Interesting little tidbit of information on the evolution of the stats on the backs of Topps cards
Stone193
Posts: 24,481 ✭✭✭✭✭
1952 Topps:
1958 Topps:
1961 Topps:
When Sy Berger sat on his couch in Hempstead, N.Y., designing the 1952 Topps baseball card set, he decided to play it safe with the information on the back.
At the top of the column for the player's statistics from the previous season, he wrote "past year" instead of 1951.
"We didn't know if these things would sell. We were neophytes," he recalls. "We put 'year' so if they didn't sell, maybe we could sell them the next year." If only Berger knew.
As you notice by 1958 they were putting "year" and by 1961 one can see a numerical year rather than the word.
IMO, all cards made after 1952, are nothing but footnotes to a perfect card design - a prototype - which all cards that follow may emulate.
These pieces of cardboard represent our past - our childhood - our hopes and dreams - thus, our future.
Happy Memorial Day!
mike
1958 Topps:
1961 Topps:
When Sy Berger sat on his couch in Hempstead, N.Y., designing the 1952 Topps baseball card set, he decided to play it safe with the information on the back.
At the top of the column for the player's statistics from the previous season, he wrote "past year" instead of 1951.
"We didn't know if these things would sell. We were neophytes," he recalls. "We put 'year' so if they didn't sell, maybe we could sell them the next year." If only Berger knew.
As you notice by 1958 they were putting "year" and by 1961 one can see a numerical year rather than the word.
IMO, all cards made after 1952, are nothing but footnotes to a perfect card design - a prototype - which all cards that follow may emulate.
These pieces of cardboard represent our past - our childhood - our hopes and dreams - thus, our future.
Happy Memorial Day!
mike
Mike
0
Comments
I hated when the 67's came out and they held back some stats!
Then in 71 they went back to the 52 design.
Steve
<< <i>By the way, in case any other weirdo besides me wanted to know the three cards Mike chose to use, they are: 1952 Joe Garagiola, 1958 Hank Aaron, and 1961 Mickey Mantle. What do I win?
<< <i>1952 Topps:
1958 Topps:
1961 Topps:
When Sy Berger sat on his couch in Hempstead, N.Y., designing the 1952 Topps baseball card set, he decided to play it safe with the information on the back.
At the top of the column for the player's statistics from the previous season, he wrote "past year" instead of 1951.
"We didn't know if these things would sell. We were neophytes," he recalls. "We put 'year' so if they didn't sell, maybe we could sell them the next year." If only Berger knew.
As you notice by 1958 they were putting "year" and by 1961 one can see a numerical year rather than the word.
IMO, all cards made after 1952, are nothing but footnotes to a perfect card design - a prototype - which all cards that follow may emulate.
These pieces of cardboard represent our past - our childhood - our hopes and dreams - thus, our future.
Happy Memorial Day!
mike >>
That was interesting, but frankly there has to be a little more to the story because with 1962 Topps baseball cards, those cards went back to the "old way" of doing it, and I used to hate that because more than half the fun for me with baseball cards was to look at the stats. I mean how long can a kid stare at a picture, but I enjoyed reading and analyzing the player's stats for many hours...and I still enjoy it to some degree.
<< <i>
<< <i>1952 Topps:
1958 Topps:
1961 Topps:
When Sy Berger sat on his couch in Hempstead, N.Y., designing the 1952 Topps baseball card set, he decided to play it safe with the information on the back.
At the top of the column for the player's statistics from the previous season, he wrote "past year" instead of 1951.
"We didn't know if these things would sell. We were neophytes," he recalls. "We put 'year' so if they didn't sell, maybe we could sell them the next year." If only Berger knew.
As you notice by 1958 they were putting "year" and by 1961 one can see a numerical year rather than the word.
IMO, all cards made after 1952, are nothing but footnotes to a perfect card design - a prototype - which all cards that follow may emulate.
These pieces of cardboard represent our past - our childhood - our hopes and dreams - thus, our future.
Happy Memorial Day!
mike >>
That was interesting, but frankly there has to be a little more to the story because with 1962 Topps baseball cards, those cards went back to the "old way" of doing it, and I used to hate that because more than half the fun for me with baseball cards was to look at the stats. I mean how long can a kid stare at a picture, but I enjoyed reading and analyzing the player's stats for many hours...and I still enjoy it to some degree. >>
Steve
I know what ya mean - I liked reading the stats when I was a kid - me and another friend used to memorize the stats of the entire Brooklyn Dodger team!
Now - on the stats - the '62 thing was probably just a brain drain or something - but most likely no deep meaning behind it.
The key thing is the "first" year - i.e. the 52T design - his rationale for writing "past year" was based on hopes of reselling the cards if necessary - anything after that year probably is either just copying the previous year's design or departing from it - my guess? After year one - Sy no longer was as hands on?
mike
<< <i>
<< <i>
<< <i>1952 Topps:
1958 Topps:
1961 Topps:
When Sy Berger sat on his couch in Hempstead, N.Y., designing the 1952 Topps baseball card set, he decided to play it safe with the information on the back.
At the top of the column for the player's statistics from the previous season, he wrote "past year" instead of 1951.
"We didn't know if these things would sell. We were neophytes," he recalls. "We put 'year' so if they didn't sell, maybe we could sell them the next year." If only Berger knew.
As you notice by 1958 they were putting "year" and by 1961 one can see a numerical year rather than the word.
IMO, all cards made after 1952, are nothing but footnotes to a perfect card design - a prototype - which all cards that follow may emulate.
These pieces of cardboard represent our past - our childhood - our hopes and dreams - thus, our future.
Happy Memorial Day!
mike >>
That was interesting, but frankly there has to be a little more to the story because with 1962 Topps baseball cards, those cards went back to the "old way" of doing it, and I used to hate that because more than half the fun for me with baseball cards was to look at the stats. I mean how long can a kid stare at a picture, but I enjoyed reading and analyzing the player's stats for many hours...and I still enjoy it to some degree. >>
Steve
I know what ya mean - I liked reading the stats when I was a kid - me and another friend used to memorize the stats of the entire Brooklyn Dodger team!
Now - on the stats - the '62 thing was probably just a brain drain or something - but most likely no deep meaning behind it.
The key thing is the "first" year - i.e. the 52T design - his rationale for writing "past year" was based on hopes of reselling the cards if necessary - anything after that year probably is either just copying the previous year's design or departing from it - my guess? After year one - Sy no longer was as hands on?
mike >>
Yes, and of course "back then" there was no internet, the stats in the newspapers were sporadic and limited, and if I'm remembering right the stat books were usually at least a year behind, like in the 1962 season the sports magazine books only had stats through the 1960 season but I could be remembering that wrong - I couldn't afford to buy those booklets anyway and why do it when my baseball cards had the necessary stats I wanted anyway.
Maybe the Topps art and marketing department just changed it sometimes for change sake. Certainly by 1962 there was no doubt that baseball cards were going to continue to be a success. Perhaps they just wanted more emphasis on the little cartoons or "questions" some years and they decided the stats would be secondary to that. Perhaps the league wanted too much money for the stats and Topps decided to not go with it because of the extra cost. All speculation of course which make the history and collecting of baseball cards even more interesting and intriguing.
Steve
Doug
"Molon Labe"
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.