Topps League Leader Cards: Legends, History, and Bargains
League Leaders cards are among the most affordable and fun ways to add playing era cards of otherwise unaffordable Hall of Fame legends to a collection. For one thing, just about every all-time great from the 1960s through the 1980s made it onto at least one League Leaders card. For another, the cards often offer ways to double or even triple up on the game's immortals. Finally, few cards from the vintage era record the game's history as well as Leaders cards. With that in mind, here are some of the genre's very best.
1962 Topps American League Home Run Leaders
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True, the "floating heads" design isn't for just anyone, but the history on this particular card is unbeatable. Forgetting Hall of Famer Harmon Killebrew and the underrated Jim Gentile for a minute, here are the M&M Boys chasing Ruth's single season home run mark, Mantle falling short with "only" 54 round trippers and Maris setting the new standard with 61.
1963 Topps National League Home Run Leaders
Topps was back with more floating heads the following season, but the gum maker more than made up for it by putting five Hall of Famers on its National League Home Run Leaders card. When you've got five players on a baseball card and the worst of the quintet is Orlando Cepeda you've got one heckuva card!
1966 Topps National League Batting Leaders
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It's almost unimaginable that the Roberto Clemente, Hank Aaron, and Willie Mays could all appear on a single card, but that was exactly the case in 1966 thanks to the trio finishing 1-2-3 in the 1965 National League batting race. About all that keeps this card from perfection is that Topps chose a picture of Mays with his eyes closed! Regardless, even with the price of this card soaring in recent years, it's still cheaper than a 1966 Topps card of any of the three players.
1966 Topps National League Home Run Leaders
The same year's Topps set combined three more Hall of Famers for its National League Home Run Leaders card, even if the star power of Willie McCovey and Billy Williams is a couple notches down from Hank Aaron and Roberto Clemente. Still, for collectors who like a little wordplay with their Cooperstown cardboard, how many other League Leaders cards have four Willies? Okay, technically the card's only Willies are Messrs. Mays and McCovey, but Billy and Williams are at least honorary Willies.
1974 Topps Strikeout Leaders
Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver sharing a card is pretty hard to beat already, but the 1974 Topps Strikeout Leaders goes even one better. Flip the card over, and you may have to do a double-take when looking at Nolan Ryan's strikeout total. Obviously the man was a legend but 383 whiffs? Good lord!
1983 Topps Stolen Base Leaders
First off, any Rickey card is a great card, but why not pair him with the the second best base stealer of the era? And similar to the 1974 AL Strikeout Leaders card, this is another card with some fantastic history. Flip it over to see Henderson's record 130 steals!
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.