Happy Baseball Card Day! + Best Topps Designs

[Chris Counts]

According to an article posted on MLB's website yesterday, today (Saturday, Aug. 10) is Baseball Card Day. The article goes on to list the "best" Topps card designs ever, and I'm sure many of you will hate the designs that were chosen. Somehow, the Top 25 doesn't include the classic 1957 or 1967 sets, but the list is filled with lame modern designs.

Here's the article ...

https://www.mlb.com/cut4/the-best-to...ns-of-all-time

[Leon]

My favorite was number 7 (my lucky number too) or the 1972 Topps. Love them....and was 11 yrs old when we collected them out of packs. Who doesn't remember the gum!

[Chris Counts]

I, too, was 11 in 1972, and it's the only Topps set I bought as a kid that I still like today. The colors pop like an album cover from the Woodstock era, and the design looks like something Peter Max would have come up with. It's also the last set ever with tough high numbers, which explains why I'm still working on completing it today. The MLB article has it at No. 7 on the list, which is a little lower than where I would place it. Here's my favorite card, Billy Cowan with a halo ...

[Rhotchkiss]

Had the article included other sets, clearly 1953 Bowman would top the list, followed by 1950, 1951, and 1952 Bowman (none of which I collect, but all of which I highly respect). The best pre-war issue in my opinion is the 1908-09 Rose Company Postcards; regarding pure cards, I must go with the T204 Ramly.

Happy Baseball Card Day!

Edited- I meant 1953 Bowman not 1954

[Chris Counts]

The '53 Bowmans get lots of love (deservingly), but the '50-'52 Bowmans seem very underrated to me. The artwork is glorious. I've always wondered who painted all those images. If there was a Hall of Fame for baseball card artists, he (or she) would be in the first class of inductees ...

[perezfan]

Originally Posted by Chris Counts

The '53 Bowmans get lots of love (deservingly), but the '50-'52 Bowmans seem very underrated to me. The artwork is glorious. I've always wondered who painted all those images. If there was a Hall of Fame for baseball card artists, he (or she) would be in the first class of inductees ...

Totally agree...

The artwork is fantastic, with each card resembling a mini painting. Same for Bowman's 1950 - 52 Football issues. Some of the prettiest cards ever concocted, IMO.

[ALR-bishop]

The results are certainly at odds with the polls on this issue on the post war board. The 59 issue never finishes very high over there, although as the first set I ever completed it is a sentimental favorite for me

[PolarBear]

Originally Posted by Chris Counts

The '53 Bowmans get lots of love (deservingly), but the '50-'52 Bowmans seem very underrated to me. The artwork is glorious. I've always wondered who painted all those images. If there was a Hall of Fame for baseball card artists, he (or she) would be in the first class of inductees ...

Totally agree also. The 50 Spahn looks like a Norman Rockwell painting.

[FrankWakefield]

I scrolled down through that top 25 list this morning, just saw this on N54 tonight.

As I scrolled my way to #1 I kept looking for 1967... only to get to #1 to learn that 1967 is not on the list. Grrrrr.

For me, I liked the looks of 1967, 1953, 1972, 1971, 1959, 1957, and 1973.

At least the author of the post said that is was 'his' list, and not one comprised from research or polls.

[taul166]

Not many I agree with as listed....and several key omissions.

[drcy]

Art, of course, is in the eye of the beholder so there is no right or wrong, but a most unusual and unexpected ranking.

People "adore" the 1987 set?? Never heard that one before. 1959 as #1??

[rats60]

My favorites have always been 1965 and 1955. I also like 1956, 1957, 1963, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1975 and 1983. Those would be my top 10. 1959 was one of their worst designs in my opinion.

[dabigyankeeman]

I love 1952, 1953, 1956, 1957, 1958, 1963, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1983.