The 1963 Topps baseball card set was issued by Topps Chewing Gum, Inc and contains cards on players from the American and National Leagues. Some key details and highlights about the 1963 Topps baseball card checklist include:

The 1963 set contains 598 total cards including career highlights cards and manager/coach cards. The base card numbers run from 1 to 598 with player photos on the front and stats/career info on the back. This was the 22nd annual set issued by Topps and featured a design similar to the previous year with a yellow border and black & white player photos.

Some notable rookies featured in the 1963 set include Hall of Famers Johnny Bench (card #44), Reggie Jackson (card #192), and Rollie Fingers (card #312). Other top rookie cards included Gaylord Perry (card #187), Bobby Murcer (card #254), and Ron Blomberg (card #298). This set marked the rookie cards for many future stars who were just starting their MLB careers in 1963.

The 1963 Topps set is also notable for featuring the final cards for several legends who were retiring or nearing the end of their careers. This included the final cards for Hall of Famers Warren Spahn (card #1), Willie Mays (card #20), Eddie Mathews (card #21), Early Wynn (card #23), Richie Ashburn (card #26), and Roy Campanella (card #27). Other stars with their last or among their last cards included Sandy Koufax (card #58), Mickey Mantle (card #74), and Hank Aaron (card #75).

Some of the most valuable and sought after cards in the 1963 Topps set include the rookie cards for Johnny Bench, Reggie Jackson, and Rollie Fingers. Bench’s card in near mint condition has sold for over $10,000. Jackson and Fingers rookies have reached values of $3,000-$5,000 depending on condition. Other high value cards include the final cards for legends like Mays, Mantle, and Aaron which can fetch $1,000+ in top grades.

In terms of team distribution, the dominant New York Yankees are well represented with over 30 cards including stars like Mantle, Roger Maris, and Whitey Ford. The Los Angeles Dodgers roster from their World Series championship season features over 20 cards. Other clubs with significant card counts include the Cincinnati Reds, San Francisco Giants, and St. Louis Cardinals.

The 1963 Topps set also features several unique career highlights/retrospective cards including tributes to recently retired players like Roy Campanella (card #27), Early Wynn (card #23), Warren Spahn (card #1), and Ted Williams (card #41). There are also a handful of cards dedicated to managers/coaches including Alvin Dark (card #539), Eddie Stanky (card #540), and Chuck Dressen (card #541).

In terms of production and availability, the 1963 Topps baseball card set had a large initial print run and remains a very obtainable vintage set today. Mint and near mint graded copies of even the most valuable cards routinely sell for under $1,000. The set is considered an affordable and accessible way to collect vintage 1960s baseball cards and acquire the rookies of future Hall of Famers. Over 50 years later, the 1963 Topps checklist continues to be a fan favorite and source of nostalgia for those who collected cards in the early 1960s.

The 1985 Topps baseball card set was the 54th series produced by the Topps Company. The checklist featured 762 total cards including 54 rookie cards and 22 managers/coaches cards. Unlike previous years that featured team-specific cards in the 700 range, the 1985 set returned to a full player/manager/coach checklist and closed out with Nolan Ryan’s card #762.

Some key details and notable cards from the 1985 Topps baseball set:

The design featured a contemporary style with player photos on a white background and team logos appearing in the bottom corners. Statistics were featured on the reverse.

Rookies included future Hall of Famers Barry Larkin (#144), Tom Glavine (#215), and Dave Stewart (#378). Other key rookies were Will Clark (#256), Andy Van Slyke (#433), and Mark McGwire (#452).

Nolan Ryan’s famous card #762 highlighted his pursuit of Walter Johnson’s career strikeout record. He needed just 11 more Ks to break it heading into the 1985 season.

Don Mattingly’s card #1 emphasized his All-Star 1984 season where he hit .343 with 35 home runs and 145 RBIs to win American League MVP honors.

Rickey Henderson’s card #98 featured one of the more popular visuals from the set with his dramatic leadoff stance and bat barely touching his shoulder. He would steal 100+ bases in 1985.

Wade Boggs card #144 showed his batting stance and highlighted his consistency, having hit over .300 in each of his first 4 big league seasons.

Rookie sensation Fernando Valenzuela’s (#234) 1984 dominance was highlighted on his card after winning Rookie of the Year and the NL Cy Young Award.

George Brett’s (#248) card talked about his quest to become the career hits leader for the Kansas City Royals franchise. He needed just 33 more hits to break Frank White’s team record.

Pete Rose’s (#508) card discussing his pursuit of Ty Cobb’s all-time hits record was a fitting inclusion, as he was just 200 hits shy of breaking the record heading into 1985.

