1956 Topps Set Turns Willie Mays into Hank Aaron and Mickey Mantle into Denzel Clarke!
The 1956 Topps set is popular with vintage collectors for almost too many reasons to list. For one thing, the Topps-Bowman wars had come to an end (as had Bowman itself!), meaning superstars like Mickey Mantle and Roy Campanella were back with Topps following a two-year hiatus. For another, the timing of the set was such that stars of the 1930s (!) like Ted Williams and Bob Feller were paired with stars of the 1970s like Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente. Oh, and how about the fantastic split-screen design, offering both a terrific portrait of each player along with genuine game action?
For example, here is Hobby legend Mickey Mantle, flashing his matinee idol good looks while also reaching into the stands to commit the highest flying home run robbery this side of Denzel Clarke. (FUN FACT: The Topps artists altered the original image to create this leaping catch off the bat of Eddie Robinson. In reality, the ball sailed way over the Mick's glove for a homer.)
Of course, where the action shots get even more fun are when other great players make cameos. For example, this card of Sandy Amoros shows none other than Hall of Famer and three-time AL MVP Yogi Berra behind the plate as Amoros looks to score ahead of a throw home.
Perhaps the most cameo fun is to be had on this 1956 Topps card of the immortal Henry Aaron.
If your first thought is that you don't remember Aaron being that buff in the early days of his career, you'd be correct. Someone at Topps goofed and used an image of Willie Mays! Of course, sometimes it's not Topps who goofs but collectors. Case in point, the card of St. Louis backstop Bill Sarni, which by all rights should be a common in the set, if not for one small detail. Many collectors erroneously believe the player sliding into home is Jackie Robinson when in fact it is "only" Junior Gilliam.
In earlier generations, collectors might have had to guess at which players made bonus appearances on these cards, perhaps even wondering if the images themselves came from true game action or the imagination of an artist. Today, thanks to tools like the Getty Image search and Baseball-Reference, "cardboard detectives" can often find not only the precise source photo for their 1956 Topps card but even identify the game, inning, and play involved. For example, here is the real Jackie Robinson stealing home in the sixth inning of a 10-4 win over the St. Louis Cardinals on August 29, 1955. (So yes, there really is a Bill Sarni-Jackie Robinson card in the set after all!)
The fun to be had sleuthing out the particulars of each card's game action, not to mention the occasional bargain cameo one might discover, is just one more thing that puts 1956 Topps among the vintage Hobby's greatest sets ever. About all that keeps the set from perfection is its lack of Stan Musial and Frank Robinson on the checklist. Then again, perhaps an enterprising collector somewhere will spot them in a cameo!
Jason A. Schwartz is a collectibles expert whose work can be found regularly at SABR Baseball Cards, Hobby News Daily, and 1939Bruins.com. His collection of Hank Aaron baseball cards and memorabilia is currently on exhibit at the Atlanta History Center, and his collectibles-themed artwork is on display at the Honus Wagner Museum and PNC Park.