1960s Topps

1960s Topps

Despite a brief attempt by Fleer to sign baseball players in 1963, Topps continued its reign as the only major baseball card manufacturer in the United States. On the other hand Football had more than one professional league in operation, allowing for competing companies to co-exist by producing a major national set for each league. Topps was able to produce National Football League sets from 1960 to 1963 while Fleer issued American Football League sets. Topps then began producing AFL sets from 1964 to 1967 while Philadelphia Gum issued NFL sets. Before the end of the decade Topps revived their basketball issue after a ten-year hiatus. The following is a list with brief descriptions of Topps sports card products for the 1960s. All cards listed are standard size(2½ × 3½ inches). Exceptions are noted.

Topps also maintained a presence in the foreign card market which began near the end of the 1950s by issuing baseball cards in Venezuela from 1959 to 1968. Topps also maintained licensing agreements with A&BC Chewing Gum in England and O-Pee-Chee in Canada. A&BC Chewing produced an annual (soccer) football set featuring marks and designed featured in Topps baseball and (American) football sets. While hockey cards were produced by Topps up until 1960-61, they were produced and distributed by O-Pee-Chee from 1961-62 onwards (under the Topps license). After a 1967 Topps Test set, the annual hockey series was produced in both Canada (O-Pee-Chee) and USA (Topps) from 1968-69 onwards.

The annual Topps/O-Pee-Chee Canadian football series was printed in USA from 1958 to 1960, then printed in Canada from 1961 to 1965 and 1968 to 1972. That series featured players from the Canadian Football League. Also in the 1960s, O-Pee-Chee produced a baseball series that mimicked Topps baseball (but was printed in Canada) from 1965 onwards.