The Original 1964 Topps Giants Set Was Awesome!

1964 Topps Giants Checklist Torre

1964 Topps Giants Joe Torre

The 1964 Topps Giants set was a test issue by Topps of the first postcard sized set.  There were 60 different cards and a handful of them were short printed.  Two of these short prints were Willie Mays and Sandy Koufax.

Although many of the names on the 1964 Topps Giants set will not be players you would necessarily recognize today, there were several future Hall of Famers included.  You have probably seen pictures of the Mickey Mantle or the Roberto Clemente, but there were also cards featuring Whitey Ford, Al Kaline, Nellie Fox, Joe Torre, Frank Robinson, Warren Spahn, Brooks Robinson, Carl Yastrzemski, Hank Aaron, Harmon Killebrew, Billy Williams, and Orlando Cepada – among others.

Check out the full 1964 Topps Giants Checklist.

The 1964 Topps Giants set has been a well-kept secret amongst vintage collectors for years and years.  How else can you find a 1964 Topps card of Mickey Mantle on eBay for under $20.00?  The Roberto Clemente card is even less expensive.  The short printed Wille Mays is generally the most expensive card in the set and yet two copies just sold on eBay for around $20 – $30 each.

Buy the 1964 Topps Giants cards now – while you still can!

2011 Topps Lineage 1964 Giants Relic Box Loader

2011 Topps Lineage 1964 Giants Relic Box Loader

The 2011 Topps Lineage set is to be released in August and it is going to include a few insert sets that will remind us of many vintage inserts… and then there is the box loader.  The box loader for the 2011 Topps Lineage hobby box is a 20 card set of today’s stars in a postcard sized format including a relic version numbered to 64.

So, you may not be able to find a Mickey Mantle, Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Roberto Clemente, or Hank Aaron… you will be able to find Albert Pujols, Derek Jeter, Roy Halladay, Josh Hamilton, and Evan Longoria.

Also, will there be an SP included like the original set in 1964?  I can see that as a distinct possibility just like the way Topps handles their Heritage set every year… or will the /64 relics be considered the SP version of the set?

Over-sized cards have never caught on.  Ever since Topps set the standard size, the hobby has not tolerated any variation.  However, the mini cards in recent years have really taken off in popularity – just ask Allen & Ginter!  So, is it possible that these cards and other over-sized box loader cards will grow in popularity?

Just like each year when the new Heritage set renews interest in the original set from 50 years prior, I honestly expect the interest and therefore value of the original 1964 set to rise – at least in the short term.

Do you have any of these old postcard sized cards sitting in your vintage collection?  I know that I have a handful.  I have always liked them but never really knew how to store them – except in an old shoe box.

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