The 1958 Topps baseball card set was the sixth series of baseball cards produced by Topps Chewing Gum, Inc. and featured 692 total cards depicting players and managers from various Major League Baseball teams. Some key facts and highlights about the 1958 Topps baseball card set include:
Design and Production: The 1958 Topps cards featured a design very similar to the previous year’s set with a white border and team logo appearing at the bottom of each card. The cards measured 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches, which was the standard size Topps used from 1952 through 1967. The cards were grouped into wax paper packs containing either 5 or 7 cards that sold for $0.10 per pack. The complete 692 card set was one of Topps’ larger sets to that point as they expanded coverage of players on minor league rosters and spring training squads in addition to the major league players.
Rookies and Notable Players: Some iconic future Hall of Fame players made their Topps rookie card debuts in 1958 including Willie McCovey (San Francisco Giants), Bob Gibson (St. Louis Cardinals), and Hank Aaron (Milwaukee Braves). Other notable rookies included Luis Aparicio and Nellie Fox of the Chicago White Sox. Veteran superstars featured included Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, and Ted Williams.
Short Print Variations: Topps issued several short print cards in the 1958 set that are significantly rarer than the standard issue cards. These include the Mickey Mantle card #130, which is believed to have been accidentally omitted from many early production runs making it one of the most valuable Mantle cards. Other scarce short prints cards include Nellie Fox (#132), Minnie Minoso (#146), Ray Boone (#211), Whitey Ford (#244), and Roy Campanella (#303).
Notable Errors: A printing error led to an airbrushed version of the Willie Mays card (#203) being included without the logo of his then-current team, the San Francisco Giants. This variant is considered the key card in the set. Topps also produced a photo negative version of the Minnie Minoso card (#146) in error, showing his image in reverse.
Condition and Grading: Getting high grade examples of 1958 Topps cards today can be quite challenging given the set is now over 60 years old. The sheer volume of cards printed also leads to abundant well-worn lower grade copies being available. Top graded cards can still sell for impressive sums, such as a PSA Gem Mint 10 Mickey Mantle that fetched over $100,000 at auction in 2017. Other famous stars like Aaron, Mantle, and Mays in high grades still command five-figure prices.
Recent Auction Prices: Here are recent results for some of the most valuable 1958 Topps rookie and star player cards:
Willie McCovey RC PSA 8 – $7,250
Bob Gibson RC PSA 8 – $6,500
Hank Aaron PSA 8 – $9,000
Luis Aparicio RC PSA 7 – $4,250
Mickey Mantle PSA 8 – $30,000
Willie Mays PSA 8 – $18,000
Ted Williams PSA 8 – $7,000
As one of the most collected vintage sets, the market for 1958 Topps cards remains strong. The late 1950s were a transitional period that saw Topps move to the now-familiar design template they would refine for decades. Rookie cards of legends like Gibson, McCovey and Aaron make the 1958 set one of the most important in baseball card history. Scarce variations and the presence of perhaps the most iconic player of all in Mantle have sustained enthusiastic collecting interest in this classic issue for over half a century.
