The 1962 Topps baseball card set is notable for containing several print variations that make certain cards quite valuable to collectors. With 717 total cards issued, the 1962 set featured all current Major and Minor League players and managers. Like most Topps releases from the early 1960s, photography and design elements stayed consistent but subtle changes occurred between series and test prints that enthusiastically tried to catalog.
One of the most significant variations of the ’62 set comes on the backs of the cards. The standard reverse featured career stats and a player biography, but approximately 50 cards had an alternate “fielding summary” style bio replacing the standard career recap. Perhaps the easiest positions to spot are for catchers like Jim Pagliaroni and shortstops like Luis Aparicio, as defensive stats are most relevant at those slots. Other cards with fielding bios on the back include Jim Bunning, Billy Pierce, Dick Groat and Nellie Fox. These fielding back variations command a premium over the standard bios.
Subtler front variations also exist. Some of the more valuable include focused zoom crops on certain player photos compared to looser full body shots. For example, the focused crop version of Felipe Alou’s card containing only his upper body and face is far scarcer than the full body photo version. Other focused crops include Harry Bright, Ray Culp, Woodie Held, Rocky Bridges and Eddie Bressoud. Front cropping was likely done during test print runs before final designs were approved.
Among the most significant front variations are those related to team logos. To save printing costs, Topps often switched between team logos containing colors versus simple single color or line art logos between series. Perhaps the most iconic example is Willie Mays’ card, which has a sought after version displaying the unusual single colored San Francisco Giants logo versus the standard full color team emblem. Other cards with logo variations worth noting include Ken Boyer (St. Louis), Larry Jackson (San Francisco), Bob Aspromonte (Houston) and Bill White (St. Louis). Team logos provided an easy way for sophisticated collectors to spot print run differences.
Beyond photos and logos, position labels were also mixed up between series. Dick Stuart, for instance, is labeled as a “1B” on some issues but simply lists his position as “Inf” rather than first baseman on scarcer versions. Ed Charles and Bill White also have position variations between labeling them as third basemen or simply listing “Inf” without a number designator. Toward the lower end of the set, several late additions like Jack Fisher and Jake Thies also have completely different facial photos compared to their standard issued photos, though far less are aware of these pictorial switches deep in the set.
In total, when considering all fronts, backs, photos, logos, cropping, labeling and text variations, experts estimate there may be over 100 distinct print variations across the 717 cards of the 1962 Topps baseball release. Zeroing in on the scarcest forms makes individual cards exponentially more uncommon and collectible. For patient collectors willing to thoroughly examine subtle differences, hidden treasures that often go unnoticed by the casual fan may be uncovered in the details of what remains one of the most variable early Topps flagships sets from the 1960s. Identifying, documenting and collecting the many varied printings remains an ongoing quest that keeps the ’62 Topps baseballs cards endlessly fascinating nearly sixty years after initial distribution.
