• Home
  • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
    • Write About Your Sports Collection
  • Hot on Ebay
    • Most Watched Baseball Cards
      • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
      • Hottest Topps Living Set Auctions on eBay
      • Babe Ruth Cards
      • Hank Aaron Cards
      • Mickey Mantle Cards
      • Willie Mays Cards
      • Nolan Ryan Cards
      • T206 Cards
      • Goudey Cards
      • 1952 Topps Cards
    • Most Watched Basketball Cards
      • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards
      • Michael Jordan Cards
      • LeBron James Rookie Cards
      • Stephen Curry Cards
    • Most Watched Football Cards
    • Most Watched Hockey Cards
      • Connor McDavid Cards
      • Bobby Orr Cards
    • Soccer Cards
      • Panini World Cup Stickers
    • Rookie Cards
    • PSA 10 Cards
    • Sports Autographs
    • Vintage Sports Memorabilia
  • Ending Soon on Ebay
    • Baseball Cards
    • Basketball Cards
    • Football Cards
    • Hockey Cards
    • Vintage Sports Memorabilia

Sports Collectors Daily

Sports collecting news - Sports cards and sports memorabilia industry news.

  • Sports Memorabilia News
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • Hottest 2019 NFL Rookie Cards on eBay
      • Hottest 2019 Baseball Rookie Cards
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
      • What’s Hot in the Shop
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Affordable Vintage Cards, Collectibles
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Old Hockey Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • Around The Hobby
    • Editor’s Blog
    • David Cycleback’s Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Popular Stories
  • Sell Your Cards
You are here: Home / Editor's Blog / Why Baseball Cards Came Out a Tad Later in 1964

Why Baseball Cards Came Out a Tad Later in 1964

November 10, 2019 By Rich Mueller

Think “Topps” and most people think baseball but the truth is, the trading card side of the business always been about pop culture.  If it’s entertainment or sports and people talk about it or like to collect it, the company is interested.  If it’ll sell and the licensing is right, it’s a candidate for the company’s cards, both physical and digital.  Entertainment and sports are both fair game.

Over the last 55 years, it seems, nothing’s changed.

Over the weekend, I ran across some interesting old newspaper stories on cards and collecting.  One of those was from the March 23 edition of the L.A. Times.  The gist of the story was about Topps’ ongoing need to fend off legal challenges to what some saw as a bubble gum card monopoly.  It was a constant battle for Topps, which had ready and willing competitors standing by as well as a very curious Federal Trade Commission. 

Cards, you see, had become big business.  According to the story, Topps raked in $3.7 million in sales of baseball cards alone in 1960 (the equivalent of over $31 million today).  Combine other trading cards and its confectionary products and they were doing $14 million a year.

As collectors know, baseball was only one element of the company’s business.  They had started football and hockey card lines in the 1950s.  In 1956, they had even tried a set of cards for the hottest entertainer in the world.  Elvis cards, though, “didn’t go over too well” according to Executive Vice-President Joel Shorin.

The Beatles were a different story.  

The boys from Liverpool were a hurricane that hit U.S. shores in February of 1964 but Topps was already all over it.  They paid the band $20,000 (about $165,000 today) for the rights to use pictures and make a bubble gum card set that was already hitting the market.  Topps would crank out wax, cello and rack packs of Beatles cards.  Sales, according to Shorin were “very exciting.”   

Shorin said the company printed “well over 200 million” Beatles cards.

But while the Beatles were crooning “Can’t Buy Me Love,” to an audience of screaming teens, card collectors were singing “Can’t Buy Me Cards” and John, Paul, George and Ringo were the cause. 

“Normally we issue baseball cards during spring training with deliveries by March 1,” Shorin told the newspaper. “But this year we started a Beatle card line and had to delay baseball.”

It wasn’t clear how long the delay was (if you’re of retirement age or older, maybe you remember?), but with tens of millions of people tuning in to the Fab Four’s Ed Sullivan show appearances–many of them potential customers– it’s understandable that Topps’ primary focus in early 1964 was Beatles, not baseball.

