The Topps Company is one of the most iconic and well-known names in the sports card industry. For over 70 years now, Topps has produced baseball trading cards that have brought joy to collectors around the world. Topps released their first baseball card set in 1951 and has since established themselves as the premier brand for baseball cards.
Prior to Topps entering the scene, the only baseball cards that existed came from cigarette packs and candy in the early 20th century. These cards featured generic baseball players rather than specific active major leaguers due to licensing issues. Brothers Woody and Larry Leeds saw an opportunity to mass produce low-cost cards featuring current MLB players. They formed the Topps Chewing Gum Company in 1938 and started with a gum-and-trading-card combination after World War II ended the rationing of chewing gum.
In the early 1950s, Topps obtained player portrayal and trademark rights directly from the players themselves rather than going through the players’ unions or MLB. This allowed them to produce the first modern sets that depicted actual major leaguers by name. Their 1951 and 1952 sets were a huge hit with kids and collectors alike. Each pack contained a piece of gum and one or more trading cards that could be collected and traded.
Over the following decades, Topps established themselves as the undisputed king of baseball cards. Some notable moments and sets include:
1954 – Topps produced the first modern card set depicting all 16 teams in the American and National Leagues. This set has now become one of the most coveted and collectible in the hobby.
1957 – Topps’ designs and photography style continued evolving. Their 1957 set featured larger horizontal cards showing action photos from games along with player stats and biographies on the back.
1960 – Topps’ iconic design of a vertical card layout with the player’s likeness on the front and stats on the back debuted. This format became the standard template for baseball cards going forward.
1964 – The debut of the first color photos on Topps cards, significantly upgrading the aesthetics and appeal compared to earlier black and white designs.
1968 – Topps launched the first large (2-5/8″ x 3-5/8″) size cards, known as “big” cards. They featured more vivid color photography than ever before.
1969 – Topps’ greatest and most remembered set contained 606 total cards following the expansion of MLB from 20 to 24 teams. The ’69 set is revered by collectors as one of the finest ever made.
1973 – with competition from Fleer and Kellogg’s entering the market, Topps made its cards slightly thicker and introduced a new “action pack” foil wrapper to stand out on shelves.
1974 – Marking the transition to the modern era, Topps’ design changed to a smaller size (2-1/2″ x 3-1/2″) and thinner stock that has remained consistent ever since.
While other companies like Fleer and Donruss produced competing sets in the 70s-90s, Topps remained the primary baseball card manufacturer. They continued yearly sets along with various special insert sets bringing innovation. Through the 1980s and 90s, the rise of speculation and grading made high-grade vintage rookie cards extremely valuable, fueling intense collector interest.
Today, Topps still holds exclusive licenses with MLB and all 30 clubs to produce official baseball cards. Their flagship regular season issue comes out annually in Spring showcasing the current year’s rookies and stars. Throughout the year they release dozens of sets such as Archives, Heritage, Chrome, Greatest Moments, etc. Topps has also expanded into digital cards and memorabilia.
So in summary, Topps baseball cards have connected generations of fans to America’s pastime since the early 1950s. Their iconic brands, innovative designs, and authentic MLB licensure made them pioneers in establishing baseball cards as both a collectible hobby and mainstream part of baseball culture. Topps’ history is intertwined with the evolution of both sports cards and the game of baseball itself over the last 70+ years.
