Vintage: Topps numbering
ArtVandelay
Posts: 647 ✭✭✭✭
As a kid, I was always fascinated with how Topps decided the numbers for the players on their cards. As many vintage collectors are aware, the better players in the set always got a "0" card. If you were good you would get a 10, 20, 30, etc,. If you were one of the best you would end up with 50, 150 250, etc. For the best of the best Topps always reserved your card a number 100, 200, 300, etc.
I've always been curious just how they decided who would get these spots. Did they all get together to debate who landed which number? Was it just one guy deciding this fate. Also, just like today where players check their ratings on video games, I wonder I players would check to see if they got one of the good player numbers or not when Topps released their annual product.
Comments
great post!
dont forget the anchor positions too. #1 and last # of the set were pretty big cards. ted williams for instance got both in the sane year. nolan ryan went from #1 to #700 and then i think his jersey number #34 for his last year, i think. side bit of info considering the numbers, i think ryne sandberg is the only hof rc that his card number coincides with the year, #83. woulda been cool if they continued that theme.
I noticed that Killebrew had a few "good" card #'s.
1963 was #500 and a short print. There are no 10's in the PSA Population report!
Kind of hard to tell if a rookie is going to be a HoFer. The trade to the Cubs indicates pretty low expectations.
A very interesting topic. I recall reading somewhere that Sy Berger has a great deal of influence on which cards were assigned the "premium" numbers but can't recall where or whether that was entirely accurate.
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
well if they stuck 4 rcs per card of the top prospects, theyd hit on a few here and there. certainly more than 1 in 70+ years. 😉
Reggie Jackson might be one of the few players to have a 100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600, and 700 card number.
Topps also tended to give semi-stars numbers that ended in 5.
From 1980-1984, the Detroit Tigers had some evil mojo being conjured up.
.
.
Then the Tigers won the World Series in 1984, and the 1985 Topps set broke the streak with the Astros' Mike LaCoss getting the mark assigned to him.
Coincidence???...
@ArtVandelay
@countdougIas
those are cool tidbits too! thank you gentleman.
@countdougIas very cool about the Tigers!
Ripken had a "0" at the end of his number for most of his Topps career. A ton of semi-stars ended in "5" also.
That HAD to be intentional by a Tiger hater…. Or by a huge Tiger fan actually !!!
Too funny !