1966 Topps

FEATURES

Player photographs in the 1966 Topps set are shot in various angles and in many different poses. The most prevalent of these include upper-body photos, head shots, and action images. Along with the player photograph, the front of each card in this set displays a diagonal banner in the upper left-hand corner with the player’s team name; the bottom of the card houses the player’s name and position. For the background, Topps maintained a particular color scheme based on the player’s team. For example, the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees have a yellow print and red background. With this in mind, the cards are easily distinguishable. On the backs, the background is pink and contains the usual statistics, biographical information, and Topps cartoon.

SET SERIES & SUBSETS

Series One: 1-109
Series Two: 110-196
Series Three: 197-283
Series Four: 284-370
Series Five: 371-446
Series Six: 447-522
Series Seven: 523-598

KEY CARDS

In the 1966 Topps set, the high-number cards are harder to locate (523-598), especially in prime condition. Because more than half of the last series were short prints, many Hall of Famers are particularly valuable, such as Willie McCovey (550), Billy Williams (580), and Gaylord Perry (598). There are also base cards for Mickey Mantle and Pete Rose that were double prints, yet are still considered extremely valuable. Comprised of 598 cards, 1966 Topps one actual subset, the League Leaders (215-226). Also in the checklist, there are Topps Rookie All-Stars, veteran All-Stars, team cards, and Rookie Star combos. Similar to other sets in the 60s, the majority of the top rookies are located on multi-player Rookie Star cards, such as Fergie Jenkins and Don Sutton. Jim Palmer, however, has his own card.

SET ODDITIES

Within this set, there is a large amount of error and variation cards. There are three versions of Don Landrum (43) related to an issue with his clothing and the many attempts to fix it. The remaining variations are a result of offseason trades, making the total card count of 1966 Topps 609 cards. Despite the high number of variations, they do not carry much value. There is also a frequent issue in this set related to centering and cuts. As a result, it is more difficult to find star and rookie cards in quality condition. Also in this set, the cards of Willie Mays and Gaylord Perry, which are positioned first and last, have high value due to their location.