BOWMAN: PRESIDENTS 1952 / 36-CARD COMPLETE SET / PLUS WRAPPERS AND SOME BACKS FROM 1956 TOPPS RE-ISSUE

I am not a fan of the kind of patriotic images contained in this set, but some of the artwork is striking. The cards are an interesting reflection of 1950s American attitudes. The descriptions on the card backs might well have come from fifth-grade American history books of the time, finding merit in every president when in fact a number were poor figures and even scoundrels. But, of course, it was kids in the fifth grade buying the cards. The Topps Company bought Bowman in 1956, and it re-issued these cards, originally published in 1952, in 1956 with new graphics on the backs although the same words.

BOWMAN: ANTIQUE AUTOS 1953/ 48-CARD COMPLETE SET/ FRONTS AND BACKS / PLUS WRAPPER, DISPLAY BOX, AND 3-D GLASSES

These are charming, often glowing, images, using a style of artwork unexpected in trading cards of the time. The 3-D backs with required viewing glasses reflected a fad of the time in movies, other cards, and some comic books. The fad died out at least in part because people got tired of wearing the glasses and also found other image-values sacrificed on behalf of the 3-D effect. Despite the sometimes strong 3-D effect on these backs, the information contained is often trivial.