If you want proof that a monopoly doesn’t necessarily mean monotony, look no further than 1959 Topps baseball cards.
After buying out archrival Bowman heading into the 1956 cardboard season, Topps was poised to do whatever they wanted to do. And, after a 1956 set that looked remarkably like the 1955 issue, collectors might have thought they were in for a steep dive into mediocrity.
But instead, Topps unleashed an array of so many different looks over the next 25 years that they endeared themselves to generations of collectors.
And the 1959 cards played their role in that continued ascent, offering a very 50s-feeling porthole look after the cleancut 1957s and heavily painted(ish) 1958s.
Today, the 1959s are still super popular in the hobby even though the selection of stellar rookies is small (just one, really).
Read on for a rundown of the most valuable 1959 Topps baseball cards, as determined by PSA 7 values in the PSA Sports Market Price Guide.
(Note: The following sections contain affiliate links to eBay and Amazon listings for the cards being discussed.)
1959 Topps Mickey Mantle (#10)
Surprise! Mickey Mantle sits at the top of a “most valuable cards” list in a 1950 set.
OK, if you’ve been breathing sometime in the last 60 years, this is no shock at all.
Still, though, this is a great looking, 50s-feeling pasteboard that features a slightly amused — or at least contented — Mantle gazing out from the porthole in the card’s red-painted cardboard wall. Batting practice in the background makes the whole thing feel breezy and warm, like a place you definitely want to be.
The price of admission? Steep.
Value: $2000-2500
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1959 Topps Bob Gibson (#514)
You have to win one game with your life — or at least, like, the World Series — on the line. Who do you send to the mound?
It’s a hot stove and hot infield dirt conversation fans have had forever. For 50 years or more, one of the names that always ends up right near the top is St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Famer Bob Gibson.
During his 17-year career, Gibson won more than 250 games with a 2.91 ERA, went 7-2 in three World Series play, and picked up two National League Cy Young and one MVP awards.
He also left hundreds of batters questioning their career choices.
This smiling 1959 Topps version of Gibson is his rookie card, and graded NM copies sell like hotcakes. Indeed, Hoot pushes The Mick for the title of King of the 1959 Topps Baseball Cards.
Value: $1900-2000
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1959 Topps Hank Aaron (#380)
Like Mays, Aaron was already an established superstar by 1959, with an MVP of his own and a World Series title (in 1957) with the Milwaukee Braves, to boot.
Hammer’s 1959 Topps is a sunny, yellow-bordered beauty featuring a focused young legend, and it’s a hobby favorite.
Value: $850-875
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1959 Topps Willie Mays (#50)
Willie Mays, on the other hand, was already a superstar who was in the discussion for “best player in the game” as 1959 dawned.
A National League MVP award, 51 home runs in 1955, a couple of 30-30 seasons, and having still not reached his 28th birthday will do that for a fella.
This sunny yellow card, featuring a fairly serious looking young Mays, is on just about every vintage want list.
Value: $775-850
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1959 Topps Mickey Mantle All-Star (#564)
Pretty much any Mantle card will get a slot on lists like this, even if that card is not his main card in a set.
This All-Star issue shows the Mick in a posed batting shot, surrounded by a blue field featuring the American League eagle-and-shield emblem. The whole thing adds even more color to an already colorful Topps set.
Value: $775-800
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1959 Topps Sandy Koufax (#163)
Like Roberto Clemente (below), Koufax wasn’t yet the legend that he would one day become when this sunny, smiling 1959 Topps card first popped out of wax packs across the land.
With the 1960s just ahead, though, it wouldn’t be long until Sandy embarked on one of the most dominating runs in MLB pitching history.
Today, this card of the young Cooperstown-bound lefty is a hobby favorite.
Value: $575-600