My 1956 Topps Project

[1963Topps Set]

What contest card goes with this set? Scan please?

[Bocabirdman]

Originally Posted by 1963Topps Set

What contest card goes with this set? Scan please?

I think there are two. Here is one...

Bazooka.jpg

[1963Topps Set]

That is from the 1957 Topps set. May 25, 1957 was a Saturday.

[Bocabirdman]

Originally Posted by 1963Topps Set

That is from the 1957 Topps set. May 25, 1957 was a Saturday.

Yes you are right. I grabbed the wrong scan...…… I will see if I can find the right one...….

[Eric72]

I made a second BST purchase from Bocabirdman shortly after the first. My haul included some Phillies, of course, including this team card. 1956 was the first year Topps issued team cards. I can only imagine what collectors thought of the concept 63 years ago.

I realize there are different versions of this card. A total of six, I believe; three white backs and three gray backs. There may come a time when I look to acquire them all. For now, though, I am content with having this one. With 342 cards for a basic set, I'll just keep things simple...and relatively cheap.

[Eric72]

Another neat issue from this group is the Mayo Smith. When I first saw the card, his lack of a glove or bat in the action pose caught my attention. It reminded me of a coach holding the runner at third base. What an odd pose for a player.

Then, as a look of dawning comprehension washed over me, I realized Smith was manager of the ball club.

I find it interesting how much differently I'm looking at these cards while building the set. In the past, I would have simply glanced at the name, muttered "common" to myself, and moved on without a second thought. Now, for whatever reason, I've had a paradigm shift. I'm truly seeing the cards, with a thrill of discovery that wasn't there before.

[cardsagain74]

Originally Posted by Eric72

I find it interesting how much differently I'm looking at these cards while building the set. In the past, I would have simply glanced at the name, muttered "common" to myself, and moved on without a second thought. Now, for whatever reason, I've had a paradigm shift. I'm truly seeing the cards, with a thrill of discovery that wasn't there before.

This thread (specifically when the Polo Grounds was mentioned in the background of the one card) has me doing the same thing. Before that, I only thought of how something initially looked to me (and, much moreso, its value). Which led me to have no general interest in the '56s, especially when compared to my '55s.

But now that I took a second look at the amazing backgrounds in the '56s, I'm getting some commons just to appreciate that too. They are like nice postcard works of art. As a middle-aged guy who's always been a baseball player and connoisseur at heart, it's extra nostalgic.

[Nippy7]

Originally Posted by Eric72

Another neat issue from this group is the Mayo Smith. When I first saw the card, his lack of a glove or bat in the action pose caught my attention. It reminded me of a coach holding the runner at third base. What an odd pose for a player.

Then, as a look of dawning comprehension washed over me, I realized Smith was manager of the ball club.

I find it interesting how much differently I'm looking at these cards while building the set. In the past, I would have simply glanced at the name, muttered "common" to myself, and moved on without a second thought. Now, for whatever reason, I've had a paradigm shift. I'm truly seeing the cards, with a thrill of discovery that wasn't there before.

Yeah, even as a kid (6 years old), I was fascinated by the backgrounds of the '56's. Growing up on the West Coast, I never saw a big league stadium (I spent most summer nights at the Sacramento Solons PCL stadium) and looking at the backgrounds of 56's was like seeing the stuff on TV except they were in color. Does anyone know how they created the backgrounds? Were they just touched up photos or did they create paintings/copies of photos. I know they did paintings for earlier series of Topps Cards. It would be fun to find the artwork. Thanks for sharing Eric and y'all.

[1963Topps Set]

Originally Posted by Eric72

I made a second BST purchase from Bocabirdman shortly after the first. My haul included some Phillies, of course, including this team card. 1956 was the first year Topps issued team cards. I can only imagine what collectors thought of the concept 63 years ago.

I realize there are different versions of this card. A total of six, I believe; three white backs and three gray backs. There may come a time when I look to acquire them all. For now, though, I am content with having this one. With 342 cards for a basic set, I'll just keep things simple...and relatively cheap.

Didn't Topps issue team cards in 1951?

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by 1963Topps Set

Didn't Topps issue team cards in 1951?

Well, how about that. They sure did.

And the learning continues. I should remember to think outside the box (and the packs) a bit more often.

[Chris-Counts]

I really like the action photos and the backgrounds, as well as the many "cameo" appearances some players make, in the 1956 Topps set. Just like they do in 1957, the backgrounds in 1956 are mostly Polo Grounds and Yankee Stadium, along with some of of Ebbets Field. I only wish they had done a of few of Crosley Field, Forbes Field, etc.

Most of the spring training backgrounds are generic, but Charley Neal's is clearly the old Dodgers training field in Vero Beach.

The cameos include the player sliding into home on Hank Aaron's card, who is actually Willie Mays, and Jackie Robinson sliding into Bill Sarni on the latter's card. I'm pretty sure Yogi Berra is on a whole bunch of cards — just see how many cards you can find showing a catcher with a No. 8 on his back. Roy Campanella's is one. I'm sure there's a bunch more. I'm curious if anybody here has made any discoveries?

I can only imagine how much time it took for someone to create all those images. There's nothing really quite like them. Topps built on the design of 1954 and 1955 sets, and replaced their single color backgrounds with stadium panoramas like they used in the 1955 Double Header set, only with better artwork ...

[mikemb]

I think this is the other.

Mike

[JollyElm]

...and thus, mathematically, that one would also be from 1957...

[Eric72]

Are those contest cards sized the same as '56 Topps?

I would think a '57 Topps contest card would be slightly smaller, to match the (at the time) new card size.

[mikemb]

So, is there a 1956 Contest Card(s)?

Mike

[maniac_73]

Im also doing the 56 topps set. Been working on it for about 4 years and almost halfway there lol. On the plus side I have the big cards from the set (Mantle, Aaron, Clemente, Koufax, Robinson) now its just been grinding it out to get those commons in. Good luck! I have some of my 56 doubles listed on the BST if interested.

[Eric72]

Originally Posted by mikemb

So, is there a 1956 Contest Card(s)?

Mike

I don't believe there are. At least, none that I could find online. Of course, I'm still pretty new to this particular complete set.

On a related note, according to the Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards (2014, Krause Publications) I referenced, the contest cards shown above are from 1957.

[mikemb]

Originally Posted by Eric72

I don't believe there are. At least, none that I could find online. Of course, I'm still pretty new to this particular complete set.

On a related note, according to the Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards (2014, Krause Publications) I referenced, the contest cards shown above are from 1957.

Thanks! One less card needed. The one I saw was said to be from 1956. Never bothered to check it out.

Mike

[1963Topps Set]

There are several 1956 Topps contest cards - for football. None for baseball. So if you are trying to get a 1956 Topps Baseball contest card to finish the set.. forget it!

The 1957 Topps contest cards for baseball match the size of the 1957 baseball card.