The Topps Company, commonly known as Topps, is an American sports and entertainment company that is best known for manufacturing collectible trading cards featuring photographs of major league baseball players. Founded in 1938 by the Shorin family, Topps began as a confectionary company specializing in gum before transitioning into the lucrative sports cards business in the 1950s. Their most iconic and popular set is without a doubt the annual Topps baseball card release, which has become synonymous with capturing the essence of America’s pastime year after year.
The origins of the modern baseball card can be traced back to the late 19th century, when sports were just beginning to gain widespread cultural popularity in the United States. Entrepreneurs realized there was consumer demand for ephemera related to professional baseball teams and players. Early baseball cards were included as promotional premiums packaged with products like tobacco or bubble gum. These early cards featured basic team logos and player biometrics but lacked photographs. Production was infrequent and inconsistent during this early era from roughly the 1880s to 1930s.
It wasn’t until the mid 20th century that baseball cards truly exploded in popularity thanks to advances in color lithography printing technologies and companies like Topps entering the market. In 1951, Topps secured the exclusive rights to create and distribute cards featuring active major league players through licensing deals with the players association and teams. This was a groundbreaking move that established the modern model for sports card production and distribution which remains largely unchanged today. The 1951 Topps set pioneered the inclusion of full color photos on the front of each card alongside player statistics, establishing the classic baseball card format.
The early Topps baseball cards from the 1950s were issued in wax paper packs, with each pack containing a stick of chewing gum. The gum was an important profit driver for Topps, as they could purchase licensing rights and produce cards at much lower costs by bundling them with their existing confectionery products. These early Topps sets featured iconic rookie cards of all-time greats like Mickey Mantle, Hank Aaron, and Willie Mays. High quality condition versions of these legendary cards can sell for millions of dollars today, a testament to how Topps helped ignite enduring collector passion for the stars of baseball’s golden era.
Through the late 1950s and 1960s, Topps increasingly diversified their sports card portfolio by adding properties for other major American leagues like basketball, hockey, and football. Baseball remained their focal point. During these decades, annual Topps baseball card sets grew thicker and introduced revolutionary new ideas. In 1958 for example, Topps issued their first “Traded” variations, where a small percentage of cards displayed the player wearing a different uniform to depict an offseason trade. They also began experiments with oddball parallel subsets highlighting specific stats, events, or positions.
The 1970s saw new competition arise as competitors like Fleer and Donruss entered the baseball card market. But Topps maintained their strong market position through continued innovation, such as the 1972 set which featured the first “action photo” cards depicting players in motion versus typical uniform portrait shots.Colorization technology was also improved in the 1970s, allowing for more vivid reproductions of in-game action on the cards. The era also saw the introduction of award winner “star cards”, player checklists on the back of certain cards, and the first “Minis” inserts smaller version parallels in 1979.
During the 1980s, interest in collecting baseball cards exploded into a nationwide frenzy known as the “card craze era”. skyrocketing demand provided massive profits for Topps and others. Top industry sales estimates indicate total card sales increased from around $200 million in 1981 to over $1 billion by 1991 at the height of the boom. New card designs revolved around nostalgia, team logos, cartoons, and player biographies. Popular subsets included “Traded”, “Record Breakers” and “League Leaders”. Ultra-premium hall of famers cards debuted. Perhaps the most iconic Topps release was the iconic 1987 set which featured rookie cards of superstars like Ken Griffey Jr.
However by the early 1990s, the baseball card market imploded when the bubble popped due to overproduction. Companies had flooded the market trying to cash in and supply vastly exceeded demand. Topps was hit hard, with revenues plunging over 80%. They responded by refocusing on their core baseball property and significantly reducing outputs to stabilize prices. The company pioneered using intricately embossed “3D” foiling techniques on cards in 1993, helping reinvigorate flagging collector interest. They also leaned into insert sets highlighting career milestones and anniversaries. Steadily the market stabilized.
Through the 2000s and 2010s, Topps settled into a role as the dominant but not sole provider of annual baseball card sets in a more mature collectibles market. They continued rolling out popular inserts and parallel variations within each year’s standard release. Topps specifically found success with the “Allen & Ginter” and “Gypsy Queen” branded retro-design lines launched in 2006 and 2012 respectively which brought artistic, story-focused cards back in vogue. Serial numbering was added to track print runs. Topps also began digitizing their holdings, scanning over 60 million paper cards into an online database accessible to fans.
While competitors still vie for shelf space, Topps remains entrenched as the consistent standard bearer of the baseball card industry after over 70 years. Their products still attract legions of dedicated collectors both casual and serious. Topps has proven adaptive to market trends while honoring the traditions of capturing our national pastime in cardboard form year after year. As baseball and its stars continue captivating new generations of Americans, Topps baseball cards will undoubtedly remain firmly cemented as a leading conduit for preserving that history and heritage for many years to come.
