I find myself in what’s become a usual position, wondering what to pursue. I’m winding down six sets (I need one card to finish each of four sets, eight for another and 10 for the last). There’s not enough on my want lists to keep me constantly in the game.
So, I scoured Standard Catalog for ideas. Nothing too big, yet. Nothing too expensive. I found what I was looking for – the 1963 Topps Peel-offs. A non-numbered checklist of 46 insert stickers. Perfect!
The Peel-offs are 1 ¼” X 2 ¾”. They’re smaller than a card, but seem big due to the oversized head. Colorful, nice, and fit my criteria.

Each Peel-off comes in two varieties – with instructions and without (blanks).

The blank backs are harder to come by, though the Harmon Killebrew I bought is blank backed and carried no price premium. It’s in the instructions where we find the “peel-off” name. If they were all blank backed, would they be called “Blanks?” Probably not; we’d refer to them as “Stickers,” as Topps did on the box.

This whole project started innocently enough, when I bought a Ken Hubbs to avoid postage fees. The price of the late Cubbie put me over the minimum order threshold. Something about the look of the thing stuck. I’d never seen one before and I liked it.
There are a couple of problems with these. One, cuts can be inconsistent. I’m finding I don’t mind terribly much. What’s weird is you can have the whole image while still seeing signs of the adjacent player on the sheet (see Cepeda in the group shot. Whose ear is peeking in?).

Two, I like my cards crease free, but all of these have a bump in the middle that aligns with where the two back papers meet. It’s a sort of nice character flaw, a bit of a wave that is distinct but unobtrusive.
To date (about a month into it), I’m finding progress solid and prices reasonable. It helps that more than half of the checklist are commons/lesser stars, easily gettable at $2-3. Even many Hall of Famers are less than $10. I’ve been told it’s a tough set to put together, and that sounds like it might be true. I imagine a lot of these ended up on book covers and bikes. I haven’t encountered any issues yet, though Mantle will cost me (as he always does).
From that initial Hubbs buy, I’m now halfway through, 23/46 either in hand or on their way. These will keep me busy, for a little while, until I figure out the next big project (1965 Topps Baseball? 1958? Hostess sets? Vintage Hockey?)
Without necks the photos have a weird, disembodied look. Reminiscent of some of the shots on 1967 checklists.
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Good comp! They have a weird effect.
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Enjoyed your post. That’s a great choice for a new project. I’m assuming you have already done the Topps oddball issues that came later. These little vintage sets are almost more fun than the annual sets.
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I have some Topps oddball issues – Squirt, Drake’s, 5 X 7 Photos, Burger King and Coca Cola issues. They are a lot of fun.
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Hostess can be fun, given the variety of panels, hand cuts, and star affordability. That gets my vote where to head next.
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Your vote matters! Since this was posted, I worked out a good deal for both the 1976 and 1977 Hostess sets (nice handcuts, which is what I was looking for.)
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Topps really went all-in on the floating heads in 1963 didn’t they?
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Really. A high level executive decision, no doubt.
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I know that if I was a kid in the 60s that these would have been stuck to something, most likely a folder. I remember having the Topps football stickers in the mid-80s on my Trapper Keeper. I’m thinking of adding the Topps baseball stickers and sticker books from 1981 and 1982 to replace the ones I had as a kid.
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In recent years I’ve picked up some 80’s baseball and football sticker sets. They’re really nice. I say go for it!
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