When Topps cut corners
 

For about 10 years now I've had a fondness for vintage, delving into '50s and '60s cards, learning about players before my time and in awe of their set design. Despite this, I notice many examples from the 1960s have pictures on cards either completely recycled or just lazy.

Wayne Causey: 1963, 1964 and 1965 Topps have the exacr same picture. Why this is, I don't know.

Billy Hoeft: Same picture in 1961/1962 Topps.

Dave Sisler: See Hoeft

Ken Mackenzie: Different pictures for 1963 and 1964 Topps, but obviously at the same time in the same location.

Larry Haney: 1969 Topps is a mirror reflection of 1968 Topps.

Al Worthington: 1964 Topps is zoomed in from his 1963 card. His 1965 and 1966 Topps are identical.

I'm sure there are plenty of others that I can't think of. Feel free to post.

I've often noted the same thing. The 1968 Willie Mays using the same picture as his 1965 card, and the 1969 Mays re-using the picture from his 1966 card, are two of the most egregious examples. The identical 1968 and 1969 Hank Aarons also come to mind.

Here's a really interesting article that partially explains the phenomenon in the late 1960s:

https://sabrbaseballcards.blog/2017/...cott-of-topps/

Football, but 9 year separation from the SAME company (Topps).

Wow, that article is indeed fascinating and sheds some light on cards such as from my favorite player Johnny Bench. Thanks for sharing!

Great article! Thamks! Mike

Great article. Thanks for posting the link.

geosluggo, That was a very interesting and great read. Thanks for posting. I would love to know more about the Johnny Bench photo.

61 and 70
 

61 and 70 bb all-star design repeat

That article was terrific. So I guess the 1969 set was coming out during the season?

Also, that still doesn't explain recycled photos from earlier in the decade, though.

My theory is that there was institutional laziness, perhaps from the lack of any serious competition. If you have some stock shots of a player and he hasn't changed teams, why get new photos? For instance, the Baltimore Orioles changed their uniforms and caps in 1966 to the "cartoon bird" of their glory years. But nearly all the 1967 cards of individual Oriole players show them in their pre-1966 uniforms. (I think they wore the old uniforms during 1966 spring training and switched with the regular season; Frank Robinson, acquired after the 1965 season, appears on his 1967 card in an old Oriole uniform during spring training). One of the only 1967 cards showing an Oriole in an up-to-date uniform is the tough #600 Brooks Robinson from the last series. But in 1968, Topps used a pre-1966 shot for its Brooks Robinson card. Then, in 1969, they recycled the picture from the 1967 card.

Except it obviously did. My Ken Mackenzie mention, for example. It's different photos, 1963 and 1964, but clearly the same location around the same time.

It makes one wonder the reason why it was the same photo for some commons and different for others.