Ozzie Smith’s (#547) defensive wizardry was the focus of his card after he won the first of his 13 consecutive Gold Glove Awards at shortstop in 1984.

Managers/coaches included iconic names like Earl Weaver (#722), Dick Williams (#723), and Tom Lasorda (#724) in their final seasons in baseball.

Outside of the base set, the 1985 Topps set also included:

Traded set – 50 cards featuring players that switched teams in the offseason

Record Breakers supplemental set – 22 oversized cards highlighting career milestones

All-Star cards – 21 cards of 1984 AL and NL All-Star teams

Postseason highlights cards – 9 cards commemorating the 1984 postseason

The 1985 Topps baseball card checklist captured another period of transition and chase for history within the game. Featuring rookies, veterans, and milestone chasers, it provided a thorough snapshot of the 1984-1985 baseball seasons through visuals and brief write-ups on each player. The set remains a popular and historically significant release that baseball card collectors continue to hunt for to this day.

The 1958 Topps baseball card set was the seventh series of baseball cards produced by Topps Chewing Gum, Inc. It was the first Topps set with separate cards dedicated to players on the Brooklyn Dodgers and New York Giants after the two franchises moved out west following the 1957 season. As was typical for sets of the era, the 1958 Topps offering contained cards of current major league players as well as a selection of retired stars.

The flagship regular issue release featured 574 total cards featuring individual major league players, managers, and umpires. Topps utilized a classic horizontal design with borders on the top and bottom providing room for player information. Full color action photos of the ballplayers were featured on the front with career statistics and biographical info printed on the back. A vertical team logo also appeared on the fronts. Topps continued their pattern of issuing cards late in the season, with the 1958 set coming out near the end of that summer.

Several notable rookies made their Topps card debuts in 1958, such as future Hall of Famers Hank Aaron and Willie McCovey. Other top prospects to join the set included Tim McCarver, Ron Santo, and Gaylord Perry. Established stars like Willie Mays, Mickey Mantle, Duke Snider, and Juan Marichal also received their eighth consecutive card issues from Topps. Two Chicago Cubs teammates, Ernie Banks and Billy Williams, were the lone African American players featured that year.

In addition to the standard player cards, the 1958 Topps issue included 22 unique manager and coach cards. Legendary skippers Casey Stengel, Walter Alston, and Chuck Dressen were among those featured. Topps also allocated space for 32 umpire trading cards, including stalwarts Jim Honochick, Ed Runge, and Jocko Conlan. The checklist also contained 99 team cards highlighting the 16 major league franchises of the time. A further 42 of these were dedicated to complete team rosters with headshots of every player on that squad.

As the Dodgers and Giants had each just completed their inaugural seasons in Los Angeles and San Francisco, Topps acknowledged the huge moves by issuing separate club cards for both former New York teams. Complete new cities were added to the cardboard landscape. The Dodgers’ Brooklyn/Los Angeles roster card was one of the more visually impressive in the set.

Topps offered several premium offerings beyond the flagship release that further expanded the 1958 checklist. A “High Numbers” series was issued containing 76 additional cards of players that had been called up late in the season or were prospective rookies for 1959. This supplement series started with card #575. In addition, Topps produced nine promotional “Painted Facsimile” cards as mail-in premiums available by collecting wrapper points. Highlighting top stars, these had hand-tinted portraits.

Though not a significant vintage in the eyes of hardcore collectors today, the 1958 Topps set serves as an interesting historical baseball card release. It marked the first year without the Dodgers-Giants rivalry in New York while also being a first look at future legends just starting their big league careers. The set endures as a snapshot of the game during a transitional year while also being filled with many familiar faces from a storied era in baseball history. Its large checklist and mix of players old and new cemented Topps’ place as the premier producer of sporting cards in the 1950s.

The 1960 Topps baseball card set was the ninth series of baseball cards produced by Topps and featured cards of all Major League players from the 1959 season. Some key details and information about the 1960 Topps checklist include:

Set Size and Player Photos: The 1960 set includes 524 total cards and features a player photo on each card. For this set, Topps began including multi-player ‘action’ cards that showed two or more players engaged in a baseball play. There were 15 of these multi-player cards inserted randomly in packs.

Rookies of Note: Some top rookie cards featured in the 1960 set include future Hall of Famers Reggie Jackson (Card #13), Tom Seaver (Card #253), and Catfish Hunter (Card #349). Other notable rookies included Denis McLain (Card #421), who would go on to win 24 games and the AL Cy Young and MVP awards in 1968.

Design and Printing: The bold red-orange borders and player photos continue the general design aesthetic Topps had established since starting the modern baseball card era in 1951. Cards were produced via the lithograph printing process on thin cardboard stock. The back of each card included basic career stats and a write-up about the player.

