• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Write for Sports Collectors Daily
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Hot on eBay
    • Most Watched Graded Rookies
    • Most Watched PSA 10 Cards
    • Most Watched BGS, BVG Cards
    • Most Watched SGC Cards
    • Most Watched CSG,CGC Cards
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2023 Baseball Cards
      • Most Watched 2022 Baseball Rookie Cards
      • Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Ronald Acuna Jr. Cards
      • Shohei Ohtani Cards
      • Mike Trout Cards
      • Fernando Tatis Jr. Cards
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Jackie Robinson Cards:
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Vintage Baseball Card Sets
      • T206 Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2022-23 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2021-22 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2020-21 NBA Rookie Cards
      • 100 Hottest 2019-20 NBA Rookie Cards
        • Zion Williamson Rookie Cards
        • Ja Morant Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • Kobe Bryant Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Nikola Jokic Rookie Cards
      • Giannis Antetokounmpo Cards
      • Luka Doncic Rookie Cards
      • Prizm Basketball Cards
      • Panini National Treasures
    • Most Watched Football Cards
      • Most Watched NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2022 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Brock Purdy Rookie Cards
      • 2021 NFL Rookie Cards
      • 2020 NFL Rookie Cards
        • Joe Burrow Rookie Cards
        • Justin Herbert Rookie Cards
        • Jalen Hurts Rookie Cards
      • Josh Allen Rookie Cards
      • Patrick Mahomes Rookie Cards
      • Tom Brady Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2021-22 NHL Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2020-21 Rookie Cards
      • Most Watched 2019-20 Rookie Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Wayne Gretzky Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Most Watched Soccer Cards
    • Most Watched UFC Cards
    • Most Watched Golf Cards
    • Most Watched 1 of 1 Cards
    • Most Watched Racing Cards
    • Top Sports Card Dealers on eBay
    • Most Watched Memorabilia
      • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
    • Vintage Sports Tickets, Stubs
    • Most Watched Autographs
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Soccer Cards
    • Golf Cards
    • UFC Cards
  • Top - Ad

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
      • Shop Talk
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Sports Card News / Vintage Sports Card News / ‘Partial Diamond’ Variation Discovered For 1955 Topps Jackie Robinson Card

‘Partial Diamond’ Variation Discovered For 1955 Topps Jackie Robinson Card

August 30, 2018 By Bob D'Angelo

The variation is a partial diamond, and it may prove to be a gem for collectors.

Fans of the 1955 Topps set and those who collect Jackie Robinson have a new variation to chase. The variation itself is not new, but its discovery is quite recent.

The “Partial Diamond” variation found by Rich Rosen was graded by SGC.

The 1955 Topps card of Robinson, No. 50, shows a Dodgers logo inside a red diamond in the upper left-hand corner of the card. The variation shows a piece of the diamond cut off — envision third base missing, and you’ve got the picture. Now graded as a variation by SGC, the card is called the “Partial Diamond.”

“This has been right under our noses for 63 years,” said longtime California dealer and collector Rob Rosen, who found the variation eight months ago and recently sent three of the cards to SGC to be authenticated and graded. Two came back graded 5, while the third was a 1.5.

“It slaps you in the face,” said Earl Johnson, who runs several Facebook sports memorabilia sites. “How many times have you looked at the card?

“So many people that are so particular about details didn’t see it.”

Rosen, who lives in the San Diego area, was sitting on his couch one night in January, watching television and scrolling through eBay on his iPad. He noticed one seller had a 1955 Robinson for sale but it looked odd.

“I said ‘something looked weird’ about the card,” Rosen said. “I thought there was something missing.”

The 1955 Topps Jackie Robinson card with a full diamond that contains the Dodgers logo.

Rosen contacted the seller on eBay and asked if the left side of the diamond had been scratched off. When the seller insisted that it had not been tampered with, Rosen bought the card.

“When I got it I said, ‘Holy cow,’” Rosen said. “This might be a legitimate variation.”

Rosen kept quiet about his find and began scouring shows nationwide. The cards he bought were in the $195 to $200, and the most he paid for one was $250. The low-grade card was bought for $75. The prices were still competitive because Robinson is one of the key cards of the 1955 Topps set.

“I didn’t tell anyone because as soon as I found out it wasn’t scraped, I went into collector mode,” Rosen said.

At the 39th National Sports Collectors Convention in Cleveland the first week of August, Rosen said he “walked the whole floor” at the International Exposition Center for a week “and didn’t see one.”

At the National, Rosen spoke with Johnson, who used to be his contact person when the Ohio-based dealer worked as a customer service manager at SGC from 2011 to 2016.

“He approached me and said, ‘I’ve got something that’s pretty cool,’” Johnson said. “(The card) wasn’t cut off because of a bad border, it was a printing defect of some sort.”

Variations exist in the 1955 Topps set, but nothing of this magnitude. There are several variations of Frank Sullivan’s rookie card (No. 106), which have to do with the size and shape of the dot over the “i” in the facsimile autograph. There are four variations in the biography of Harry Elliott’s card (No. 137), and there are complete and incomplete statistics boxes for Jim Robertson (No. 177).

But the Robinson discovery was a stunner.

“It’s a very unique find,” Johnson said. “How everyone in the world missed it, I don’t know.

“I mean, we never even knew it existed until now.”

