The 1960 Topps baseball card set was the ninth series of baseball cards produced by Topps Chewing Gum, Inc. and featured 654 total cards issued in the standard pink color. The 1960 set is notable for being the first Topps set to feature cards of all 18 American League and National League teams, as the standings from the 1959 season determined that the NL now had 10 teams and the AL had 8.

Some key details and highlights about the 1960 Topps baseball card set:

Design: The fronts of the cards featured a vertical color photo of the player along with their team name and position. Underneath was the player’s name and uniform number. The backs featured career stats along with a blurb about the player.

Rookies: Notable rookies included future Hall of Famer Dick Allen’s rookie card as well as rookie cards for Tommy John, Tony Oliva, Pete Richert, and Jack Fisher. Oliva would go on to win the American League Rookie of the Year award.

Short Prints: The 1960 set included several short printed cards including cards #24 Jim Gentile, #142 Rollie Sheldon, #178 Brooks Robinson, and #194 Elston Howard. These cards are considered rarer versions within the set and demand a premium price especially in high grades.

Hammerin’ Hank: Card #1 was future Hall of Famer Hank Aaron’s card from the Milwaukee Braves. Aaron had a breakout season in 1960 winning the National League MVP award and leading the league in home runs. His rookie cards from 1954 are considered some of the most valuable and iconic cards in the hobby.

Errors: A few errors exist within the 1960 set including card #311 Wally Moon picturing another Dodger player Frank Howard on the front and #363 Howie Goss picturing another Giant player instead of Goss on the front. These are considered valuable errors.

Oddball Designs: Cards #23 Chuck Essegian and #526 Pete Runnels featured unique reversed image designs with the photos facing right instead of left like the other cards. Their designs were likely printing errors but are popular oddballs sought after by collectors.

Checklists: The 1960 set included team checklists on the last few cards (#630-654) allowing collectors to keep track of which players they needed to complete their team sets.

In terms of overall production and rarity within the set, the 1960 Topps design is considered a medium-sized set by today’s collectors. An estimated 54-60 million total cards were printed making it one of the largest Topps sets of the 1950s and 1960s prior to the boom in popularity of the 1970s. In near-mint condition, common players can be acquired for $1-5 while stars of the era in the same grade may range $10-25. Short prints and the higher-numbered cards tend to command more due to lower surviving populations.

The 1960 set saw Topps begin to truly embrace the novelty of a complete baseball card checklist while retaining its classic vertical photo design. Players like Aaron, Robinson, Koufax and Mays are ubiquitous in the hobby today thanks to their iconic 1960 Topps cards. The numerous short prints, oddball variations, and rookie stars have made it a set popular with both casual collectors and long-time hobbyists. Prices have steadily risen in recent decades but affordability remains for collectors looking to add stars of the era to their collections without breaking the bank. The 1960 Topps baseball card set stands out as an achievable classic that helped elevate the cardboard industry during the late 50s.

The 1960 Topps baseball card set featured innovations like the first complete league checklists alongside classic designs and rookie stars that resonate over 60 years later. Errors, oddballs and short prints add diversity and collecting challenges. While not quite as scarce as earlier Topps issues, the medium size 1960 print run and numerous coveted subsets have maintained strong collector demand and rising values for this important part of sports card history. The accessibility of common cards alongside the thrill of finding key short prints continue attracting new collectors to experience the nostalgia and excitement of this pivotal mid-century set.