In 1968, Topps introduced a new innovation in baseball cards – 3D cards featuring stereoscopic images when viewed through the included viewer. This was Topps’ attempt to keep baseball cards exciting for collectors amidst increasing competition from other trading card companies. The 1968 Topps 3D Baseball card set included 330 total cards plus 10 manager/coach cards and was the only Topps set issued that year in the cardboard and paper holder format due to the inclusion of the 3D viewer.

The card design featured the player’s photo in the right half of the card with their profile view in a recessed area intended to produce the stereoscopic 3D effect when viewed through the red and blue anaglyphic topper/viewer that accompanied each series one wax pack. Statistics and a write-up about the player was on the left side. Another unique element was the “wheel” on the front containing samples of the 3D effects ranging from a baseball to a stadium. Reverse sides contained more stats and biographical information without 3D elements.

Part of what made these cards so innovative for their time was the optical science behind how 3D was achieved on the cards. By Printing the player’s photo twice in slightly different positions intended for the left and right eyes separately combined with the use of colored lenses (red and blue) in the Topper/viewer provided the needed stereo separation of the two overlapping images when a collector crossed their eyes to blend the two images into one 3D composite scene. This is the same basic stereoscopic 3D viewing principle that later powered formats like the early View-Master toys.

Though a flashy innovation, 1968 Topps 3D Baseball cards received a mixed response from collectors. Praised for really making the players “pop off the card,” criticisms included that the 3D effect was hard to see and not consistently pronounced across all cards due to printing limitations. The cards themselves were also more fragile than typical paper issues of the time. While they didn’t revolutionize the industry, the 1968 set proved 3D baseball cards were possible even if the technology wasn’t fully developed.

Promotional efforts by Topps called the 3D cards “the most exciting development in baseball cards since color.” A TV commercial had Yankee star Mickey Mantle enthusiastically praising the new 3D dimension. The commercial boasted how with the included viewer, collectors could “make the players leap right off the cards.” Though Mantle’s endorsement pushed sales, the 3D effect was ultimately a fleeting gimmick that failed to catch on long term with collectors.

While 1968 Topps 3D Baseball cards may not have been the smash hit Topps hoped, they remain one of the most innovating collectibles of their time and truly pushed the creative boundaries of what was possible with mass-produced sports cards. They attracted attention for attempting to bring baseball players to life in a whole new way at a time when simple cardboard photos were the norm. The technical limitations of the late 1960s restricted how fully realized the 3D could become but paved the way for future experiments in stereoscopic imagery on trading cards.

In the decades since, 3D technology has greatly advanced but 1968 Topps remains the single 3D issue from the classic collecting era. High-grade specimens from the extremely fragile original run have become quite valuable, regularly selling for thousands of dollars. Fans have grown to fondly look back at this visual curiosity as a snapshot of Topps wanting to stay ahead of the curve but perhaps being slightly ahead of its time. Though it didn’t stick, the 1968 Topps 3D Baseball set proved sports cards could aim higher and pushed collectors to see cards in new dimensions.