Topps quietly released the final portion of its list of its top 60 baseball cards of all-time on Monday. Collectors and fans helped narrow down a list of the company’s hand-picked 100 finalists in online voting that began late last year.
After balloting concluded and results were tabulated, Topps began its countdown and wrapped up by unveiling the final five slots.
The project was part of the company’s 60th anniversary celebration.
Topps will insert original versions of its top 60 as chase cards in some of its upcoming card products.
It’s no shock that the 1952 Mickey Mantle was picked as the top Topps card by voters. For scarcity, popularity and value, it simply has no peer.
Number two on the list was the 1954 Hank Aaron rookie card, one that’s seen an uptick in interest lately, especially with Aaron serving as a spokesman for Topps this season.
While there were no clear cut guidelines, it’s clear voters took the history of certain cards into equation. Several of the cards were iconic for their era, even if their status today has been diminished. Collectors had a soft spot for some of the icons of the 1980s, despite what may have happened since they were at the zenith of their popularity.
The Topps top 60 list was heavy on vintage, with just three cards from the last twenty years making the cut. Names like Mantle, Aaron, Ted Williams, Roberto Clemente and Sandy Koufax appeared more than once while several other Hall of Famers were left off the list completely.
One surprising omission was Johnny Bench, whose 1968 rookie card represents his game-changing arrival in the majors. There was no room for the late Duke Snider, despite multiple slots allotted to contemporaries Aaron and Mays. There were a lot of great vintage cards that didn’t make the cut.
The complete voting results from the best Topps baseball cards balloting are below. Click the links to see each card on eBay.
60. 1973 Topps Mike Schmidt/Ron Cey
56. 2007 Topps Jeter/Bush/Mantle prank
48. 1955 Topps Jackie Robinson
37. 2001 Topps Update Albert Pujols
36. 1960 Topps Carl Yastrzemski
35. 1956 Topps Roberto Clemente
33. 1955 Topps Roberto Clemente
32. 1985 Topps Record Breaker Dwight Gooden
24. 1953 Topps Jackie Robinson
21. 1984 Topps Darryl Strawberry
12. 1982 Topps Traded Cal Ripken Jr.
9. 1973 Topps Roberto Clemente
8. 1986 Topps Update/Traded Bo Jackson
6. 1980 Topps Rickey Henderson
5. 1989 Topps Update/Traded Ken Griffey Jr.
Related Stories:
