Topps began honoring its annual Rookie All-Star team with a postseason banquet in 1959. Players were featured in a dinner program, but it soon became obvious to someone at Topps — it was a card company, so why not honor the rookie recipients with a card set?
Topps did just that in 1964, issuing a 36-card boxed set for the annual dinner, which was held at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City on Oct. 22, 1964.
The Topps Rookie All-Star Banquet set is certainly among Topps’ most obscure issues. The cards measured 3 inches by 5¼ inches and have the look and feel of a program one might find at an awards ceremony. To make it more program-like, Topps assigned a “page number” to each card, which is featured in the lower right-hand section on the front. Each card is printed in black and white, with either blue or red highlights on the front.
The cards came in a special presentation box that was printed in foil.
The first seven cards in the set featured black-and-white photography of players voting, key Topps sports employees and baseball officials who were involved in the process of voting and creating the awards.
Cards of note in those first seven include innovative Topps executive Sy Berger (No. 6), Election Committee card No. 4 includes Hall of Famers Frank Frisch and Hank Greenberg, along with media members. No. 5 features Joel Shorin of Topps, media members, and Hall of Famers. No. 7 is a “Topps Salutes Joe Garagiola” card.
Cards 8 through 12 show the previous years’ Rookie All-Star Teams from 1959-1963, using 10 “floating head” mug shots against a light blue background.
Cards 13 through 34A featured a 3-inch by 3¼-inch black-and-white photograph of one of the 1964 rookies who were being honored at the banquet.
No. 13 was a header card similar to the other seasons, featuring the 1964 rookie team.
Other cards in those numbers featured a team’s public relations director with a write-up about the rookie. There was Milwaukee Braves’ PR man and former pitcher Ernie Johnson noting the accomplishments of Rico Carty and Red Sox PR man Bill Crowley chronicling the season of Tony Conigliaro.
Luis Tiant’s card is numbered 34A, so the set tops out at No. 35 (the Rookie of the Year trophy). Tiant was featured because he was Topps’ Minor League Player of the Year. 
This set is difficult to find, especially in high grade. With only a few hundred likely produced for the event, you probably won’t have to worry about a large number of them suddenly being discovered.
A total of 259 cards have been sent to PSA for grading with only 63 having been added to the population report in the last six and a half years. Only six cards have been graded Gem Mint 10–not surprising for an oversized set from 60 years ago. There are 49 9s. SGC has graded only 16 cards from the set with just three rating as high as 9. The company has graded only three cards from this set in those has six and a half years.
By far, the most valuable card in the set is No. 12, the 1963 Topps All-Star Rookie Team, which features Pete Rose, Rusty Staub, Al Weis, Pete Ward, Jimmie Hall, Vic Davalillo, Tommy Harper, Jesse Gonder, Ray Culp and Gary Peters. One of three PSA 9 copies sold for $10,750 in October of 2020.
Hall of Famers in the set include Willie McCovey, featured on the card that honors the 1959 all-rookie team, Ron Santo and Billy Williams (1960) and Joe Torre (1961).
The Topps Rookie All-Star Banquet card set is certainly quirky and interesting. It’s a one-and-done issue and represents a slice of Topps’ history.
There are about two dozen cards from the set on eBay you can see on this page.
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