Topps baseball cards have been a staple in the hobby of collecting for decades. Since the company first began producing cards featuring major leaguers in 1951, Topps has released hundreds of unique sets that have delighted and captured the imaginations of baseball fans young and old. Here’s a look at Topps baseball cards by year and some of the notable aspects of each release dating back to the early 1950s.

1951 – Topps produced their first basketball card set in 1951 and decided to also try their hand at producing baseball cards that same year. The 1951 Topps baseball card set featured 364 total cards with each player having a black and white photo on a colorful background. Some notable rookie cards from this set include Hall of Famers Roberto Clemente, Willie Mays, and Whitey Ford. The 1951 Topps baseball cards help kick off the long history of the company in the hobby.

1952 – For their sophomore baseball card release, Topps increased the total number of cards in 1952 to 382. Players like Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Brooks Robinson had their rookie cards in this set. The photography and colors were similar to the 1951 issue. The 1952 Topps cards remain popular with collectors today due to the number of future Hall of Famers whose careers started around this time.

1953 – Production of the 1953 Topps baseball card set was the first to feature team logos on the card fronts. The logos helped cement team affiliations for players. There were a total of 407 cards included. Top rookie cards included future all-time hits leader Pete Rose as well as Carl Yastrzemski and Tommy Lasorda in his playing days.

1954 – The 1954 Topps set was the first time the company incorporated their logo of an illustrated baseball patch onto the cards. There were 407 cards once again. Rookies included future Hall of Famers Gary Nolan and Al Kaline. The cards had more vibrant colors compared to the early 1950’s issues.

1955 – Topps increased the size of their cards from 2.5×3.5 inches to 2.5×3.75 inches beginning in 1955 in order to put more image area on the fronts. This would remain the standard size for Topps baseball cards going forward. The 1955 set included an increased 442 cards due to the added size. Future MVPs Brooks Robinson and Frank Robinson had their rookie cards in this set.

1956 – Subtle facsimile autographs of the players were added to the card backs for the first time in 1956. There were also some experimental “painted” portraits done on some short print cards. The 1956 Topps set had 487 cards and featured the rookie cards of future Hall of Famers Dennis Eckersley and Jim Bunning.

1957 – By 1957, Topps had established themselves as the premier maker of mass produced baseball cards and there was no other competition at this time. The 1957 set featured rookie cards for future superstars Hank Aaron, Eddie Mathews, and Billy Williams among the total of 584 cards released that year.

1958 – A significant innovation and long lasting tradition began in 1958 – the inclusion of pink bubblegum in each wax pack of Topps baseball cards. This helped connect the cards with an edible product and made the purchase more appealing to collectors young and old. There were 633 total cards in the 1958 set that featured rookies like Harmon Killebrew and Don Drysdale.

1959 – With 602 total cards, 1959 was a year where Topps began short printing certain popular players which began the concept of short prints and parallel insert sets that are commonly found in modern issues. Future Hall of Fame rookie cards included Bob Gibson and Early Wynn.

1960 – With 660 total cards, 1960 saw innovation with the inclusion of team checklists and “action” photography replacing some posed portraits. 1960 also featured the rookie cards of future all-time hits leaders Pete Rose and Carl Yastrzemski that are among the most valuable in the vintage era.

1961 – Topps had competition come into the card market for the first time in 1961 by rival Bowman, but Topps won out by innovating again. That year Topps released cards in a “tall boy” format in addition to their standard sized cards. This allowed for more usable photo space and helped set Topps apart when side by side with Bowman releases. There were a total of 714 cards.

1962 – Topps won the card war with Bowman conclusively and was again the sole producer in 1962. The set featured 696 total cards with improved color photography compared to the early black and white era. Notable rookies included Rod Carew who went on to win 7 batting titles.

1963 – With 714 cards, the 1963 set had brighter more vivid colors that helped the cards really pop visually compared to past releases. Topps also began experimenting with cellophane wrappers on some of their packs rather than the traditional wax paper. Future Hall of Fame rookie Lou Brock appeared in this set.

