1954-55 Topps

1954-55 Topps

1954-55 Topps Hockey is the company's first set for the sport. The 60-card set features players from the four teams that played their home games in the United States at that time: the New York Rangers, Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings and Chicago Blackhawks. They are also the only set of hockey cards Topps printed in its larger pre-1957 size.

Card fronts feature an action shot of the player superimposed onto a solid white background. A team logo appears in an upper corner and a facsimile autograph runs across the player's image. Below the picture, a red strip has the player's name and position. A blue strip has the team name.

1954-55 Topps Hockey card backs are printed in red and blue ink on white card stock, matching the all-American content of the set. The card number is inside a puck-shaped circle in the upper left corner. A blue stripe along the top names the player's position and gives his team, while a red stripe under that has his full name. There is a blue hockey stick that isolates the player's vital stats over to the left side. A cartoon on the right side explains a generic hockey term. In the center of the card, a biography is printed in blue ink, and a line of stats from the previous season runs along the bottom.

Although it was the first Topps set, few cards actually show rookies because Parkhurst had been making their own hockey cards for several years. Despite that, the card showing Gordie Howe is the key card of the set. Terry Sawchuk's card is also very popular among collectors. Rookie cards in 1954-55 Topps Hockey include Camille Henry and Doug Mohns.

Key 1954-55 Topps Hockey Cards:
Gordie Howe #8
Terry Sawchuk #58
Milt Schmidt #60
Gump Worsley #10
Alex Delvecchio #39