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People and Pop Culture

Father Of Modern-Day Baseball Card Sy Berger Dies At Age 91

Berger spent 50 years at Topps and
remained on its BOD after retiring
Former Topps Co. exec SY BERGER, the "father of the modern-day baseball trading card," died yesterday at 91 in his Long Island home, according to Richard Goldstein of the N.Y. TIMES. Berger "introduced Topps cards" in '51. (N.Y. TIMES, 12/15). On Long Island, Nicole Fuller notes Berger was a salesman turned exec at the Brooklyn-based Topps Co. "when he redesigned the look of baseball cards, making them wildly popular." Berger's family said that he retired in '97 as VP for Sports & Licensing at Topps but remained on the BOD "and as a consultant to the company" until '02 (NEWSDAY, 12/15). ESPN.com's Darren Rovell reported Berger "died of natural causes." He "most famously devised the practice" of signing MLB players year after year "to be able to use their name and image on cards in annual sets" (ESPN.com, 12/15). MLB.com's Jamal Collier noted baseball cards "still used black-and-white photos before Berger arrived at Topps" in '47, and he "helped Topps go into the baseball market" in '51. Berger "helped create baseball cards that came in color with photos taken at Spring Training, containing stats and a copy of the player's signature that were unveiled" in the 50s. He also "began to persuade players to sign exclusive contracts with Topps," allowing the company to eventually begin buying out its competitors (MLB.com, 12/14).

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