My '55 Mantle completes Topps-style customs

When I presented my 1954 Topps-style custom Mickey Mantle card in this space on June 1, I mentioned that I would likely be creating a companion 1955-style custom.


I have completed that task, and with it my "run" of Topps-style-customs . . . at least for the time being. (I've got one more project bouncing around in the back of my mind.)


Topps itself has been making up for its lack of an original 1955 Mantle card for a number of years. In at least 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2011, the gum company has issued some sort of Mantle tribute card in the format of the 1955 issue. I'm sure the hobby didn't need yet another retro '55T Mantle, but I felt compelled to try my hand at putting a Mantle card together in one of the favorite formats of my childhood.


As Topps often did in that era, I reused the portrait from my 1954-style card in the creation of my 1955. I'd already put in the work to colorize the photo for my '54-style card.

For the full-figure photo, I colorized a picture I found on the box of a Rawlings Mickey Mantle-model glove.


I experimented with background color, and even conducted a couple of popularity polls on baseball card forums that I frequent.


There were 13 New York Yankees cards in the original 1955 Topps set. Ten of them utilized yellow backgrounds. Two had red backgrounds and there was one in green. Because Topps so often used the yellow background in its 21st Century '55-style Mantles, I was hesitant to make that my choice.


However, after working with the card some more, I decided that yellow was the way to go. I'll give you as look at the red and green beta tests, just for fun.