In 1991, Topps Magazine ran a feature called Four Decades of Greatness, featuring four players in each issue, one from each of the previous four decades, who were great players and a large part of Topps baseball cards.
Here’s a list of who they included for each decade:
- 50s: Mickey Mantle, Ted Williams, Stan Musial, Yogi Berra
- 60s: Willie Mays, Sandy Koufax, Hank Aaron, Roberto Clemente
- 70s: Reggie Jackson, Carl Yastrzemski, Mike Schmidt, Pete Rose
- 80s: Nolan Ryan, Ryne Sandberg, Jose Canseco, Rickey Henderson
When I first shared these on X, one collector wrote, “Well the thing that jumps out most immediately is including Musial in the 50s, when Topps made like two cards of him in that decade. And The Man appeared on Bowman, Red Man, Red Heart, Berk Ross, and others in that time, so it’s not like he was exclusive.”
What do you think? Biggest snub? Oddest inclusion?