Topps has been producing baseball cards since the 1950s and over the decades has released thousands of unique baseball cards featuring players, managers, teams and more. Exactly counting the total number of different baseball cards Topps has created is challenging for a few reasons.

First, Topps has released new baseball card sets nearly every year since the beginning in 1952. Some years have had multiple different series released as well. In the early decades, sets tended to be smaller in size ranging from around 100 cards to a few hundred. As the decades went on sets grew larger, often containing 600 cards or more in the modern era. This continuous annual release of new cards over 70+ years has added to the total count each year.

Secondly, within each yearly set there can be variations that create separate card issues. For example, some early years had parallel sets with different photograph borders or colors. Special subsets highlighting rookie cards or award winners have been inserted into main sets for decades. Promotional and retail incentive cards given away at stores have also boosted numbers. Exclusive cards printed for conventions or events add to the tally as well.

Thirdly, as demand for certain players grew over time, Topps has gone back to release special subsets or stand alone sets focused on the most popular players. Iconic stars like Mickey Mantle, Babe Ruth, Ted Williams and more have had multiple dedicated card issues released beyond their original rookie or base cards from years past. Parallel vintage reprints of earlier cards in modern designs also multiply totals.

Considering all these factors, a reasonable estimate would put the number of unique Topps baseball cards released to date at well over 20,000 individual issues. Here’s a more detailed breakdown:

From 1952 to 1970 – During these early formative years for the modern baseball card industry, Topps released a total of around 6,500 cards across 19 different annual sets. This includes the very first 1952 issue as well as the larger sets of the late 60s containing over 600 cards.

From 1971 to 1980 – As the hobby began to boom, Topps expanded sets and added special extras. An estimated 8,000 total cards were printed in this decade alone across both annual releases and special subsets.

From 1981 to 1990 – Set sizes exploded in the early 80s and parallel variations multiplied. Special subsets also became more commonplace. A conservative estimate puts output at around 10,000 cards in this decade.

From 1991 to 2000 – With roster sizes growing and insert cards dominant, total volume stayed high. Parallel vintage reprints also arrived. An estimated 11,000+ unique cards were created in the ’90s.

From 2001 to 2010 – Mega sets nearing 1,000 cards became standard as the inserts multiplied. Special dedicated releases also increased. Easy to surpass 12,000 new Topps baseball cards in the ’00s.

From 2011 to 2022 – With all the above factors still in play plus short print parallels and ever more limited releases, Topps likely pushed past the 20,000 card milestone in the modern era alone.

Adding it all up, a reasonable estimate would be that Topps has printed over 26,000 unique baseball cards when accounting for all standard and specialty/vintage releases from 1952 through the present day, with new additions every year. Of course, an exact count is impossible with all the parallel and specialty variants introduced over 70+ years of annual issues. But it’s undeniable that Topps has firmly cemented its role as king of the baseball card industry by consistently offering collectors tens of thousands of memorable, historic and valuable issues commemorating America’s pastime.