1964 Topps baseball box (coin ad variation)

And in fact, as Topps tried to stave off the FTC, not as many packs were being purchased.  Shorin told the Times the company’s baseball sales had dropped from $3.7 million in 1960 to $2.2 million in 1963.  They had a bit of competition from Fleer, which pushed out a short-lived set of cards packed with a cookie in the spring of ’63 and Post Cereal was still cranking out cards on the back of its boxes as well.  Kids who liked cards and weren’t obsessed with baseball also had non-sports sets from Leaf to consider by that time.

Topps’ expenses included payments to players.  For years, they had been signing up any promising minor leaguers to a $5 per year contract.  Once a player reached the majors, he received $125 a year, payable in cash or goods from a catalog.  

The Beatles, it seems, fared much better.

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google+
  • LinkedIn
  • Digg

Related Stories:

Baseball Card Coverage from 60 Years Ago Reveals Interesting Info on Market ASCCA baseball card show 1973 New YorkHobby Time Travel: Photos from a 1973 Baseball Card Show All Rookie Cup Topps1964 Topps Baseball Might Rub Off on You Archie Skeen 1964 Topps1964 Topps Rookie Stars Full of Fun, Flubs, Future Sports Collecting’s Real “Boom” Was in the 1970s SCD ad 1982 auctionEditor’s Blog: When Auctions Were Done with Pen, Paper and the US Mail Carl Yastrzemski 1965 Topps EmbossedCarl Yastrzemski: 8 Great Cards of No. 8 New 1960 Post Cereal Variation Uncovered Fans Flocked When Young Babe Ruth Signed Baseballs Sold for Charity 1964 Topps Curt Flood: What’s the Deal?
Mile High Card Co Accepting Consignments

About Rich Mueller

Rich is the editor and founder of Sports Collectors Daily. A broadcaster and writer for more than 30 years and a collector for even longer than that, he's usually typing something somewhere. Type him back at [email protected]

Filed Under: Editor's Blog, Popular Stories Tagged With: 1963 Fleer, 1964 Topps, 1964 Topps baseball, Beatles, hobby history, Joel Shorin, post cereal, Topps history

What\\\
Huggins and Scott - Now accepting consignments
  • Football
  • Basketball
  • Baseball
  • Hockey

Bargain Corner

  • Mickey Mantle Cards Under $100
  • Graded T206 Cards Under $50
  • Pre-1980 Graded Baseball Cards $5 and Less
  • Pre-1985 Graded Football Cards $5 and Less
  • Pre-1980 Graded Basketball Cards $5 and Less
  • Pre-1990 Graded Hockey Cards $5 and Less
  • Complete Sets Under $10 with Free Shipping
  • Baseball Hall of Famers for $5 or Less
  • Football Hall of Famers for $5 or Less
  • Hobby Boxes Under $30
  • Pre-1986 Rookie Cards Under $1

RSS Auction Report

  • Iconic’s Auction Star Wars Autographs & Memorabilia Ends December 14, 2019
  • RR Auction Presents December 12, 2019 Marvels of Modern Music Auction
  • See Mile High Card Co At The Philly Show Dec. 6-8, 2019
  • Pristine Auction December 2019 Weekly, Classic, Art, Coin and Multiple Daily Auctions


Categories

  • Business/Industry News
    • Sports Memorabilia Business News
    • Sports Memorabilia Industry News
  • David Cycleback's Identification and Authentication Advice
  • Editor's Blog
  • Library of College Football
  • National Sports Collectors Convention
  • Old Hockey Card Sets
  • Popular Stories
  • Rich Klein's Ramblings
  • Shopping
  • Sports Card News
    • Modern Sports Card News
      • New Sports Card Release Calendar
    • Vintage Sports Card News
      • Old Baseball Card Sets
      • Old Basketball Card Sets
      • Old Football Card Sets
      • Vintage Pack Facts
  • Sports Memorabilia
    • Around the Hobby
    • Sports Memorabilia News
  • What's Hot in the Shop

