Uncut Sheets of 1957 Topps Football Cards

The picture below shows the configuration of part of an uncut sheet of 1957 Topps football cards. It is modeled after a real partial sheet that appeared in a Huggins and Scott auction. If you hold your cursor over a card in the virtual sheet, your browser should show you the number of the card and the name of the player. Clicking on a card will bring up the full-sized scan. (A real uncut sheet would not have lines between the cards--that's an effect of scanning them individually.)

The partial sheet below contains 7 of the 12 columns of cards that would have appeared on a 132-card half-sheet. The 132-card half-sheet would have been part of a 264-card full sheet. To get the idea, see this 264-card full sheet of 1966 Topps baseball cards.

1957 Topps #140: Zeke Bratkowski 1957 Topps #93: Preston Carpenter 1957 Topps #101: Elbert Nickel 1957 Topps #117: Don Bingham 1957 Topps #43: Ed Brown 1957 Topps #39: George Tarasovic 1957 Topps #3: Mike McCormack
1957 Topps #103: Jim Mutscheller 1957 Topps #110: Tom Runnels 1957 Topps #131: Jim Doran 1957 Topps #142: John Martinkovic 1957 Topps #45: Gary Knafelc 1957 Topps #80: Howard Cassady 1957 Topps #36: Leo Elter
1957 Topps #124: Tommy McDonald 1957 Topps #149: Ronnie Knox 1957 Topps #114: Don Paul 1957 Topps #126: Jack Scarbath 1957 Topps #4: Lou Baldacci 1957 Topps #52: Ken Konz 1957 Topps #79: J.C. Caroline
1957 Topps #129: Joe Perry 1957 Topps #138: John Unitas 1957 Topps #134: Dick James 1957 Topps #150: Jim David 1957 Topps #32: Bobby Layne 1957 Topps #24: Al Dorow 1957 Topps #65: Art Donovan
1957 Topps #100: Joe Childress 1957 Topps #111: Ken Keller 1957 Topps #96: Stan Jones 1957 Topps #102: Walt Michaels 1957 Topps #76: Ray Renfro 1957 Topps #67: Harlon Hill 1957 Topps #49: Chuck Bednarik
1957 Topps #120: Paul Miller 1957 Topps #148: Bob Toneff 1957 Topps #128: Lenny Moore 1957 Topps #125: Jerry Tubbs 1957 Topps #28: Lou Groza 1957 Topps #41: Bert Rechichar 1957 Topps #6: Leo Nomellini
1957 Topps #153: Bill Svoboda 1957 Topps #91: Lindon Crow 1957 Topps #90: Buck Lansford 1957 Topps #105: Larry Strickland 1957 Topps #55: Rick Casares 1957 Topps #25: Tom Scott 1957 Topps #50: Dave Mann
1957 Topps #107: Fred Cone 1957 Topps #143: Jim Cason 1957 Topps #116: Dick Moegle 1957 Topps #130: Bill Wightkin 1957 Topps #31: George Blanda 1957 Topps #18: Bob St. Clair 1957 Topps #34: Bill Wade
1957 Topps #92: Ernie Stautner 1957 Topps #122: Ray Wietecha 1957 Topps #136: Chuck Ulrich 1957 Topps #99: Eddie Bell 1957 Topps #73: Bob Pellegrini 1957 Topps #85: Dick Lane 1957 Topps #71: Andy Robustelli
1957 Topps #98: Joe Scudero 1957 Topps #139: Jim Ridlon 1957 Topps #108: Bud McFadin 1957 Topps #135: Jimmy Harris 1957 Topps #61: Bobby Walston 1957 Topps #10: Les Richter 1957 Topps #12: Torgy Torgeson
1957 Topps #127: Ed Modzelewski 1957 Topps #113: Ted Marchibroda 1957 Topps #144: Ken MacAfee 1957 Topps #146: Paul Larson 1957 Topps #74: Leo Sanford 1957 Topps #59: Kyle Rote 1957 Topps #75: Sid Watson

The following table shows the numbers of the cards in the partial sheet above.

