Vote - best Topps set
 

Strictly based on eye appeal alone, I am curious what most collectors consider Topps' finest year.

My vote - 1955

And then restrict it to only 1960's - I really like the 1965's.

steve

Lordy, so difficult. Lessee from #1-5 I would have to say 52,54,55,67,71 and 63 for good luck. I like the 71's the best though, the other five are pick 'em.

My 5 in order: 52, 57, 67, 54 and 65. I am not too fond of any design after about 1969 and find most of the 70's dreary.

Strictly based on eye appeal, my vote for best all time:

1954 Topps-That #250 card of the kid is just gorgeous as well as many others.

Resrticting to only the 60's, my fav is 1965. Love those big and bold pennants with the team emblem.

1967. The perfect card IMO. If I restrict it to just '60s....hmmmmm.

67
56

I will cast my vote for 1973.

Best Topps Set
 

1950s: 1955 then 1954

1960s: 1965 then 1963

1970s: 1973 then 1976

My vote - 1956
60s - 1965

For me, the 1953 is my favorite. I love the large "paintings" and overall design.

for 60s only, the 67 set. Simple, uncluttered design. The Mantle card has always been one of my favorite regular issues of his.

Favorite is 56 then 55, 54, 59, and finally 58. I stick with tobaccos for all time favorites the T205's but I love the 50's

My votes:

1950s: 1955
1960s: 1960

1958 i love the big logos and the colors
http://<a href="http://s97.photobucket.com/albums/l239/dcc1/?action=view&current=MARIS.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i97.photobucket.com/albums/l239/dcc1/MARIS.jpg" border="0" alt="R.MARIS"></a>

My 2 sets are
 

1957

1967

Regards
Rich

my vote
 

I always liked the 1972's.....kind of acidic.....

For the front design, either '57, '67, '56 or '64
For the back (I know, who cares) either '72, '57, '66 or '77 (my first year as a real collector)

I like 52 topps the best
From the 60s - 1969

1955 is definitely the sweetest design. Also like the 71's, 73's, 63's, 52's and 83's. 56's are nice, but I think the 55's are the best.

Best All-Time = 1953 (I think the two best-looking Topps BB cards of all-time are the Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays from '53)

Best of the '60s = 1962


Steve

Woodies for me.
 

I dig the '62's. I have four or five slabed packs. One of my packs is a 1962 Topps Wax Pack with Mantle/Mays Managers Dream card on the back.

Wanna Rip......Attachment 2629

I love the colors on the 72's. I also have a affinity for the 77's since it was the first year I collected bb cards.

1950s: 1956
1960s: 1965
1970s: 1972

1950's: 1955 and 1957
1960's: 1960 and 1967
1970's: 1970 and 1972

From the 50's - 1959

From the 60's - 1963 or 1967

From the 70's - 1972 (Love the in action cards)

1950s: 1955
1960s: 1967
1970s: 1976

Narrowing to one set each from the '50s and '70s wasn't easy. I didn't go by player selection or rookie cards, but by design, photo quality, and color and these came out on top.

I totally dig the 1967 Topps Baseball effort.

It's exceptional.

50's: 1956, 1954
60's: 1963, 1965
70's: 1976, 1975

My faves...
 

1950s: 1957 (1958 and 59 are just dreadful)
1960s: 1961, 1963, 1964 (1968 is ugly)
1970s: 1978 is da bomb. love the script lettering, some of the images are outstanding.

"59 are just dreadful"
 

Respectfully disagree.

Favorite: 1959 (The last year I actively collected. I think it was about then when I noticed that girls had different parts)

Next: 1953 (The first year I actively collected)

Steve, I thought that comment might draw you out!
 

I fully respect and honor that opinion. The historical perspective and context for each person can be very personal and that's what is so great about this hobby.
For me, not having such a connection, the 59's are viewed entirely through an objective, more distant lense.
The flipside is that I have that kind of conneciton for 1984 Fleer. Honestly no barnburner of a set, but I am more fond of it because that was my second intro to cards, but the first real substantial time I started collecting more aggressively.

My hat is off to 1967 for the bright color palette that reminds me of Kodachrome which itself has proven so easy to love. 1966, by comparison, looks drab and muddy with poor flesh tones. The players in 67 look to have blood in their veins. Also appreciate any photos taken at spring training right after wind sprints. Nothing like a sweat soaked, gasping closeup. Fred Gladding comes to mind.