Short Prints and Variations: There were no true short prints or variations in the 1960 set like in later years. Due to inefficiencies in the mass printing process, some cards like Al Smith (#531) have fewer surviving copies than others and are considered more valuable to collectors.

Initiation of Star Player Subsets: Topps began adding ‘premium’ subsets of star players to their flagship sets. In 1960 this included an All-Star subset with 9 cards showing the 1959 All-Star teams. The backs featured the rosters and stats from that season’s midsummer classic.

1950s Holdovers: A few cards from the late 1950s remained relevant, such as Roger Maris’ 1959 card (#91) depicting him as a member of the Kansas City A’s before his trade to the New York Yankees prior to the 1960 season.

Size and Condition Factors: With a sheet size of only 2.5×3.5 inches, 1960 Topps cards are among the smallest regularly produced cards. This makes high grade specimens more scarce as the thin paper stock is more prone to damage or wear. Gem Mint specimens command top dollar.

Scarcity and Value: The 1960 set in whole is considered fairly common in today’s market. Certain key cards have achieved strong prices in top grades. The Dennis McLain and Reggie Jackson rookie cards can reach several thousand dollars in Near Mint-Mint condition. An unpunched Marty Marine (#498) sold for over $3,000 in 2018. The 1959 All-Star cards also show solid resale.

Impact on the Hobby: Coming a decade into the fledgling sport card marketplace, 1960 Topps helped cement baseball cards as an iconic American pop culture collectible. The meticulous checklist established production practices still used today. It was another innovative and historically important set further popularizing the hobby.

The 1960 Topps baseball card set features the early development stages of classic baseball card designs, subsets, rookie phenoms and key variations that drive collector interest to this day. Over 60 years later, it remains a staple in the portfolios of vintage set collectors around the world. The 1960 Topps checklist commemorates stars of that era while also offering some relatively affordable vintage cardboard for collectors to pursue complete sets or key rookie cards.

The 1952 Topps baseball card set was the second series of cards issued by Topps, following their debut in 1950-51. Some key details and highlights about the 1952 Topps baseball card checklist and set:

The 1952 Topps set includes a total of 242 cards and is considered the first true season set issued by the company. Their previous release in 1950-51 only included 100 cards and spanned two seasons.

Of the 242 total cards, 240 featured individual player photos on the front with career statistics on the reverse. The other two cards were team cards featuring all members of the 1952 Pittsburgh Pirates and New York Yankees squads.

Notable rookie cards in the 1952 Topps set included future Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente, Eddie Mathews, and Willie Mays. These rookie cards of future superstars are among the most valuable in the entire vintage baseball card marketplace.

Topps used a variety of photo sources for the 1952 cards, with some images coming directly from the company and others obtained from outside photographers and agencies. This led to inconsistencies in photo quality across the set.

The design featured a purple and white color scheme with “Bowman” printed at the bottom as the series was still operating under a license agreement with Bowman Gum at the time. Topps would gain full rights to produce gum cards in 1955.

Distribution of the 1952 Topps cards was primarily done through candy and gum retailers, drug stores, newsstands, and other small shops across America. Wax wrappers helped protect the gum and cards.

Key statistical information provided on the backs of the cards varied slightly by player but generally included career batting average, home runs, RBI, and years played in the major leagues.

With the exception of the team cards, all players are shown in on-field uniform from their 1951 team rather than a specific 1952 club. This was a typical Topps practice early on.

The 1952 Topps set included all 16 major league teams from that season. The cards were inserted one per pack along with a stick of gum. Most cards have survived in only worn condition due to the fragility of the paper stock used.

Popularity of collecting the cards grew rapidly during the 1950s, increasing demand and scarcity of higher grade specimens today. The 1952 Topps set is widely considered the most historic and valuable in the entire original post-war baseball card series.

PSA and BGS collectively grade thousands of 1952 Topps cards submitted each year despite their age. Population reports reveal just a small fraction receive high grades of 8 or above due to poor centering and edge wear attributes.

Iconic and valuable rookie cards in the set beyond the ones mentioned previously include future Hall of Famers Bob Lemon, Red Schoendienst, Early Wynn, Red Schoendienst, and aging stars like Mickey Vernon.

Among the most coveted assignments for collectors is to complete the full 242 card 1950 Topps baseball card set in high certified grades. Doing so would command a significant six-figure price in today’s market.

The 1952 Topps baseball card checklist established the company as a dominant long-term force in the industry and trading card marketplace. Featuring rookie cards of future Cooperstown enshrinees and documenting the stars of that baseball season, the set remains a true treasure for collectors decades later. With high grade specimens continuing to gain value each year, the vintage appeal and historical significance of the 1952 Topps cards ensures its place as one of the most iconic collectibles in the hobby.