1957 was a pivotal year for Topps and the baseball card collecting hobby as a whole. It was the first year Topps produced modern-sized cards that are still the standard in the industry today. Up until 1957, cards were smaller, roughly the size of a modern business card. However, Topps made the switch in ’57 which allowed for more detailed photographs and images on each card.
This change to a larger card size opened up many creative possibilities for Topps designers. They were now able to include more vivid colored team logo backgrounds on many cards. Full body action shots of players became much more prevalent compared to earlier era cards that often only showed headshots. The increased real estate per card made for a more visually appealing and interesting product.
Some other notable things about the 1957 Topps baseball card set include:
It contained a career-high 652 cards, a massive increase from the previous standard of around 200-300 cards in a base set. This was due to the willingness to include more minor leaguers and lesser known players now that card size allowed for cheaper mass production.
The design featured an orangish-red colored front with blue team logo graphics and white borders. Player statistics like batting average and home runs were listed on the back along with a career recap.
Rookie cards that hold significant value today include Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Frank Robinson, and Don Drysdale among many others from this star-studded era of players breaking into the major leagues.
League leader highlighted cards were issued for the batting average, home run, and RBI champions from 1956. Players like Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, and Mickey Vernon received these special “league leader” marked cards.
Topps continued its run of including the “Boyhood Photos” subset showing childhood pictures of current players, a fun novelty set that fans enjoyed learning about the players’ backgrounds.
Gambling was still legal in most sports at the time, leading Topps to issue cards with oddsmaker predictions on player statistics for 1957 before the season began. This “1957 Prediction” subset provided an interesting view into how experts forecasted the upcoming campaigns.
Short print cards were introduced, usually numbering around 10 times rarer in production than the common cards. Finding these scarce SPs became an early example of the hobby’s allure of the chase for extended sets and key insert cards.
Due to the boost in card count and aggressive distribution methods, the 1957 Topps set is one of the most available from the vintage era. Still, high-grade specimens fetch significant money today due to the array of stars depicted and importance as the first modern size issue.
To dive deeper into some of the most notable aspects and valuable cards from the 1957 Topps set:
The rookie cards of future Hall of Famers Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, and Frank Robinson are legendary for good reason. Aaron was entering his 3rd MLB season but was still relatively unknown on a Milwaukee Braves club overshadowed by the New York teams. His clean swing mechanics and natural left-handed power were starting to emerge though. Over 23 MLB seasons, Aaron would smash 755 home runs and hold the all-time record for decades. Mays was just entering his prime in 1957 with the Giants following several highly productive early seasons. At 25, “The Say Hey Kid” was turning into one of the game’s premier five-tool players, capable of patrolling centerfield with ease while mashing 40 homers a year. Robinson, on the other hand, was a complete unknown playing for the untelevised Cincinnati Redlegs. Through sheer determination and physical skills, he burst out of nowhere in 1956 to claim Rookie of the Year honors. Each of these Hall of Famer’s ’57 rookies today sell for well over $10,000 PSA Gem Mint 10.
Other less obvious but still valuable rookie cards from 1957 include Don Drysdale, Billy Pierce, Juan Marichal, and Dick Groat among two dozen others. Drysdale broke in late in 1956 with the Dodgers but ’57 was his first Topps issue. “Big D” would win over 200 games and later gain election to Cooperstown following a dominant decade as Los Angeles’ ace. Marichal debuted for the Giants organization’s Triple-A club in ’57 though he didn’t reach the majors until 1960. Still, his raw talent and electric delivery made waves throughout the minors that year. Both Drysdale and Marichal PSA 10 rookies today are worth $2,000-$3,000.
Though not rookies, some additional star cards that hold great value include Mickey Mantle’s regular issue and league leader cards. The Mick captured his third consecutive AL batting title in ’56 batting .353. His flashy Topps cards command big money as one of the game’s most prolific sluggers of all-time. Ted Williams also has two premium cards from ’57 – his standard issue and batting champ highlighting version. At age 39, Williams was still performing at an elite level by smoking 43 home runs and knocking in 123 runs batting .388 that season. With a career nearing its end, collectors place extra value on these late-career Williams cards today when graded high. Both the Mantle and Williams gems can exceed $7,500 PSA 10.
While the common cards from 1957 Topps are very affordable today even in top condition thanks to the large original print run, there are a handful of short prints that possess much greater scarcity. One example is the card featuring St. Louis Cardinals second baseman/outfielder Danny Litwhiler. Among the most difficult 1957s to acquire, a Litwhiler PSA 10 is estimated between $3,000-5,000 at auction. San Francisco Giants pitcher Bob Giallombardo is another notoriously rare short print that would crack five-figures in pristine condition. Collectors today still actively hunt for these elusive SP varieties to expand their ’57 Topps sets knowing finding high grade copies is an achievement in itself.
The revolutionary changes Topps brought to the baseball card format in 1957 established the archetype that remains today. Bigger cards allowed for more vibrant photography and statistics, captivating youth at the time and creating icons for future generations. Rookies of Aaron, Mays and Robinson launched their Hall of Fame careers through these early issues. Stars like Mantle and Williams also received updated highlights in the move to a modern template. While common examples can be found for low dollar amounts, condition sensitive premium cards maintain appreciation as cultural artifacts of when the players first entered the public zeitgeist. The 1957 Topps set marked a turning point for collectors and cemented the brand’s industry leadership.