The photo quality in 67 is higher than most of the 60s, although 65 is good, and the overall quality control of the printing process is good. In my experience 67 had few mis-cuts and centering problems and the images are free of dust, dirt, smears, printer lines and other crap that plagues other years like 1961. (did they ever clean the printing presses and plates that year?) 69 had lots of miscuts.

68 is tough to like, although the color quality is close to 67 the burlap border is big and fugly. I'd like to know how they chose that. If that was the best idea they had I wonder what they rejected.

The layout for the 63s works for me. Big Photo, small photo, bright colors that go to the edges at the bottom, easy to read card backs. I really like them/

Speaking of card backs, 61's are the worst. What joker thought that tiny black on green statistics was a good idea. I need a magnifying glass to read them.

Best 5 Topps sets
 

I would have to say 55,59,63,65,67 these sets are very nice.

1950's: 1956 - love the action scenes in the background
1960's: 1966 - but partly because it was the first set I completed
1970's: none - I think the quality of the issues went downhill after 1969

Best overall --1952
Best 60's--1969

My 5 faves in order of appearance:

53 - love the art work
57 - simplistic ,clean design
63 - again the design and colors
68 - see 57
75 - colors, and the memories of ripping open packs at that little country store

Best set
 

I vote for 56

John

Best set ever..........
 

1950's........1953 Topps (the paintings are cool)

1960's........1962 Topps (something about those wood borders)

1970's........1971 Topps (high end cards in this set are so rich looking)

1956 is mine

1955

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/calvindog/2965080586/" title="#28 Ernie Banks by calvindog65, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2228/2965080586_8c3f0095b5_o.jpg" width="723" height="412" alt="#28 Ernie Banks" /></a>

1965

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/calvindog/2922581888/" title="1965 Topps by calvindog65, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/2922581888_15503ebc41_o.jpg" width="422" height="737" alt="1965 Topps" /></a>

Have to go with 1957. Maybe it's because that's the first year I started buying baseball cards and so nostalgia factors into my opinion, but '57 is it!

Just based on eye appeal, I'd pick the 57s, though I like the 55s as well. My favorite post-war set is the 1953 Bowman Color, so I tend to like cards with great photos and minimal distaction. The 57 is the closest to this.

Since you qualified it by Topps Sets I'd have to go with 1956 Topps for the '50s (although the '53 Bowman Color Set blows away any other set from that era).

For the 1960's - I'd go with 1967 Topps.

best looking topps sets
 

1967 topps stand-ups by far

1967 Stand Ups
 

....or by few

1967 has always been my favorite.

Best Topps Set
 

I always liked the 1972 Topps Set with the bright colors and the In Action Cards. I can remember looking at the back of the Expos Team card where they list the Career Batting and Pitching Leaders and thought it looked cool seeing Rusty Staub,s name on every batting category(I know they were only 3 years in).

Hands down
 

1954 Topps is the best. Banks, Kaline and Aaron rookies + two Teds. Easy winner. :P

I'm partial to 1961
 

Hello Everyone,

My favorite set from the 1960s is 1961. The design was so simple, it reminds me of the default layout for Power Point presentations, just three boxes. A large photograph on top, and two smaller boxes, on the lower left the player's name and position, on the right the team. The colors are solid and bright. There is no confusion. The focus on the back is on the statistics, not commentary; and the cartoons on the back are fun to read and taken as a whole give an interesting insight into the life of a baseball player. I know there are a lot of portraits and not many action photos. I remember that when I collected the set as a kid I was drawn to the action photos. My favorites were Jerry Adair, Hank Aguirre and Bill Mazeroski, but now I've grown to love all the head shots. I would argue that the 61 Mick is the most recognizable card in the Mantle cannon. In the portraits the personalities of the players is really revealed.
The set pays homage to the great moments of the game: Ruth's 60th Homer, Hornsby's .424 average, Chesbro's 41 wins and the feats of Mathewson, Johnson and others. The set is loaded with Hall-of-Famers and history. Like all sets there are faults, for example, the manager cards are silly and it is difficult to find perfectly centered cards. Nevertheless, when you look at the set in an album its symmetry, artistry and design are striking. Take a moment to examine below one page from my set and you will see what I mean.

Best wishes,

Joe

My favorites per decade

1953
1965
1971
1980

50's: 1953 great artwork w/1952 (right there with it)

60's: Maybe 1969, nice basic design