Baseball cards have been an integral part of American pop culture for over a century, documenting players, teams, and the evolution of the national pastime. While major card companies like Topps, Bowman, and Fleer produced cards nationwide, some communities developed their own unique baseball card histories as well. Livingston, New Jersey is one such town where cards played an important role for decades.
Livingston’s connection to baseball cards began in the 1940s as the hobby started to take off across the United States in the post-World War II era. Local shop owners like Al Kupperman at Al’s Sporting Goods and Marty Feldman at Marty’s Cards and Collectibles were early adopters, stocking packs and wax boxes of Topps, Bowman, and other brands as kids flocked to their stores looking to build sets and swap duplicates.
In the late 1940s, Kupperman and Feldman had an idea – rather than just sell national brands, why not produce their own Livingston-exclusive cards? In 1949, they worked with a local printer to produce a 75-card set featuring Little League players from Livingston’s four teams at the time – the Cardinals, Dodgers, Yankees, and Giants. Printed on basic white stock paper with black-and-white photos, the cards were an immediate hit among the town’s youth.
Encouraged by the positive response, Kupperman and Feldman decided to expand their local card operation. In 1951, they produced Livingston’s first high school baseball card set, this time utilizing color photos on thicker card stock. The 36-card release highlighted all varsity players from Livingston High School. It became an annual tradition, with the shop owners working directly with the school’s athletic department and local photographers.
Throughout the 1950s, Livingston-made baseball cards continued to grow in popularity as the hobby boomed across America. Kupperman and Feldman expanded distribution of their high school sets beyond just Livingston to surrounding towns like Millburn, Short Hills, and West Orange. They also began producing supplemental sets focused on American Legion and Babe Ruth League teams based in Livingston.
By the late 1950s, Kupperman and Feldman’s local card company had evolved into a full-fledged business. They hired additional staff, leased a small warehouse, and invested in higher quality printing equipment. Distribution expanded further into Morris, Essex, and Union counties. Their annual Livingston High School baseball card sets had grown to feature 100 or more players, coaches, and staff over multiple series.
In 1960, Kupperman and Feldman produced Livingston’s first minor league baseball card set. Partnering with the Class A New York-Penn League’s Livingston Jets, their colorful 84-card release highlighted not just the hometown team but all players in the NY-Penn circuit that season. It was such a success that they began doing yearly pro sets for other minor league teams based in New Jersey and eastern Pennsylvania.
All through the 1960s, 1970s, and into the early 1980s, Kupperman and Feldman’s baseball card company – rebranded as Top Town Sports Card Co. – remained the premier producer of local sports memorabilia in Livingston and beyond. Their high-quality, photo-centered minor league and high school sets became coveted items. The company expanded into other sports like football, hockey, and basketball as the collectibles boom continued strong.
At their peak in the late 1970s, Top Town Sports Card Co. was producing over 30 different annual and special series sets per year, employing two dozen staff. Their warehouse and headquarters had relocated to a larger industrial park facility in Livingston. Distribution deals were in place with hobby shops and department stores across the Northeast. Kupperman and Feldman’s dream of smaller-scale regional card production had grown into a successful multi-state operation.
The baseball card market began facing new challenges in the early 1980s that would impact Top Town as well. The rise of mass-produced oddball and nonsport sets from new manufacturers diluted the market. A recession cut into discretionary spending on cards. After Kupperman’s passing in 1982, Feldman made the difficult decision to shutter Top Town’s operations in 1984. By that point, the company had been a Livingston institution for over 35 years.
While Top Town Sports Card Co. is now just a memory, its legacy lives on. The company introduced generations of Livingston-area youth to the hobby and fostered a strong local collecting community. Its high-quality sets documenting Little League, high school, minor league, and amateur sports stand as an important part of both the town’s history and the wider world of vintage baseball cards. Periodically, a cache of old Top Town cards will resurface, reminding people of this unique New Jersey company that showed creativity and passion can thrive even at the local level.
