1955 Topps Stamps

Stamp collecting was a popular hobby in the 1950s.  Always eager to please, Topps developed a set of baseball stamps in 1955.  They are shrouded in mystery. They were a test set that may never have been sold in stores. The Standard Catalog of Vintage Baseball Cards lists 24 stamps in the set; the author of the excellent blog, TheToppsArchives, believes there are 40 stamps in the set.  Only 16 stamps have been graded by PSA.  The stamps are the same size and have the same front as the regular 1955 Topps cards.  The back is blank with a stamp-like adhesive. 

We recently acquired this card.  Pirates catcher Jack Shepard’s career was as unusual as a 1955 Topps stamp.  He retired in 1956 at age 25 after a three-year career.  He could have continued to play major league baseball, but decided to give it up and go into business, where he was quite successful.