When Baseball Was Still Topps: Portraits of the Game in 1959, Card by Card Paperback – December 25, 2023

Well conceived idea and great checklist for the 1959 topps set. Great stories, well researched and gives details about each individual card in the complete 1959 Topps baseball set. Very highly recommended. If I had to find one point negative I would ask that each and every baseball card would be pictured instead of only about the fifty cards that are shown. I would like the pictures to be in color like the actual cards instead of black and white. It is a fascinating read and I wish the author will consider (or other folks) putting together a similar book dealing with the other seasons. Very quick 215 pages.

In “When Baseball Was Still Topps,” Phil Coffin takes us back to a bygone era of baseball one 1959 Topps card at a time-- 572 in all. With meticulous research, Mr. Coffin provides us with insightful, poignant and humorous stories about some of the game’s greatest stars, heroes, and yes, scoundrels as well. You need not have been a baseball fan in 1959 to enjoy this book; its stories will fascinate and educate fans of all ages. If you are like me, you will wonder why no one ever thought of doing this before. It is a great read.

I really enjoyed this book. This is a great read. There was a story for every one of the cards in the Topps series for 1959. I remember many of the players from that year, but even so, I learned (and relearned) a lot about the players and 1950s baseball. You also get insights into the broader culture of the era. I highly recommend this book for any baseball fan.

A fun hook for vintage baseball card collectors. Well researched. Full of information not available elsewhere.

Looks at each player in the 1959 Topps card set.Very few pictures so I was a touch disappointed but the stories are fantasticHighly recommended to middle age baseball fans.

great book if you collected baseball cards in the 50's and 60's.

It was a book

Considering the price (nearly $40), I expected this to be in glossy format with the cards depicted in color. Wrong. The photos are all black-and-white. I also expected every card in the deck to be represented. Wrong again. By my count, only 45-50 of the cards are shown, and many of the cards are of minor players, with numerous stars omitted.The book just arrived, and I haven't had time to read it, so I can't comment on the entertainment value of the writing. This is why I gave it two stars instead of one.