140 93 101 117 43 39 3
103 110 131 142 45 80 36
124 149 114 126 4 52 79
129 138 134 150 32 24 65
100 111 96 102 76 67 49
120 148 128 125 28 41 6
153 91 90 105 55 25 50
107 143 116 130 31 18 34
92 122 136 99 73 85 71
98 139 108 135 61 10 12
127 113 144 146 74 59 75

I have collected other bits and pieces of the 1957 Topps sheet, also, and eventually I hope to use them to assemble the entire sheet. Here's a picture of a six-card panel from my buddy Joe. The three cards on the left also appear in the rightmost column of the uncut partial sheet above. I believe that that column was repeated on the second half-sheet, so this six-card panel could have been part of either half-sheet.

1957 Topps football card salesman's sample

This is how the panel looks with the lefthand column filled out:

1957 Topps #3: Mike McCormack
1957 Topps #36: Leo Elter
1957 Topps #79: J.C. Caroline 1957 Topps #37: Clarence Peaks
1957 Topps #65: Art Donovan 1957 Topps #54: Gordon Soltau
1957 Topps #49: Chuck Bednarik 1957 Topps #14: Pat Summerall
1957 Topps #6: Leo Nomellini 1957 Topps #58: Will Sherman
1957 Topps #50: Dave Mann 1957 Topps #47: Don Heinrich
1957 Topps #34: Bill Wade 1957 Topps #21: Dave Hanner
1957 Topps #71: Andy Robustelli 1957 Topps #63: Ray Mathews
1957 Topps #12: Torgy Torgeson 1957 Topps #60: Chuck Drazenovich
1957 Topps #75: Sid Watson

This is a nine-card salesman's sample that appeared in a recent eBay auction. I presume that this sample matched another section of the full sheet.

1957 Topps football card salesman's sample

The three cards in the rightmost column of the sample also appear in a column of the larger section of sheet above, so I assume that the two columns matched. Filling out the column gives us this additional section of the full sheet:

1957 Topps #43: Ed Brown
1957 Topps #45: Gary Knafelc
1957 Topps #4: Lou Baldacci
1957 Topps #32: Bobby Layne
1957 Topps #76: Ray Renfro
1957 Topps #28: Lou Groza
1957 Topps #23: Don Chandler 1957 Topps #9: Bobby Dillon 1957 Topps #55: Rick Casares
1957 Topps #84: Volney Peters 1957 Topps #20: Lou Creekmur 1957 Topps #31: George Blanda
1957 Topps #57: Al Carmichael 1957 Topps #72: Sam Baker 1957 Topps #73: Bob Pellegrini
1957 Topps #35: Emlen Tunnell 1957 Topps #61: Bobby Walston
1957 Topps #29: Billy Vessels 1957 Topps #74: Leo Sanford

I have found a few smaller pieces to the puzzle, as well. First, here is a three-card panel from a 2008 auction:

1957 Topps football card salesman's sample

Next, the first Dick Bielski card below has a slice of Elroy Hirsch's card on the left. The other has a sliver of Gene Brito's card on the top.

miscut 1957 Topps Dick Bielski football cardmiscut 1957 Topps Dick Bielski football card

Next, the Ray Krouse card below shows a bit of Tank Younger's card on the top. The Ray Mathews card shows a bit of Pete Brewster's card on the right.

miscut 1957 Topps Ray Krouse football cardmiscut 1957 Topps Ray Mathews football card

Next, this Gino Marchetti card has a sliver of Clyde Conner's card on the right.

miscut 1957 Topps Gino Marchetti football card

Finally, the back of the Fran Rogel card below shows that Royce Womble's card was beneath it. The back of the Paul Hornung card shows that Sid Youngelman's card was beneath it.

miscut 1957 Topps Paul Hornung football card backmiscut 1957 Topps Paul Hornung football card back

This is how the corresponding pieces of the uncut sheet looked:

1957 Topps #77: Carl Taseff
1957 Topps #82: Ron Waller
1957 Topps #68: Yale Lary
1957 Topps #51: Bill McPeak

1957 Topps #48: Gene Brito
1957 Topps #46: Elroy Hirsch 1957 Topps #13: Dick Bielski
1957 Topps #48: Gene Brito
1957 Topps #13: Dick Bielski 1957 Topps #26: Ollie Matson

