The 1956 Topps baseball card set was the fifth series of cards produced by Topps and is considered one of the most iconic vintage issues in the hobby. The set featured 675 individual cards and highlighted all the major league players from that season. Some key details and highlights about the 1956 Topps set include:
The design of the 1956 Topps cards featured a glossy photograph of each player in the foreground with their team name and position listed below in bold text. Fun fact – the cards were produced using a thinner, more flexible cardboard stock compared to previous years. This made the cards more susceptible to damage from bending or creasing over time.
The roster in the ’56 set was quite star-studded, with future Hall of Famers like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, Ted Williams, and Stan Musial among those featured. Perhaps the most notable rookie cards found were future MVPs like Don Drysdale and Frank Robinson. Other interesting rookie debuts included Jackie Jensen, Jim Bunning, and Bob Shaw.
The 1956 Topps set had a brief run of just 275 different players compared to previous years. This was due to some teams not supplying full rosters of 25 players each to Topps. For example, the Pittsburgh Pirates and St. Louis Cardinals only had 21 players included from their clubs.
Topps started including manager cards for the first time in 1956. A total of 16 big league skippers received their own cards in the set like Casey Stengel, Alvin Dark, and Birdie Tebbetts. Fun fact – Arnold “Jinx” Johnson of the Cincinnati Reds was included despite passing away earlier that same year.
The design of the player cards included a dotted line alongside the team name that created the illusion of a shadow effect behind the text. It was a very clean, simple look that gave the cards a classic, vintage appeal that still holds up today. Unfortunately, the team logos were not included – just the full team name text.
Rookie cards in the 1956 Topps set of Drysdale, Mays, and Frank Robinson are considered some of the most valuable in the entire vintage era. High grade specimens of these players in their fledgling seasons today can fetch well into the five-figure price range depending on condition.
Topps produced the cards using a distinctive graycolored cardboard stock that has come to symbolize the entire 1950s era of ball cards. While much thinner than modern issues, the stock held up fairly well over the subsequent decades before condition grading became prevalent.
The size of the 1956 Topps cards was 2 1/2 inches by 3 1/2 inches, which remained the standard dimensions through the 1960s before cards grew slightly larger. The backs featured a brief ballplayer bio and stats from the previous season in a simple text layout without photos.
Condition is extremely important when evaluating the value of any vintage card from the 1950s produced by Topps. Highgrades of stars like Aaron, Mays and Drysdale in their 1956 Topps rookie cards today can be worth over $10,000 in Near Mint to Mint condition. Meanwhile, heavily played examples may only fetch a couple hundred dollars.
Topps released the 1956 set without any notable advertising or fanfare despite being popular among collectors at the time. Production numbers were large enough that unopened wax packs from that year can still be found today in collectors’ stashes and attics. As such, the set maintains a very affordable entry point for those starting a vintage baseball collection.
The 1956 Topps baseball card set stands out among vintage issues for its excellent roster of soon-to-be Hall of Famers, iconic rookie cards, classic design elements and affordability even in top grades. Often overlooked compared to flagship years like ’52, ’57 and ’59 Topps – the ’56 set holds a special place in the history of the hobby and remains a must for any avid baseball card collector.
