The 1959 Topps baseball card set is widely considered one of the most variable sets ever produced by the Topps company. With over 30 known variations across the entire 505 card release, studious collectors spend years trying to compile a comprehensively variations set. Let’s take an in-depth look at some of the most notable variations found in the 1959 Topps release.
One of the earliest variations collectors look for are the different photo variations that can be found throughout the set. Many cards were issued with alternate front-facing action photos of the players. Notable examples include Hank Aaron, Early Wynn, and Roy Face who all have two distinctly different photo versions. Beyond just headshots, full body action photos were also known to vary between print runs. Dick Groat, Willie Mays, and Roberto Clemente are some stars with easily discernible photo switches showing them in different on-field poses.
Another popular area to find variations is in the borders that surround the photos. The 1959 design had a faint white line border that could either be thin or thick between printings. Mickey Mantle, Bill Virdon, and Minnie Minoso are cards that traders look to acquire matched pairs showing the border differences. Speaking of borders, a select few cards like Nellie Fox and Roy Face omitted the border completely in rare versions still being uncovered today.
Perhaps the most visually identifiable variations for collectors are those caused by faulty color separation during printing. These defects caused parts of cards to mistakenly print using the wrong colored ink. The most famous example is the Eddie Mathews card that has been found with its team logo in the wrong color of blue instead of the standard red. Others like Gaylord Perry and Roy Face surfaced with parts of their uniforms swapping between blue and red as well. Extremely scarce and difficult to acquire, error variations hold tremendous value for vintage collectors.
Beyond just photos and design elements, collectors also look for variations in the wording and statistics found on the reverse of 1959 Topps cards. Specifics like home runs, batting averages, and won-loss records were known to be updated between early and late printings to reflect performance stats. Similar to photo switches, textual changes create the opportunity to assemble full matched language variation sets. Jim Bunning, Bob Friend, and Early Wynn are some examples where subtle text updates can be compared.
Insert cards also presented ample variability in the 1959 Topps set. The iconic “Hat Day” promotion insert is known to exist with different wording stating if it was distributed in May/June or August. The “Hitting for the Cycle” milestone cards for Norm Siebern and Del Crandall swapped the order of their career totals between print runs as well. Rarer still are errors like Chuck Essegian’s “Hitting for the Cycle” card which mistakenly features Frank Baumann’s photo instead.
Topps’ popularity continued to grow in 1959 with increased production levels, which ultimately led to more chances for variations to occur unnoticed. Experienced collectors spend years accumulation all the known variations like the miscut cards of Harmon Killebrew and Rocky Colavito. Or parallel issue cards like Wally Moon having two distinctly different serial numbers. Each subtle change documents a unique moment in the set’s manufacturing and holds immense appeal to loyal vintage collectors today. The 1959 Topps set remains a premier choice for those seeking the challenge of a lifetime compiling a truly complete variations collection. Its ample quantity and diversity of variants make it one of the true holy grails for studious sports card hobbyists.
