From BR Bullpen
Topps is the most popular maker of baseball cards. The company can trace its roots back to 1890. The Topps name goes back to 1938.
In 1951, the chewing gum company Topps produced their first trading cards. They produced two sets of 52 cards, one with red backs and one with blue backs. The cards were meant to play a simulated baseball game. These cards were relatively unpopular and were not produced again.
The following year, Topps produced a more popular set. The set was on a thicker stock and featured 407 player cards over three series. These cards were larger than the 1951 cards at 2 5/8" by 3 5/8". The cards featured realistic drawings of the players. The most popular card Topps has ever produced was in the 1952 set, #311 featured
Mickey Mantle.
The Mantle card has sold for more than $100,000 at auction as the third series was produced late in the season. Rumors have circulated that thousands of cases of 1952 Topps cards were dumped into the Atlantic Ocean to clear warehouse space for 1953.
In 1957, Topps reduced the size of their cards by an eighth of an inch. The 2 1/2" by 3 1/2" size has become standard for baseball cards. This was also the first time career statistics appeared on the backs of Topps cards.
Since 1959, Topps has selected a Topps All-Star Rookie Team.
From the purchase of the Bowman brand in 1956 until 1980, Topps produced the only regular set of cards save the 1963 Fleer set. Their popularity waned however, in the early 1990s with the emergence of Upper Deck. In 1992, Topps dropped gum from its regular series cards.
Topps continues to produce several sets of cards for many sports.
