When Baseball Was Still Topps

BaseballBiz On Deck

Baseball history through the lens of the 1959 Topps Baseball Card collection.

Phil Coffin, looks back at 1959 through the history of the complete 1959 baseball card collection. He revisits baseball players, managers & stories with short entertaining essays
Back in the Day

• Phil Coffin, Author & New York Times Editor
• Mark & Phil reflect on their early days at The Courier-Journal
• Phil’s journey from Louisville to The New York Times (1997)

When Baseball Was Still Topps

• One of the best baseball books of 2024 by Sports Collectors Digest
• Short Essays on each of the 1959 Topps baseball card set
• Growing up in Indianapolis as a baseball fan
• Watching 1959 World Series between the Dodgers & White Sox with his brothers

Baseball History

• Comparing reports of Mickey Mantle & Derek Jeter as young prospects
• Ted (Klu) Kruszewski, Al Lopez, & Sparky Anderson
• Beyond the stats

The 1959 Chicago White Sox

• Tampa Baseball Museum & Al Lopez
• White Sox integrating baseball, Larry Doby, Minnie Miñoso, & Al Smith
• Al Smith beer drenching of 1959 World Series
• Ted (Klu) Kluszewski’s sleeveless
• Harmon Killebrew
• Overlap of Negro Leagues and Major League Baseball history & Hank Aaron's journey from the Indianapolis Clowns to MLB

Building a collection

• Started with 6-card wax packs for a nickel with gum
• The elusive Milt Graff
• Childhood collection tossed out by mom
• Path to rebuild the collection
• In “Jersey” you got to know, a guy to get Mickey Mantle
• Bob Gibson rookie card

Inside When Baseball Was Still Topps

• Essays on all 572 cards from the 1959 Topps set,
• Ted Williams MIA in Topps collection due to exclusive contract with Fleer
• Hall of Famer Bob Gibson’s Rookie card, one of the most valuable in the set
• Maury Wills, debuted in 1959 but was left out of the set due to doubts about his potential

Baseball’s History and Evolution:

• Stories of baseball legends like Jackie Robinson, Babe Ruth, and Ted Williams
• The evolution of baseball cards, from Topps’ dominance in the 1950s to today’s competitive memorabilia market
• Eddie Gaedel’s one-game fame
• Endurance of catchers
• Challenges of following modern baseball with expanded rosters and teams compared to the 16-team era of 1959
• Baseball fans connect with the game through history, stories, & tangible memorabilia

Phil’s Upcoming Book:

• A Baseball Book of Days: 31 Moments That Transformed the Game, explores pivotal dates in baseball history
• Stories include Babe Ruth’s sale to the Yankees, Jackie Robinson’s first game, and the dominance of Dominican players in MLB

Where to Find Phil Coffin’s Books:

• When Baseball Was Still Topps: Available at McFarlandBooks com and on Amazon
• A Baseball Book of Days: Pre-order now for its upcoming release (just in time for spring training)

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