The Best 1950s Baseball Card Sets Not By Topps or Bowman
We all love the 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle, 1956 with Roberto and Jackie, my personal favorite (and my first Mickey Mantle) the 1957 Topps. But for the more obscure collectors, the 1950s offer a variety of cards that have slipped through mainstream outlets and out of public eye for entirely too long. Before brand licensing became lucrative, any company could print cards as advertisements or incentives to promote their product. One can’t help but imagine the old school era of Wrigley, DeLong, and other chewing gum companies printing some of the most iconic cards of their time.
Often ignored, though, are some hidden gems that have been reserved for more established collectors who hope to broaden their collections and introduce some truly unique pieces. Consider this a Holy Grail list of 1950s card sets that, at least to this writer, deserve some more recognition.
1. 1954 Wilson Franks
Who on Earth would deny the greatness of a vintage 1954 card that offers not just stunning pastel-colored backgrounds consistent with what the period is known for, but also a floating 10-pack of Wilson Franks ready for you to enjoy. The checklist also holds many of the year’s standout stars, including a Ted Williams that is unironically one of my favorite cards of The Kid’s. Hall of Famers Roy Campanella, Bob Feller, Nellie Fox, Enos Slaughter, and Red Schoendienst are also featured.
2. 1954 Red Heart Dog Foods
Red Heart Dog Food serves as a rare treat (not just for the pups) that includes an iconic image of Mickey Mantle with a strikingly blue background and a bat sitting on his shoulders. The set, while featuring many of the time’s favorite players, also has become synonymous with its Stan Musial card, Stan the Man having a dramatic red background for the subject sitting and looking on. Warren Spahn and Minnie Minoso, indeed too many players to name here, are given the same special treatment with colors that pop and rival some of the other colorful sets of the time, considerably 1958 Topps, for example.
3. 1952 Berk Ross Hit Parade of Champions
This set feels like an almost homage to Bowman of the late 40s and early 50s, literally taking that 1951 Bowman image of Mickey Mantle but without the colorful background or hyper-airbrushed hat. Hit Parade of Champions is the second year of cards for a Northeastern photography company that printed the unlicensed cards as promotional material with snacks: popcorn, candy, etc. The checklist includes the likes of Mickey Mantle and Yogi Berra, but also Joe DiMaggio, which is only true of a few baseball card sets out there to feature all three.
4. 1955 Rodeo Meats Athletics
Along with their set in 1956, this Kansas City hot dog company’s exclusive set debuted the year the Athletics moved to Kansas City, 1955, and ran for only two years. The 1955 checklist has an abundance of opportunities for collectors, though, as the already rare checklist features multiple short prints, whether they be misspelled names (Bobby Schantz for Bobby Shantz) or a variety of different color background variations; Rodeo Meats offered a lot for the debut of their new ball club. The second set released in 1956 would not feature variations and had a shorter checklist.
5. 1959 Bazooka Handcut
Saved one of the absolute best for last. This remarkable set, printed by the chewing gum company later to be known for their comic strips of Bazooka Joe, in 1959 delivered boxes of chewing gum with some of the finest portraits of the 50s baseball stars that kids got to punch out - or cut out - to collect. The Mickey Mantle, again featured with a bat resting on his shoulder, staring off into the distance of his rising’s star power. Ernie Banks, Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, too many players to do justice, are featured in this set that collectors have seen reproduced many times; a certain 2017 rookie reproduction of a certain right fielder in New York comes to mind as a revival of the set.
There are many more hidden gems from the 1950s: many more companies that manufactured cookies, tobacco, hot dogs, potato chips, and so many more all saw and used baseball cards not just as an opportunity to build checklists, but to get their products into the hands of new customers. The hobby might do well to remember the joy in having multiple varieties of sets, all originating from different creators, all competing with one another while also celebrating one another, to spread more cuts of cardboard featuring some of our favorite players to fans today.
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Jonathan Klinger is a collector and baseball historian based in Texas. Jonathan has been a lifelong Yankee fan and his love of collecting goes back over two decades. His collection is focused primarily on Yankees team sets, vintage memorabilia, and other unique pieces. He is a member of SABR (Society for American Baseball Research). When he’s not writing or collecting, Jonathan spends his time with his family, coaching his son’s Tee-ball team.
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