sets being pre-made and collectors purchased sets all together. Cards came attached together and you can notice that particularly in the left and middle cards where the connection points at the bottom of the cards are still visible. 

Cards are blue-backed or red-backed and over time the blue-backs seem to be about half as much as the red. Pafko's card was a blue-back, adding to the overall scarcity of this card. 

On the reverse side of these, you can also see the color variation in the blue ink of the back. I'm sure some of it is probably sun fading and the age of the cards but it is something to consider and compare then thinking about purchasing a card from this set.