The three cards Rob Rosen submitted for grading after this year’s National. Two came back as 5s, while the third was graded at 1.5.

“It’s definitely more scarce than the original. This is not like the 1957 (Gene) Baker,” Rosen said, referring to Topps card No. 176 from ’57 that has the player’s name listed as “Eugenf W. Bakep” on the back, instead of “Eugene W. Baker.”

Rosen contacted SGC at the National and submitted the 1955 Robinson cards for grading after the convention ended.

Johnson credits SGC for taking the lead on grading of the card and recognizing the variation.

“We would have never done that in the past, going out front like that,” he said. “(SGC) made the right call on this.”

So now as collectors of the 1955 Topps set, master set builders and Jackie Robinson now scramble to find the variation (I checked in my 1955 binder and discovered that I own one), the big question will be value. It’s probably too early to tell, but the Partial Diamond is certain to be a coveted card.  There are currently none available on eBay, but a few have been spotted among ’55 Robinson cards sold in the last three months.

“I’m sure it’s going to spike the value a tad,” Rosen said. “Potentially one should go to a major auction and that would be the gauge.

“But a mid-grade or ex-mint could be sold too, just to see what it would go for.”

“I’m not sure what the value change would be,” Johnson said. “But the chase for the high grades? There’s going to be a flurry.”

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Reddit
  • Facebook Messenger

Related Stories:

The Original Dodger Bulldog – A Look at 5 Classic Don Drysdale Cards Jackie Robinson’s Original Contracts Up for Sale Jackie Robinson 1954 Topps cardsHuge High-Grade 1950s Find Includes Crazy Haul of HOFers Roberto Clemente 1956 ToppsClemente Still Revered By Fans and Collectors 1950: When Bowman Ruled the Card Kingdom Jackie Robinson rookie cardRobinson Rookie Cards Still Hobby Gold 1947 Dodgers spring training Jackie Robinson PanamaVintage Photo of the Day: Jackie Robinson On Doorstep of History

About Bob D'Angelo

Bob has been a sportswriter and copy editor for more than 35 years and a blogger for a decade. He is celebrating his 50th year of card collecting, and still counts his 1965 Topps Mickey Mantle as his favorite. You can reach him at [email protected].

Filed Under: Popular Stories, Vintage Sports Card News Tagged With: 1950s baseball cards, 1955 Topps Baseball, 1955 Topps Jackie Robinson, brooklyn dodgers, Earl Johnson, Jackie Robinson, Rob Rosen, variation

Primary Sidebar

Our articles may contain affiliate links. When you click on links to merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network. 

Shop Sports Cards on Ebay
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

High End Cards and Memorabilia

  • BBCE Authenticated Boxes, Packs opens in a new window
  • Graded pre-War Card eBay Auctions
  • PWCC Premier Auction
  • PWCC Fixed Price Marketplace
  • Graded Rookie Cards on eBay opens in a new window
  • Authenticated Photos on eBay opens in a new window
  • Graded Tickets & Stubs opens in a new window

Bargain Corner

  • Michael Jordan cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Kobe Bryant cards $5 and less opens in a new window
  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Graded T206 Cards Under $150 opens in a new window
  • Pre-War Cards Under $100 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Pre-1980 Graded Football Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Basketball Cards $25 and less opens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Hockey Cards $10 and Less opens in a new window
  • Complete Sets $20 and Less opens in a new window
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less opens in a new window
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30 opens in a new window
  • Pre-1986 Rookie Cards Under $1 opens in a new window
  • Buy Boxes Directly from Topps opens in a new window

RSS Auction Report

  • Grey Flannel Auctions Accepting Consignments & Buying
  • Goldin 2023 Weekly Auctions
  • Steve Novella Offers PSA Baseball & Football Card Auction Ending October 3, 2023

Footer

Categories

  • Around the Hobby
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Featured Articles
  • Hobby Shop Talk
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Uncategorized

Sponsor Links

  • Sports Card Forumopens in a new window
  • Buying Vintage Sports Cardsopens in a new window
  • Game Used Jerseysopens in a new window
  • Championship Rings For Saleopens in a new window
  • Vintage Basketball Cardsopens in a new window
  • NBA Signed Itemsopens in a new window
  • Autographed Baseballsopens in a new window
  • NASCAR Autographsopens in a new window
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cardsopens in a new window
  • Player Picturesopens in a new window
  • Vintage Football Cardsopens in a new window
  • Sports Collectors Storeopens in a new window

Pages

Ending on eBay Soon
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
Top 100 on Ebay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Baseball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Hockey Rookie Card Auctions
  • Top Authenticated Vintage Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
Most Watched on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 100 Most Watched Tom Brady Card Auctions on eBay
  • 50 Hottest Hobby Boxes at Auction on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Golf Trading Cards on eBay
  • 50 Most Watched Wrestling Trading Cards on eBay
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • Most Popular Bobbleheads on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Complete Baseball Card Sets at Auction on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Rookie Card Auctions
  • Most Watched Goudey Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Racing Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Unopened Sports Card Boxes, Packs on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • What’s Hot on eBay
Sports Memorabilia
  • Sports Card Bargain Bin
  • Sports Memorabilia Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
About Sports Collectors Daily
  • Advertise with SC Daily
  • Contact Us
  • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
Sell Your Cards
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?

Copyright © 2023 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Web Design by Wickam Groupopens in a new window