1957 Topps #5: Gino Marchetti 1957 Topps #78: Clyde Conner
1957 Topps #62: John Olszewski

1957 Topps #151: Paul Hornung
1957 Topps #145: Sid Youngelman
1957 Topps #115: George Shaw
1957 Topps #152: Tank Younger
1957 Topps #141: Ray Krouse

1957 Topps #37: Clarence Peaks
1957 Topps #54: Gordon Soltau
1957 Topps #14: Pat Summerall
1957 Topps #58: Will Sherman
1957 Topps #47: Don Heinrich
1957 Topps #21: Dave Hanner
1957 Topps #63: Ray Mathews 1957 Topps #40: Pete Brewster
1957 Topps #60: Chuck Drazenovich 1957 Topps #30: Y.A. Tittle

1957 Topps #69: Bill Forester
1957 Topps #27: Fran Rogel
1957 Topps #86: Royce Womble

1957 Topps #70: Bob Boyd 1957 Topps #87: Duane Putnam
1957 Topps #88: Frank Gifford 1957 Topps #56: Charlie Ane
1957 Topps #33: Bill Howton 1957 Topps #66: Joe Arenas
1957 Topps #22: Norm Van Brocklin 1957 Topps #106: Jack Christiansen
1957 Topps #83: Jim Patton 1957 Topps #137: Lynn Chandnois
1957 Topps #121: Alex Webster
1957 Topps #104: Earl Morrall 1957 Topps #89: Steve Meilinger
1957 Topps #109: Charley Conerly 1957 Topps #119: Bart Starr
1957 Topps #123: John Carson 1957 Topps #97: Dorne Dibble
1957 Topps #15: Jack Butler 1957 Topps #64: Maurice Bassett
1957 Topps #53: Alan Ameche 1957 Topps #42: Billy Wilson
1957 Topps #112: James Root 1957 Topps #11: Roosevelt Brown
1957 Topps #147: Len Ford 1957 Topps #1: Eddie LeBaron
1957 Topps #94: Raymond Berry
1957 Topps #93: Preston Carpenter 1957 Topps #43: Ed Brown
1957 Topps #138: John Unitas 1957 Topps #32: Bobby Layne

This is how the pieces were numbered:

3
36
79 37
65 54
49 14
6 58
50 47
34 21
71 63
12 60
75

43
45
4
32
76
28
23 9 55
84 20 31
57 72 73
35 61
29 74

77
82
68
51

48
46 13
48
13 26

5 78
62

151
145
115
152
141

37
54
14
58
47
21
63 40
60 30

69
27
86

70 87
88 56
33 66
22 106
83 137
121
104 89
109 119
123 97
15 64
53 42
112 11
147 1
94
93 43
138 32

If you are familiar with the 1957 Topps set, you probably noticed that the partial sheet at the top contains both low- and high-numbered cards. From this I infer that the 1957 Topps set was released in one series, not two. Beckett says that the set was released in two series, cards 1-88 and cards 89-154, and that some of the second series cards are double prints. I have always been skeptical of this, because if the second series indeed contained 66 cards, it would have fit an even four times on a 264-card sheet, with no double prints.

Of the 154 cards in the 1957 set, I suspect that 110 appeared twice on the full 264-card sheet, and 44 appeared once. Those 44 cards are thus short prints.

The numbering of the cards on the partial sheets appears to be random, except that each 11-card column contains either low-numbered cards (88 and below) or high-numbered cards (89 and above). If the 1957 Topps sheet follows the pattern of later Topps sheets, some of the columns were repeated to fill the sheet. Judging by PSA's population report, my guess is that all eight of the columns of low-numbered cards appeared twice on the sheet, and two of the columns of high-numbered cards also appeared twice. Four columns of high-numbered cards appeared only once; these columns held the 44 short prints.

The 1957 Topps set also includes an unnumbered checklist. It is rare compared to the numbered cards in the set, so perhaps it was printed separately. If it was part of the sheet, perhaps it took the place of a card that would have appeared twice on the sheet.

For more virtual uncut sheets, see the Gallery's master uncut sheet page.

This section contains affiliate links for which I may be compensated.

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