Topps baseball cards have become one of those unquestionable American icons that recall nostalgic visions of childhood. These baseball cards are timeless, no matter what era you grew up in, odds are you carried around a pack or two of Topps cards.

In the fifties and sixties, the brand marketed itself to youngsters by including bubble gum as part of the package. Kids in those days were excited to behold a large pink stick of bubble gum on the top of each batch of cards. But the bubble gum was merely an added bonus; you did not have to be a professional collector to feel the urge to take part in card trading with friends.

The company introduced their first cards in 1952, and kids of the decade could hardly believe how huge these new cards were. At least three times the size of those issued by Leaf, Bowman and like manufacturers, buyers were drawn to these cards because they made their athletic heroes seem even more impressive and imposing. That year Topps turned out one of the most legendary cards of the era: the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle. Because it was released as part of the last series of the year, it helped to distract sports fans who begun turning their attentions toward football.

Topps went on producing oversized cards through 1956. Collectors from that era are likely to be searching for the 1954 Hank Aaron rookie card as well as the first card to feature Ernie Banks. The most-cherished ones from 1955 include that of Roberto Clemente, Harmon Killebrew and Sandy Koufax. The year 1957 saw the cards reduced to a size that is standard among today’s cards, and the brand continued to add to their collection.

Some of the most important ones of the sixties included the rookie editions of Pete Rose in 1963, Nolan Ryan and Johnny Bench in 1968, and Reggie Jackson in 1969. Because of the great expansion within the major leagues, the company produced its largest-ever 660 card set in 1969.

The decade of the seventies did not change things much for Topps, the cards produced during that era appeared in much the same fashion as they had the previous decade, at least as far as printing stock and overall approach are concerned. The start of each spring baseball season saw the company switching up the design so that each production year can be easily picked out by the discerning eye.

A court case in the eighties changed things for Topps; the ruling resulted in new competition in the baseball card market from companies like Upper Deck, which arrived on the scene in 1989. In recent years, things have took a turn for the better at least for our beloved Topps when the company persuaded Major League Baseball to sign an exclusive partnership agreement, making the company’s cards the “official” card of the MLB leagues.

Modern marketing gimmicks go way beyond adding a stick of gum to each pack; more recent appeals to buyers include the Million Card Giveaway. A code in each pack directs buyers to a website on which they “unlock” the code to see which vintage card they have won from a previous Topps series.

Author Bio: Ellie Lewis recently sold her old baseball cards to a collector for a nice profit. Her son purchased Topps baseball cards as gift for his brother who collects them.

Category: Business
Keywords: baseball cards,Topps baseball cards