The 1960s are a haven for insert collectors. Posters, decals, game cards… you never knew exactly what Topps was going to toss into its packs as a free bonus. The 1963 Topps Peel-Off set offered a bigger, bolder, more colorful look than the stamps that had accompanied the 1961 and ’62 cards. This insert set gave collectors some big names, with 41% of the subjects future Hall of Famers.
The 1963 Topps Peel-Offs were inserted into packs of the regular 1963 Topps set. Specially marked 5-cent wax boxes indicated their presence. Somewhere along the line, the hobby began referring to them as “peel offs” rather than “stickers” as Topps had advertised.
At 1¼ inches by 2¾ inches, the unnumbered stickers were smaller than the base cards of the ’63 Topps flagship set. There were 46 subjects in the set.
Each player is featured in a full-color image with a floating headshot featuring the player wearing the cap of his team. A notable exception is Roberto Clemente, who is featured as “Bob,” a habit Topps adhered to during much of the 1960s with the Pittsburgh Pirates’ star right-fielder.
The player’s head is set against a brightly colored oval background, and his name, team and position are featured below the oval centerpiece in a rectangular color box.
A faint white band runs across the center of the player’s mug shot. That is from the sticker backs, where the peeling points come to a head.
The backs of the stickers peel off (naturally), leaving a sticky surface that allowed collectors to put them in scrapbooks, schoolbooks, headboards and even T-shirts. I had friends who enjoyed putting stickers on their white T-shirts, but I am sure they did not anticipate their mothers putting the shirts in the laundry.
The sticker backs had instructions on how to apply them to surfaces. The backs encourage collectors to “Place All Stars on books, walls, bikes, anything!”
There are blank back versions, however, that are much rarer and more valuable.
The Peel-Offs insert set is brimming with Hall of Famers, 19 in all. That includes Hank Aaron, Luis Aparicio, Richie Ashburn, Ernie Banks, Jim Bunning, Orlando Cepeda, Clemente, Don Drysdale, Al Kaline, Harmon Killebrew, Sandy Koufax, Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Bill Mazeroski, Stan Musial, Brooks Robinson, Frank Robinson, Warren Spahn and Carl Yastrzemski.
Also included are Bill Monbouqette, who pitched a no-hitter for the Red Sox in 1962; Ralph Terry, who won Game 7 of the 1962 World Series in a memorable 1-0 squeaker; and fan favorites such as Rocky Colavito, Tommy Davis, Ken Boyer, Camilo Pascual and Bob Aspromonte.
There is also a sticker of Ken Hubbs, the promising Chicago Cubs second baseman who would die in a plane crash in February 1964.
One problem collectors will find with this set is centering. There are many instances where a player will be off-center, even to the extent that part of another player is showing. This is an issue that will continue several years later with the 1966 Topps Rub-Offs.
Because of the peel-back nature of the set, it is difficult to find the 1963 Peel-Offs in high grade. Of the more than 3,300 stickers submitted to PSA, only seven have graded at gem-mint and 253 at PSA 9.
One of them is a Mantle with an instruction back. Other Hall of Famers with PSA 10 stickers are Aaron, Killebrew, Koufax and Musial. The others are Monbouquette and Dick Donovan.
There are several collectors who have completed the set in high grades and have their stickers in the PSA registry. No. 1 is called the TC Collection and has a set rating of 9.61.
The 1963 Topps Peel-Off set presents an interesting challenge for collectors. There is plenty of star power, and the back variations add a little intrigue for those who enjoy master sets. The 1963 season also marks Musial’s final year in the majors.
Predictably, Mantle is the most coveted of the Peel-Offs. A PSA 8 sold recently on eBay for $600. Ungraded complete sets in good shape typically cost around $1,000.
Topps paid tribute to this insert set by bringing back a modern version for its 2021 Archives set.
Despite the occasional outlay for a high-grade Hall of Famer, most of the 1963 Topps Peel Off Stickers are generally inexpensive and with only 46 in the set, it’s an “appealing” set to try and chase.
There are plenty of 1963 Peel-Off stickers available on eBay.
1963 Topps Peel Offs Checklist (no numbers were assigned):
- Hank Aaron
- Luis Aparicio
- Richie Ashburn
- Bob Aspromonte
- Ernie Banks
- Ken Boyer
- Jim Bunning
- Johnny Callison
- Roberto Clemente
- Orlando Cepeda
- Rocky Colavito
- Tommy Davis
- Dick Donovan
- Don Drysdale
- Dick Farrell
- Jim Gentile
- Ray Herbert
- Chuck Hinton
- Ken Hubbs
- Al Jackson
- Al Kaline
- Harmon Killebrew
- Sandy Koufax
- Jerry Lumpe
- Art Mahaffey
- Mickey Mantle
- Willie Mays
- Bill Mazeroski
- Bill Monbouquette
- Stan Musial
- Camilo Pascual
- Bob Purkey
- Bobby Richardson
- Brooks Robinson
- Floyd Robinson
- Frank Robinson
- Bob Rodgers
- Johnny Romano
- Jack Sanford
- Norm Siebern
- Warren Spahn
- Dave Stenhouse
- Ralph Terry
- Lee Thomas
- Bill White
- Carl Yastrzemski
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