Topps 'Dreadshot' Madness

[JollyElm]

The dreaded headshot. Are there any collectors who actually enjoy them?

Here's a silly little playful undertaking...

• I've always noticed how many of Ernie Banks' Topps cards focused in on his noggin, so I went on-line and screengrabbed the 'regular' ones (no All-Stars, etc.) that could be rightfully called headshots. Since there is no actual definition as to what a baseball card headshot is, for these purposes let's say that a minimum of 40-50% of the top-to-bottom active image area has to be taken up by his head (and hat when shown).

• 'Mr. Cub's' playing career on Topps cards ran from 1954 to 1971, so a total of 18 seasons. Remarkably, 11 of those years saw his cards relegated to cranium-centric shots, or a whopping 61% of the total!! That would seem pretty extreme.


As a career percentage, are there any other Hall-of-Famers whose cards were as 'headstrong' as Ernie's??


erniebanksheadshots.jpg

[JollyElm]

Well, I've never let the fact that not a single person is paying attention to my thread stop me before, so onward we move...

• 'The Left Arm of God's' playing career on Topps cards ran from 1955 to 1966 (1967 Leaders cards don't count), so a total of 12 seasons, and 8 of those years saw his cards featuring the darling mug of the little boy that Mrs. Koufax loved so much. That is 66.666666% (two thirds) of the total!!

• It wasn't until the 7th year of his Topps run that he finally had a non-headshot design (1961). He is clearly the new frontrunner.

headshots-sandykoufax.jpg

[raulus]

Exciting stuff!

Jolly good fun!!

[mrmopar]

Yogi seemed to always be pictured in his full glory. I'll let you do the mock up and calculations though.

[GeoPoto]

I'm away from home base, so I'm not offering images, but I looked at Frank Robinson (another HoFer with a long Topps run -- 1957-75). I get 8 head shots and 11 bodies, depending on how you assess 1974. I went body.

Sent from my motorola edge 5G UW (2021) using Tapatalk

[JollyElm]

Randomly ran across a 1968 card on eBay, and it got me thinking and searching.
The end result is I found another sixty percenter!!!

• Jim Bunning had a Topps card career ranging from 1957 to 1971, for a total of 15 seasons, with 9 of those years ungloriously featuring Mr. Sneaky Fastball's noggin.

A crazy 60% of the Hall of Famer's total!!

A realization: What's wild is, Banks and Koufax both had 'mandatory' 1955 and 1956 head shot cards (with Ernie also having a 'mandatory' header in 1954), but all of Bunning's cards came after those years, so he didn't benefit from forced headshotophobia.
His close-ups occurred organically.


headshots-jimbunning.jpg


(Editor's note: Although there is no actual definition of what constitutes a true 'headshot,' my general basis is the head/hat should occupy about 50% or more of the 'active area.')

[Harliduck]

Not a fan of most head shots...


There are two that really bother me...the 1961 Topps Harmon Killebrew...my favorite player, TERRIBLE looking card. I get the Senators/Twins hat issue...but that situation created some really bad cards. The other is the 1967 Topps Mickey Mantle. The close up head shot, ugly green dugout paint backdrop. Such an iconic year, a simple pose of him swinging or holding a bat...anything different...and I do believe that card would actually be worth more.

[mikemb]

Originally Posted by Harliduck

Not a fan of most head shots...


There are two that really bother me...the 1961 Topps Harmon Killebrew...my favorite player, TERRIBLE looking card. I get the Senators/Twins hat issue...but that situation created some really bad cards. The other is the 1967 Topps Mickey Mantle. The close up head shot, ugly green dugout paint backdrop. Such an iconic year, a simple pose of him swinging or holding a bat...anything different...and I do believe that card would actually be worth more.

Totally agree on the 1961 Killebrew!

Mike

[JollyElm]

Originally Posted by Harliduck

Not a fan of most head shots...
...the 1961 Topps Harmon Killebrew...my favorite player, TERRIBLE looking card. I get the Senators/Twins hat issue...but that situation created some really bad cards.

But I 'fixed' that one for you. How soon they forget.

HarmonKillebrew1961cardsforprinting.jpg

[whiteymet]

Try to find a Richie Ashburn card where you see his teeth!!??

No Topps or Bowman regular issue from 1949 -1963 save for a 1959 with Mays as NL Hitting Kings. And one, the 62T where it looks like he bit into a lemon!!

[Volod]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Well, I've never let the fact that not a single person is paying attention to my thread stop me before, so onward we move...

Thanks for pointing this out. Even as a kid, I preferred Bowman cards to Topps. Wasn't sure why, but maybe being seven to eleven years old from 1951 to 1955 was a period when I wasn't aware of how important the efforts of photo editors were. There must be some, but can't recall any of what would be strictly termed "headshots" in the Bowman sets. Almost all of the cards include, at the very least, parts of the shoulders, arms, chest, hands, etc.. Maybe Topps photo editors were underpaid, or just lazy, who knows?

[Harliduck]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

But I 'fixed' that one for you. How soon they forget.

Attachment 666864

Ha...love it...nope, haven't forgot, I have a couple of these printed up and in my set notebooks! Thanks for posting again though, so pleasing to the eye to see what easily could have been done 64 years ago!