1961-62 Topps #60 Jean Ratelle RC Rookie KSA VG3
| Subtotal | $235.00 |
| Discount | -$40.00 |
| Price | $195.00 |
1961-62 Topps
Topps 1961-62 hockey cards set
The early 1960s were an era filled with excitement for young Canadian hockey fans who had plenty of opportunities to collect items featuring their on-ice heroes. Whether it was the extremely popular Shiriff coins, octagonal cards distributed by York Peanut Butter, or even the venerable photos produced by Beehive Corn Syrup, there were plenty of “oddball” issues to keep you busy but nothing compared to surpassed the popularity of the standard bubble gum cards.
The 1961-62 Topps hockey set is a true classic and it has plenty of neat features that make it a must-have for vintage collectors today. At the time, there were two manufacturers at war in that arena and both Parkhurst and Topps forced kids to either pick a product based on team loyalty or to collect them all.
This head-to-head battle first took place in 1954-55, but after a two-year pause, they went back at it from 1957-58 to 1963-64. As this clash headed into its final throes, Topps struck a major blow in 1961-62 in terms of innovation and visual appeal. While the companies evenly split the NHL’s Original Six clubs, Topps was loaded up with three American-based teams in the Chicago Blackhawks, Boston Bruins, and New York Rangers. While the Hawks were the reigning Stanley Cup champions, Boston and New York were basement dwellers and Topps needed to resort to a bit of innovation when faced with the Parkhurst juggernaut that featured the Detroit Red Wings, Montreal Canadiens, and Toronto Maple Leafs.
Topps lost Detroit after the 1959-60 set and had to improvise with an All-Time Greats subset the next year – the first time that the cards were packaged and printed by O-Pee-Chee in London, Ontario.
