Sixty years ago, Topps was preparing to ship the fourth edition of its NFL trading cards to wholesalers and retailers across the country. There would be two series and 176 cards issued before the season ended, the largest football card set ever made. This week's edition of Vintage Pack Facts is focused on 1959 Topps football. Having gold with a red and … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1960 Topps Baseball
After three standard size, vertical designs, Topps shook things up again in 1960. Their baseball card set went horizontal for the first time since 1956, with a split screen type look that featured a head shot for most of the main photos and a posed action image on the side. There were plenty of ways to buy cards as the decade began, too. There have been finds of … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1956 Topps Football
Bowman had left the building for good and the NFL's bubble gum card baton was passed to the aggressive young kid on the block 63 years ago. Topps stepped somewhat lightly into the game with a 120-card set but it marked the launch of a 50-year partnership with the league. In this week's edition of Vintage Pack Facts from VintageBreaks.com we explore the packaging of … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1959 Topps Baseball
If you were a youngster setting out to collect the 1959 Topps baseball set, you faced a huge task. While you may not have realized it until much later in the year, the company had just created its largest set ever at 572 cards spread across seven series. Unless you were able to save a lot of money and buy boxes--one series at a time--it was quite an … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1964 Topps Baseball
After "wood grain" borders in '62 and splashes of color in '63, Topps went back to a more traditional look for its 1964 baseball cards. There was a new type of packaging, too. This week's edition of Vintage Pack Facts from Vintage Breaks examines the packs that came with something completely different on top. Topps went from 576 cards to 587 for its 1964 set, one … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1973 Topps Baseball Was Year of Change
After producing its largest set ever in 1972, Topps scaled back to a 660-card set in '73 and was in the midst of a landmark change in how its flagship set was created, delivered and collected. The whole process was a bit of an experiment. This week's edition of Vintage Pack Facts from VintageBreaks.com looks at how Topps marketed its first set of the "660 … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1973-74 Topps Hockey
Forty-five seasons before the Boston Bruins and St. Louis Blues battled it out for the 2019 Stanley Cup, you could still go to the local drug store and pick up a pack of hockey cards (10 cards plus a stick of that bubble gum that got extra hard in the winter). The cards were colorful and there was something extra inside that was perfect for sticking on the box that … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1977 Topps Football
Topps football card sets had a long-running symmetry during much of the 1970s and early 80s: 528 cards, all in one series with leader cards, checklists and team checklists. The 1977 set was no different and collectors were still enjoying the ability to plunk down a dollar and get six packs and some change back from the store clerk. This week's edition … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1968 Topps Baseball
With its "burlap" borders, it may not be flashy but the 1968 Topps baseball set actually has a lot going for it. Nolan Ryan and Johnny Bench rookie cards. Mantle. Mays. Clemente. Cards of that legendary Detroit Tigers team. Bob Gibson of the 1.12 ERA. The return of All-Star cards. All of them--and a new set of cards you could use to play a game--took the … [Read more...]
Vintage Pack Facts: 1977-78 Topps Hockey
The Montreal Canadiens were still dominant. Cleveland had a franchise. The Colorado Rockies (no, not the baseball team) were a team (and made the playoffs). The 1977-78 NHL season had a lot going on but American kids collecting hockey cards found a kind of comfort food in the form of Topps hockey cards, which still came with gum and plenty of … [Read more...]