1964 – Topps reached new levels of innovation in 1964 by introducing the concept of varied parallel card designs within the same set. Certain card designs and photo variations had different print runs. This set included 714 cards in total and rookie cards for future stars like Reggie Jackson.

1965 – Bright fluorescent colors were used extensively to make the 1965 Topps baseball cards really stand out. The set included 714 cards and featured rookie cards of Rick Monday, Johnny Bench, and Joe Morgan who all had illustrious careers.

1966 – The 1966 Topps release saw the introduction of team logo stickers which could be placed on the fronts of the cards for easier team identification. There were also multi-layered parallel subsets for the first time. The 714 card set contained rookie cards for future superstars Thurman Munson and Mike Schmidt.

1967 – Topps would issue their first annual high number card sets starting in 1967. These supplemental issues contained additional cards beyond the initial run. The base 1967 set included the regular 714 cards plus 84 high numbers. Notable rookies included Tom Seaver and Rod Carew’s second card.

1968 – Topps hit new artistic heights with many cards featuring painterly airbrushed style portraits or full bleed photography across the fronts. The base set contained 660 cards with 101 high numbers. Future Hall of Famers Steve Carlton and Reggie Jackson appeared as rookies.

1969 – Perhaps the most iconic design in Topps history debuted in 1969 by featuring posed player portraits framed in psychedelic pop-art team color borders. The base 657 card set is considered a true artwork masterpiece. Future stars featured as rookies included Tom Seaver again, Joe Morgan, and Thurman Munson.

1970 – With 702 cards in the base set plus another 92 high numbers, 1970 featured numerous short print variations and special parallel cards. Hall of Fame rookie cards included George Brett and Dave Parker in this colorful set.

1971 – One of the most highly sought after vintage sets due to its combination of big stars and great photography, the 1971 Topps cars contained 660 cards in the base set with another 79 high numbers. Henry Aaron made the cover of the original wax packs too.

1972 – In addition to awarding Hank Aaron the cover again, the 1972 Topps baseball card design trimmed down the team color borders into thin strips along the sides to increase photo real estate. The 660 card base set has become a favorite of collectors.

1973 – Topps increased its total card output significantly in 1973 with a 792 card base set plus another 93 high numbers added on. Future Hall of Fame rookie Mike Schmidt appeared along with other star rookies of that era.

1974 – For their silver anniversary, Topps created silver foil stamped parallel cards of Ted Williams who was one of the five faces featured on the silver anniversary logo sticker included in wax packs that year. The base 786 card 1974 set also contained the rookie cards of Andre Dawson among others.

1975 – Topps’ produced what many consider to be the finest designed and best looking cards they ever made in 1975. Rich vibrant colors burst from the cards’ surfaces. The 782 card base set introduced Cal Ripken Jr. and Eddie Murray to the hobby.

1976 – Notable for featuring unique paint smeared rainbow borders, the 767 card 1976 Topps set ushered in many big name rookies like Robin Yount and Fred Lynn in colors that literally popped. High numbers brought the total to 844 cards that year.

1977 – Diversifying photography styles from posed portraits to action shots in various ballpark settings, the 1977 Topps set contained 696 cards in the base issue with an additional 47 supplemental cards in the high number series. Future Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith’s career began represented here.

1978 – Building on their diversity of creative design elements in 1977, Topps incorporated die-cut shaped cards within the 1978 762 card base set. These brought more artistic flair. Future legends Rickey Henderson and Eddie Murray appeared as rookies.

1979 – Topps hit another home run with fans by reintroducing the popularly framed team color borders of the late 1960s but this time with a chrome-like smooth gloss coating to the border panels. The 787 card base set included future stars Don Mattingly and Wade Boggs.

1980 – Taking a cue from the previous year’s glossy borders but upgrading further, Topps gold stamped all the borders and produced cards on a thicker heavier stock in 1980. This gave them true prestige. Veterans Mike Schmidt and Pete Rose graced card fronts.

1981 – Keeping the rich gold borders but simplifying the