Following up on my post last week about the first two issues of Sports Illustrated and their unusual 1954 Topps inserts, as Paul Harvey might say, here's the rest of the story:
In April 1955, Sports Illustrated and Topps teamed up again, this time featuring two eight-card sheets showcasing the new 1955 Topps design. The April 11 issue featured a terrific cover with Willie Mays, Giants manager Leo Durocher, and Durocher's wife, actress Laraine Day. Inside were eight cards, including Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Warren Spahn, along with Dick Groat, Wally Moon, and others. A week later, the April 18 issue featured Cleveland's Al Rosen on the cover, with another eight-card insert that included Rosen, Bob Turley, Roy Sievers, and Ferris Fain.
Unlike the 1954 Yankees insert, which included specially created cards for players absent from the regular Topps set, these 1955 sheets reproduced cards from the standard issue. They also showcased the colorful, horizontal design that makes 1955 Topps one of the most recognizable sets of the decade. Together, these two magazines completed a short-lived collaboration: four Sports Illustrated issues across 1954 and 1955, containing 70 baseball card images in total.
What I particularly like about these is how they capture a moment when baseball cards were moving beyond penny packs and into mainstream sports publishing. Topps was still battling Bowman for dominance, Sports Illustrated was less than a year old, and both were finding ways to introduce themselves to a growing audience of baseball fans.
The inserts weren't intended to be traditional cards, and many were eventually cut apart or removed. Finding copies with the original sheets still attached is part of the appeal. Four magazines, 70 cards, and a fascinating little chapter in the history of two brands that would become institutions in American sports.
And at just 25 cents per issue, it's hard to imagine a better bargain for a baseball fan in 1955...
