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1955 TOPPS DOUBLE HEADER BASEBALL CARDS

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The 1955 Topps Double Header baseball card set was unique in Topps’ early history as it featured two players per card. Released in 1955 as Topps’ third baseball card series, the Double Header set contained 132 cards and featured 264 individual player photos. The dual player format allowed Topps to effectively double the number of players included in their set compared to previous years.

Topps had produced baseball cards since 1951 but their early sets only included a single player photo per standard size card. In 1954, their set totaled only 132 cards. For 1955, Topps sought to expand their player coverage and introduce more variety to collectors. The Double Header concept proved an innovative solution. By pairing two current major league players together on each card, Topps was able to showcase over 250 players in a single 132 card product.

The 1955 Topps Double Header cards featured a vertical split design with one player photo above the other. Each photo was approximately 1 3/8 inches tall by 1 1/8 inches wide. Below the photos was a white space for the players’ names, positions, and team affiliations. The reverse side of each card contained no additional stats or images – just a blue border. The cards measured approximately 2 5/8 inches by 3 5/8 inches, slightly larger than modern standard size cards to accommodate the dual player layout.

In selecting player pairings for the 1955 Topps Double Header set, there was no discernible pattern or logic to the combinations. Players from all teams were mixed together randomly with no regard for position, statistics, or other similarities. For example, card #1 paired Brooklyn Dodgers pitcher Don Newcombe with Cleveland Indians outfielder Larry Doby while card #2 combined Boston Red Sox first baseman Walt Dropo and Washington Senators pitcher Camilo Pascual. The seemingly random pairings added an element of surprise for collectors as they had no way of predicting which two players would be shown on the next card pulled from a pack.

The 1955 Topps Double Header set is notable not just for its innovative dual player design but also because it features some of the biggest stars from that era. The likes of Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Hank Aaron, and Stan Musial all received standard sized solo cards in previous Topps issues but were included in paired format in the 1955 Double Header set. Other notable Hall of Famers present included Robin Roberts, Duke Snider, Richie Ashburn, and Roy Campanella among many others. In total, over 40 players from the 1955 set would eventually be elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown.

While production values were still relatively basic compared to modern standards, the 1955 Topps Double Header cards represented a leap forward both in terms of the number of players included and the visual presentation compared to Topps’ first two sets from 1951-1954. The paired player format proved popular with collectors and Topps would continue to issue Double Header style sets, with slight variations, through the late 1950s. Condition is always a concern for 70 year old cardboard but high grade examples of the 1955 Topps Double Header cards remain popular with vintage baseball card collectors today due to the historic players featured and the set’s place as a unique and transitional release in the early development of Topps.

The 1955 Topps Double Header set marked both an innovative design change and an expansion of player coverage for Topps compared to previous issues. By pairing two players on each standard sized card, Topps was able to showcase over 250 major leaguers, nearly doubling the count from their 1954 set. While production values were still basic, the 1955 Double Headers featured many of the era’s biggest stars and over 40 would later earn enshrinement in the Baseball Hall of Fame. The random dual player combinations added an element of surprise for collectors as they had no way to predict which players would be paired on the next card pulled from a pack. Condition remains a concern for 70 year old cardboard but high grade examples of the pioneering 1955 Topps Double Header set remain prized by vintage baseball card collectors today.

DOUBLE HEADER BASEBALL CARDS

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Double header baseball cards were a unique card format introduced in the 1930s that featured two player photos and stats on a single larger card. They provided collectors with more content for their money compared to standard size cards at the time. The double header format was popular with collectors during the Great Depression era and helped drive interest in the growing baseball card hobby.

The first double header cards emerged in 1933 from the Goudey Gum Company. Goudey had been issuing standard size baseball cards as promotional inserts in their chewing gum packs since 1931. In 1933, they experimented with a larger card format that could showcase two players side by side. The cards measured approximately 3.5 inches by 2.25 inches, nearly twice the size of a standard baseball card of the time.

On one double header card, the front would feature a photo and stats for one player on the left side and same for another player on the right side. The backs were blank. In total, Goudey issued 60 different double header cards over two series in 1933 and 1934 featuring a total of 120 different players. Some of the stars featured included Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Jimmie Foxx, and Lefty Grove.

Collectors appreciated getting twice the content for the same price of a pack of gum. At a time when money was tight during the Depression, the double header cards provided more value and excitement per pack. Their larger size also made them easier to see the photos and stats compared to postage stamp-sized standard cards of the period. The cards caught on in popularity with collectors.

Inspired by Goudey’s success, other card companies soon followed with their own double header issues. In 1935, National Chicle issued one series of 48 cards featuring 96 players. The same year saw the debut of double headers from Diamond Stars and Red Rock. Even more companies like Bell Brand and Play Ball entered the double header arena over the next few years.

The larger size and two-player format of double headers made them very appealing to collectors. Some collectors also found the larger cards less portable and harder to store in albums compared to standard size cards. By the late 1930s, most gum and candy companies had shifted back exclusively to standard size vertical format cards that became the enduring classic design.

While short-lived compared to standard cards, double headers remain a very collectible niche subset today due to their larger size, scarcity, and place in baseball card history. With fewer printed than single player issues, double headers tend to be some of the most valuable and desirable vintage cards for serious collectors. Grading services like PSA and SGC especially enjoy grading these unique larger format cards when high quality specimens come on the market.

The rarest and most valuable double headers are the 60 original 1933 and 1934 Goudey issues which started the craze. Top stars like Babe Ruth in these early Goudey sets can sell for over $10,000 in Near Mint condition. But high grade examples of any early 1930s double headers from the other pioneer companies like National Chicle are still valuable, routinely selling for hundreds to low thousands of dollars.

Even more common players attain significance and demand when appearing on rare double headers from obscure short-lived brands. For example, a 1935 Diamond Stars Babe Ruth in grade NM condition recently sold at auction for over $3,000 solely due to the brand’s extreme scarcity. The largest and most complete vintage double header collections can be worth over $100,000.

While short-lived in actual production, double header cards played an important role in the history of the burgeoning baseball card hobby and industry during the 1930s. Their larger size and two-player format provided novelty and value that collectors of the Depression era appreciated. Today, surviving high quality specimens are prized possessions for those who collect the earliest and rarest vintage cards. The unique double header format continues to fascinate collectors with their place in the early evolution of the modern baseball card.