Topps Company, Inc.: A Brief History of an American Icon
The Topps Company is one of the most iconic and enduring companies in American history. Founded in 1938 as The Topps Chewing Gum, Inc., Topps revolutionized the baseball card industry and went on to dominate the market for decades. Today, Topps remains the largest and most successful manufacturer and distributor of sports and entertainment trading cards and collectibles in the world. Let’s take a deeper look at the illustrious history of this true American success story.
Topps was founded in Brooklyn, New York by four brothers – Ira, Morris, Philip, and Israel Goodman. Originally producing chewing gum, the company got its start in the fledgling baseball card industry in 1938 when their marketing director Sy Berger conceived the idea of including a baseball card photo and stats in their popular “Bazooka” bubble gum packs. These early cardboard sized tobacco style cards were a huge success and kicked off what would become a multi-billion dollar sports card industry.
In the 1950s, Topps achieved undisputed dominance as the main issuer of non-tobacco sized baseball cards. In a strategic business move that would forever change the industry, Topps signed exclusive contracts with both Major League Baseball and with the players union in 1952, locking up licensing rights for visual likeness, stats and team logos. No other card company could use official MLB marks, imagery or player names. This monopoly allowed Topps to design superior quality cards and fueled unprecedented growth and popularity of their flagship baseball card lines.
Several key card sets defined Topps’ golden era in the mid-20th century. The iconic 1953 Topps set marked the first transition to the modern standard size card format. In 1957, Topps debuted the first modern era color baseball card set. Their 1960 Topps design with black borders is considered one of the most sought-after and aesthetically pleasing sets of all time. Topps also expanded their offerings beyond baseball, releasing some of the earliest high quality NBA, NFL and NHL card sets in the late 1950s and 60s.
The 1960s and 70s brought additional innovations from Topps. They were the first company to introduce the “ Bazooka,” “ Ring Pop,” and “ Juicy Fruit” bubble gum card accessories. Popular subsets including Traded sets and All-Star cards boosted collector excitement. Topps even experimented with non-sports releases like 1968 Wacky Packages parody sticker cards. Throughout it all, Topps baseball reigned supreme due to strict MLB licensing control.
In the 1980s, the sports card bubble started to inflate as investors and speculators entered the newly lucrative market. Topps capitalized with highly anticipated releases like the iconic 1987 set which featured the debut rookie cards of Greg Maddux, Tom Glavine and Benito Santiago. The overproduction of certain releases devalued some cards and led to an industry crash. Topps regained footing and stability through the 1990s with innovations like Prestige, Stadium Club, and printing techniques like refractor parallels.
The modern Topps era has seen both great success and new challenges. Some milestone releases include the rare 1992 Griffey rookie, the invaluable rookie cards of Derek Jeter in 1996, and licensed sets based on popular films like Star Wars. Competition intensified as rivals like Upper Deck and Panini gained ground. A bitter court battle ensued after MLB switched exclusive rights to Panini in 2020. Topps continued producing unlicensed baseball cards featuring photos of current players.
Now in its eighth decade, Topps remains a billion-dollar global trading card powerhouse. While baseball drove their initial growth, Topps has long since expanded into diverse properties across entertainment, sports, gaming, and beyond. Icons of pop culture like Star Wars, WWE, Garbage Pail Kids, and Marvel are just some of their massive licensed franchises. Topps also innovated new models including digital apps, original video content and unique physical collectibles. Through continuous evolution and resilience in the face of adversity, Topps has solidified its place as both an American business success story and a fondly remembered brand name for collectors around the world.
