The Topps Company is known worldwide as the leading producer of sports and entertainment trading cards. Their biggest impact has undoubtedly been made through their iconic baseball cards produced since the early 1950s. Topps baseball cards helped popularize the hobby of collecting cards and memorabilia related to Major League Baseball players and teams.
Topps was founded in 1938 by brothers Edward and Joseph Shorin as a confectionery business. They began producing gum-backed trading cards as a promotional item in the late 1940s. In 1952, Topps secured the exclusive rights to produce cards featuring active MLB players. At the time, their main competitor was the Bowman Gum Company who had dominated the baseball card market since 1948.
Topps’ 1952 baseball card series was their first to feature modern size and design conventions that would become standard in the industry. Each pack contained 11 gum-backed cards along with a piece of bubble gum. Iconic players like Mickey Mantle and Willie Mays graced the fronts of the cards in full color photos for the first time. The simplicity and high production value of Topps cards helped capture the imagination of a new generation of collectors.
The Bowman Gum Company attempted to compete with Topps in the early 1950s but went out of business in 1956. This allowed Topps to solidify their monopoly on MLB player likeness rights for the next several decades. They continued to innovate and improve the design, production quality, and statistical/biographical information included on each card year after year. Exclusive rookie cards of future Hall of Famers like Hank Aaron further fueled demand.
By the late 1950s, baseball card collecting had taken off as a mainstream hobby. The release of the new Topps series each year became an annual event fans looked forward to. In 1959, Topps issued the first cards featuring players from the American and National League All-Star teams to highlight the mid-summer classic. The 1960s saw the introduction of new subsets like team-specific issues and the expansion of the standard set from 66 cards in 1960 to over 700 cards by the end of the decade.
The 1970s were a boom period for Topps as interest in the hobby reached new heights. The 1973 set included the first cards of pitchers and designated hitters to reflect rule changes in MLB. High-value rookie cards of stars like George Brett and Nolan Ryan kept collectors searching packs. In 1980, Topps issued the first Traded set to highlight players who had switched teams since the previous season’s issue. The 1981 series featured the debut of Rickey Henderson’s rookie card, one of the most coveted and valuable baseball cards ever produced.
As the 1980s progressed, licensed sports memorabilia became a multi-billion dollar industry. Topps responded by experimenting with new card designs, premium/parallel sets, and team/league-specific issues. The 1987 set celebrated the 75th anniversary of Topps with retro-styled cards. The baseball card market crashed in the early 1990s due to an overproduction of cards that led to a sharp decline in values. Topps was forced to downsize their operations and annual sets.
The 21st century has seen a renewed interest in collecting driven by the nostalgia of baby boomers and the rise of online auction sites like eBay facilitating card sales. Topps regained the MLB player likeness rights in 2001 and has since produced innovative sets like Topps Heritage highlighting retro designs. In 2007, Topps Chrome introduced the first MLB cards with parallel “refractor” versions featuring glossy photo variations.
Topps remains the dominant force in the industry they helped create over 65 years ago. Through strategic licensing deals and savvy marketing, they have kept baseball cards relevant and collecting them an enduring American pastime. The release of the annual Topps series is still a highly anticipated event every spring, carrying on the tradition of capturing the excitement of each new MLB season for future generations to enjoy.
