The 1962 Topps baseball card series is most famous for introducing the first high number cards to the set. Up until 1962, Topps baseball card sets featured cards numbering from 1 to around 520. In 1962 Topps significantly expanded the total number of cards in the set by adding over 100 “high number” cards with numbers starting around 530 all the way to over 700. This represented a major shift for the baseball card industry and collectors at the time.

Some background – in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Major League Baseball landscape was expanding and evolving rapidly. New teams were being added through expansion as baseball sought to grow its fanbase and presence across more of North America. In 1960 alone, the Los Angeles Angels and new Washington Senators franchises joined Major League Baseball, doubling the size of the American League. This meant many new players were entering the big leagues each year through both the expansion drafts and the increased minor league systems of these new teams.

Topps, as the monopoly baseball card producer at the time, wanted to capture more of these new players joining MLB rosters in their annual card sets. But their traditional formula of around 520 cards per set was not keeping pace with the growing number of potential subjects. Therefore, for the 1962 series Topps made the groundbreaking decision to significantly increase the total cards and add over 100 “high number” cards beyond the usual cutoff. This allowed them to feature more of the burgeoning pool of major leaguers around the two new AL teams and other rookies or lesser known veterans.

The high number cards started at #530 and went all the way to an eventual finishing point of #700, creating an unprecedented 171 additional cards in the 1962 set versus previous years. Some key facts about these 1962 Topps high number cards:

They featured many players from the new Los Angeles Angels and second Washington Senators franchises that obviously didn’t make the initial run of lower numbered cards. This helped collectors complete rosters of the two expansion teams.

-Others spotlighted less established major leaguers who may have only had a brief cup of coffee in the bigs or were fringe roster players. This gave the set much more completism.

-The cardboard used for the high numbers had a noticeably different color and texture versus the lower numbered parallels. They were much duller and more faded in appearance.

-Topps did not do a great job of evenly distributing the new players among the high numbers. Many appeared bunched together which made completing the high run seem even more daunting.

-The sudden spike in total cards made the 1962 Topps set become the largest in the company’s history to that point and challenging for collectors used to the 520 card standard.

-The high numbers created intense new speculation and excitement within the collecting community. Now “gem mint” high numbers above #700 became incredibly rare and valuable chase cards.

-Among the most famous and iconic high number cards were #544 Hank Aaron’s first year with the Braves, #566 Boog Powell’s rookie, #585 Dick Howser rookie, and #675 Nolan Ryan’s first card as a Astro.

-To this day, low-printed 1962 Topps high numbers in top grades can be worth thousands of dollars due to their scarcity and significance in baseball card history.

While not well received by all collectors at the time accustomed to the traditional set size, the introduction of high number cards in 1962 proved to be a seminal moment that had ripple effects across the entire baseball card industry. It showed Topps and competitors’ willingness to adapt card production and immerse new players entering the majors each season. The higher totals also reflected baseball’s post-war growth and recognition of its burgeoning minor leagues. Most importantly, it triggered baseball card completism and chase card collection on an even larger scale. Even 60 years later, the massive 1962 Topps set, bookended by the iconic low and high number cards, continues to enthrall collectors and be one of the most storied in the hobby’s history.