Topps Chewing Gum, Inc. has produced baseball trading cards for over 70 years since starting in 1950. Topps was able to secure the exclusive license from Major League Baseball in the early 1950s, allowing them to become the most prominent baseball card maker. Starting in 1952, Topps introduced a variety of innovative designs and features that grew the popularity of their baseball card sets over the next four decades.
The earliest Topps sets from 1950-1952 were straightforward and basic, just featuring a player photo and stats on the front and back. In 1953 Topps introduced the iconic red border design that they used for decades. They also began numbering each card from 1-398, starting the standardization of set sizes. This was an important step towards players collecting full sets of cards.
Topps’ popularity continued to rise in the mid-1950s as they enhanced their design and production quality. The 1955 set featured multi-colored team borders alongside the player photo for easier identification of which club they played for. Biographical information also became more in-depth on the reverse side. Topps also wisely took advantage of the post-war economic boom by increasing print runs to meet growing demand. This helped cement their position as the leading baseball card maker.
A major turning point came in 1958 when Topps made cards much thicker and higher quality with grey cardboard backs, known as ‘grey backs.’ This gave cards a more durable feel. Topps’ licensing arrangement with MLB also meant they had exclusive rights to include active players. While competitors like Bowman and Fleer could only use retired players at this time. These factors helped Topps achieve 95% of the entire baseball card market by the late 1950s.
Through the 1960s, Topps maintained their dominance with innovative annual sets that featured major stars of the era like Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax and Hank Aaron. They also added varied insert cards like record breakers, World Series highlights and all-star selections. The 1967 set is considered one of the most valuable as it included rookie cards for hall of famers Reggie Jackson and Tom Seaver. Topps also experimented with color photography for the first time in 1967 as the sport gained popularity on television.
Topps further leveraged baseball’s increasing popularity in the late 1960s by expanding into other sports cards like American and National Football League properties. This led to the hugely popular sports-oriented “Super” sets covering multiple leagues between 1969-1973. Topps maintained their exclusive MLB license during this time of expansion to further cement their reign over the lucrative trading card market.
The 1970s saw baseball cards reach new heights of popularity as a mainstream hobby amongst children and collectors. Topps met this demand with innovative designs in the 1970 set like the black framed player photo and white border. Inserts also became more elaborate, including career statistics for milestone hitters and all-time career leaders. Topps introduced several short-lived experimental designs through 1970-1974 on smaller parallel sets before returning to their classic red border template.
Between 1975-1979, Topps produced some of their most iconic and valuable modern sets. Notable rookie cards from this era include George Brett, Nolan Ryan, Cal Ripken Jr. and Dave Winfield. The 1976 set is regarded as one of the most important in baseball card history, offering a clean and classic design with the first cards for future Hall of Famers like Andre Dawson and Don Mattingly. Topps also test marketed variations like mini card designs and cello-wrapped packs to maintain their market lead.
With increased competition from Fleer and Donruss in the 1980s threatening their monopoly, Topps was forced to further boost design creativity and print runs. The 1980 set was the first with Spanish text on the back, while 1981 introduced stats on the front and a checklist card after years of speculation from collectors. 1982 saw Topps embrace the new era with a “new look” template. The valuable 1986 set featured the marquee rookie cards of Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds among others.
By the late 1980s, annual print runs regularly exceeded 200 million cards as the sport itself saw record attendance and revenues. The market became saturated requiring Topps to spread designs across multiple sets each year. The company also introduced licensed products beyond cards like apparel, board games, and even a Saturday morning cartoon to extend their brand. The invaluable 1989 UD and Ken Griffey Jr Upper Deck rookie card showed Topps’ market leadership was being tested as new technology in printing emerged.
Over its 40 year dominance from 1950-1989, Topps cemented its legacy as the pioneering force in baseball card design, production quality, and memorabilia. By securing exclusive MLB rights and leveraging major stars, Topps shaped baseball card collecting into the hugely popular mainstream hobby it remains today. Even with increased modern competition, Topps remains passionate about preserving baseball history through innovative new sets celebrating the past 80+ years of America’s pastime on cardboard.