Sponsor Links

  • Buying Vintage Sports Cards
  • Game Used Jerseys
  • Every Athlete Autograph Event
  • 1952 Topps Baseball
  • Championship Rings For Sale
  • Vintage Basketball Cards
  • NBA Signed Items
  • Signed Sports Memorabilia
  • UFC Memorabilia
  • Autographed Baseballs
  • NASCAR Autographs
  • Vintage Graded Baseball Cards
  • Player Pictures
  • Vintage Football Cards
  • Sports Card Boxes
  • Sports Collectors Store

Pages

  • 100 Most Watched Graded Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • 20 Hottest Barry Sanders Football Cards
  • 2016 Cubs Replica Championship Rings Don’t Cost a Fortune
  • 2017 Topps Definitive Collection Box Breaks, Most Watched
  • 2019 Toronto Raptors NBA Championship Memorabilia Guide
  • 2019 US Women’s World Cup Apparel, Merchandise, Memorabilia Guide
  • 50 Hottest Kareem Hunt Rookie Cards
  • 75 Most Watched Bowman Chrome Cards
  • Aaron Judge Game Used Memorabilia Inventory Growing
  • About Us/Contact/Advertise
    • Advertise with SC Daily
    • Contact Us
    • Get Sports Collectors Daily via EMail
  • Affordable Vintage Sports Cards and Collectibles
  • Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Baseball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Basketball Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Best Derek Jeter Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Best Display Cabinets for Sports Memorabilia
  • Best Joey Votto Rookie Cards
  • Best Pascal Siakam Rookie Cards
  • Current Most Watched Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Dale Murphy Rookie Card Remains Popular, Affordable
  • Eagles Super Bowl Champions Memorabilia Guide
  • Fanatics Under Wraps 2017 Next Level Edition Autographed Baseballs
  • Football Card Auctions on eBay Ending Soon
  • Frank Gore Rookie Cards Get No Respect
  • Gardner Minshew Rookie Cards Heat Up as Fun-Loving Rookie Shows His Ability
  • Great Gifts for Cubs Fans
  • Guide to 2018-19 Clemson Tigers National Championship Memorabilia
  • Guide to Houston Astros Championship Memorabilia
  • Guide to Nationals World Series Champs Memorabilia, Merchandise
  • Guide to St. Louis Blues Stanley Cup Champions Merchandise, Memorabilia
  • Guide to Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup Memorabilia
  • Hank Aaron Cards on eBay
  • Henrik Lundqvist Rookie Cards a Strong Long-Term Play
  • Hockey Card Auctions Ending Soon on eBay
  • Hottest 2019 Baseball Rookie Cards
  • Hottest 2019 NFL Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Devin Booker Rookie Cards as Suns Star Piles Up Points
  • Hottest Lonzo Ball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Panini National Treasures Cards on eBay
  • Hottest Panini World Cup Stickers on eBay
  • Hottest PSA 10 Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Hottest Topps Living Set Auctions on eBay
  • Hottest Topps NOW Cards on eBay
  • Hottest UFC Relic Cards
  • Hottest Xander Bogaerts Rookie Cards
  • LeBron James Lakers Jerseys Already Available
  • Links
  • Mickey Mantle Cards on eBay
  • Most Popular Bobbleheads on eBay
  • Most Watched 1/1 Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Basketball Cards on eBay
    • Hottest Michael Jordan Basketball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Football Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Goudey Baseball Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Hockey Cards on eBay
  • Most Watched Soccer Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Autographs on eBay
  • Most Watched Sports Jerseys on eBay
  • Most Watched Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay
  • Patriots Super Bowl 51 Champions Merchandise
  • Selling Sports Cards on eBay for Cash
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Test
  • The 2013 Bowman Chrome Draft Kris Bryant Auto Saga: A Timeline
  • Top 100 Most Watched Baseball Rookie Cards on eBay
  • Top 100 Most Watched Basketball Rookie Cards for Sale on eBay
  • Top Selling Patriots Super Bowl Championship Items
  • Upper Deck Authenticated Autographs Remain Popular, Accessible
  • Vintage Sports Memorabilia on eBay Ending Soon
  • What’s Hot on eBay
  • What’s It Worth
  • Where Can I Sell My Baseball Cards?
  • Write About Your Sports Collection

Copyright © 2019 SportsCollectorsDaily.com | Genesis Web Design by Wickam Group