I’ve been collecting Topps baseball checklists for years, and I thought it was time to write a series here on the blog highlighting different checklist eras. To kick things off, I’m making the case that the Golden Age of Topps baseball checklists was the three year run from 1967 through 1969.
Why these three years? A golden age is typically defined by exceptional achievement, and I think these checklists fit that description perfectly. For three consecutive years, Topps took one of the least exciting cards in every series and gave it star power. Rather than printing a generic checklist, the company featured headshots of baseball’s biggest stars, transforming a card from being purely functional into one that collectors actually wanted to own.
Below is the complete checklist run for each year and the player featured on each card. Several of these checklists also have variations, which perhaps I’ll cover in a future checklist variation guide
1967 Topps
- 1st Series – Frank Robinson
- 2nd Series – Mickey Mantle
- 3rd Series – Willie Mays
- 4th Series – Jim Kaat
- 5th Series – Roberto Clemente
- 6th Series – Juan Marichal
- 7th Series – Brooks Robinson
1968 Topps
- 1st Series – Jim Kaat
- 2nd Series – Juan Marichal
- 3rd Series – Carl Yastrzemski
- 4th Series – Orlando Cepeda
- 5th Series – Ken Holtzman
- 6th Series – Frank Robinson
- 7th Series – Clete Boyer
1969 Topps
- 1st Series – Denny McLain
- 2nd Series – Bob Gibson
- 3rd Series – None
- 4th Series – Don Drysdale
- 5th Series – Mickey Mantle
- 6th Series – Brooks Robinson
- 7th Series – Tony Oliva
However, just as quickly as the experiment began, it ended. In 1970, Topps returned to a more generic dual-celled checklist design without a featured star player, bringing this unique chapter in the company’s design history to a close.
No other Topps baseball checklist run combines this level of star power and design continuity. Before 1967, checklists were largely functional and after 1969, they returned to being just that. It’s pretty simple, but for those reasons, I think 1967 through 1969 stands as the Golden Age of Topps baseball checklists.
Happy collecting!
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