Topps Baseball Cards
The Topps Company began in 1938as a candy company, which began producing baseball cards in 1951 as a way to increase the sales of its flagship product, Bazooka Gum. Its roots can be traced back to the American Leaf Tobacco company, an early producer of baseball cards. Its first cards were divided into two sets of 52 cards each, and were designed like playing cards. The cards themselves were designed to be used in a game that simulated baseball. The following year, they changed their format entirely – the entire set had 400 cards, the cards themselves were twice as big and, in a revolutionary move for the industry, they produced the first cards with statistics of the players on the back. The 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card is currently valued at nearly $18,000, making it the most valuable card made since 1948. Its only lasting competitor was Fleer, which became a part of Upper Deck in 2005. Today, Topps and Upper Deck are the only two companies authorized to produce cards based on the MLB.
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The Topps Company will release fourteen separate lines of cards in 2007: The main line, including relic cards from Joe DiMaggio and Mickey Mantle, tributes to the current generation and players that served in WWII; an autograph line featuring the signatures of astronauts; a series of “Moment and Milestone” cards; a set of retro-themed cards comparing today’s superstars with those of the past and a reprinting of their 1952 rookie lineup. Those are their plans current to July, and more are expected to come as the year continues, including two chrome sets, a “hobby edition” set, and a series of cards in the style of the 1880’s Allen & Ginter Cigarette Baseball Cards, the first baseball cards ever produced.
Topps Baseball Cards’ Value
The most valuable card made since 1948 is the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle card. Its value is largely due to its scarcity. It’s so rare largely because it was printed late in the production year, when baseball season had ended and people were too focused on football to buy baseball cards. And so, the Topps Company carried out its standard practice of dumping all the unsold card sheets into the ocean, which included countless Mickey Mantle cards. This, combined with the legendary status of the player, made it one of the most highly sought-after cards in the world.
