The original artwork Topps used to create Johnny Edwards’ 1962 Topps #302 card is a 5-3/4″ x 7-3/4″ flexichrome, slightly larger than many other pieces from the late 1950s and early 1960s. What makes this one stand out is how closely the final card resembles the artwork. Topps didn’t crop it down significantly, as they often did with other issues of the era. Instead, the 1962 set’s woodgrain border design and inset corner allowed for a more complete presentation of the original photo-based painting, which features Edwards posed during what looks like spring training in full Cincinnati Reds gear.
The final card uses nearly the full vertical composition of the original, capturing Edwards’ follow-through pose and the light background. Some artistic touch-ups are apparent, particularly in the uniform’s shading and removal of background clutter, but the fidelity between the two is among the best in post-war Topps design.
As for the card itself, there are no PSA 10s in the population report, but there are six PSA 9s. In a set as competitive as 1962 Topps among registry collectors, a Gem Mint example, if one ever surfaced, would command big money.
Johnny Edwards had a solid big league career. He was a three-time All-Star and won two Gold Gloves as a catcher in the National League. The Reds traded him away after Johnny Bench emerged as their future star behind the plate. Off the field, Edwards held an engineering degree from Ohio State and spent offseasons working for GE as a research engineer focused on nuclear materials!
Happy collecting!
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