The 1966 Topps baseball card set is one of the most famous issues in the history of the hobby due to the number of significant errors that were produced. Nearly every major error that occurred with 1966 Topps cards have become highly desirable to error card collectors. The sheer volume and prominence of mistakes made that year have helped turn these flawed cards into enormously valuable pieces of sports memorabilia.
Topps’ quality control process clearly failed in 1966 as multiple photo and statistical mistakes slipped through that should have been caught. Some of the most iconic and expensive errors from the ’66 set involve photos of the wrong players being used or stats being listed for the improper seasons. In total, it’s estimated that anywhere between 50-75 distinct errors were produced within the 525 card base set. This unprecedented number of flaws transformed common ’66 cards into obscure collectibles that only the most avid error hunters would recognize.
One of the biggest errors from 1966 Topps was the ‘Robin Roberts’ photo used on the Dave Giusti card (#280). Robin Roberts was, of course, a Hall of Fame pitcher who last played in the majors in 1966 but was not on the Giants roster. Rather than double checking that the photo matched the name on the card, Topps wrongly used Roberts’ image for Giusti. This mistake turned an otherwise mundane Giants pitcher card into one of the holy grails for error collectors. PSA-graded examples in gem mint condition have sold for over $10,000, making it one of the most valuable errors ever produced.
Topps also flipped photos of Astros hurlers Don Nottebart and Don Nottingham. While their names are similar, they certainly didn’t look alike. Yet somehow Nottebart’s pic ended up on the Nottingham card (#481) and vice versa. Another notorious ‘wrong photo’ error occurred with Dodger pitcher Phil Regan – his card (#212) mistakenly has a picture of Don Drysdale. Regan/Drysdale pieces in high grades have reached into the thousands of dollars at auction.
Statistically impossible seasons also made the ’66 Topps set legendary. Perhaps the most famous statistical blooper was on Lou Brock’s rookie card (#574). It lists his 1965 statistics as coming from the Philadelphia Phillies even though Brock played that year and has always played for the St. Louis Cardinals. This trivial yet glaring mistake elevated a rookie card of a very good player into a true oddity worth thousands to serious collectors.
Topps also flubbed up stats on Cards catcher Tim McCarver’s card (#598). It states McCarver hit .383 in 1965 when his actual batting average was a much more modest .251. Boston’s Jerry Moses saw his ’65 numbers (#551) listed as belonging to 1963. For Atlanta hurler Tony Cloninger, his ’66 Topps card (#541) carries stats from 1962 instead of 1965. The list goes on and on of stats completely out of whack on what should have been routine player cards.
In total, over 50 different 1966 Topps cards contain some sort of photo, stat, or recording error. The sheer quantity and highprofile mistakes transformed common issues into true novelties. While ’66 Topps cards with errors were overlooked for decades, the discovery and understanding of their significance by collectors in recent times has driven values through the roof. Top graded examples of the “Robin Roberts” and Lou Brock error cards have topped the $10,000 price point.
Even relatively minor photo mismatch or statistic flubs alone can net four-figure sums. The allure and demand stems from these cards documenting true aberrations – flawed glimpses of the players and seasons that never should have been. Topps’ quality control clearly failed that year, but the ensuing errors have energized the hobby by creating an entirely new tier of obscure collectibles. The 1966 Topps baseball card set sits high among the most sought after in the game due simply to the iconic mistakes it unwittingly preserved.
