Forty-three years ago at this time, Topps was keeping collectors busy. Sure, they were still the only game in town, but that didn’t mean a few new innovations greeted buyers of wax, rack and cello packs that spring and summer. The 1969 Topps Decals are evidence that the market at that time, was most certainly geared primarily toward the younger set.
One of multiple insert sets spread throughout the various series, the decal set was loaded. There were 48 in the set and 13 of them were Hall of Famers. A microcosm of the bigger base set that accommodated players for the new big league franchises, the decal set included a Reggie Jackson ‘rookie’ and a final salute to Mickey Mantle.
There were some subtle differences between the decal photos and design and the regular Topps cards. Not all of the photos were the same and the color inside the circle where the player’s information was located was different.
An uncut roll was saved and made its way to auction several years ago.
For kids who liked to decorate things, the 1969 Topps Decals were another reason to buy bubble gum. Larry Pauley fondly recalls them in this article on our social networking site.
