1956 Topps Baseball may not have the rookie card power of previous releases, but key cards for Mickey Mantle and Ted Williams combine with several new features to make for a extensive vintage release. The return of Mantle to the brand after several years away is particularly notable.

With Topps having acquired Bowman the previous year, consumers were no longer forced to choose between manufacturers and risk missing out on their favorite player. Many consider the 1956 Topps Baseball set a turning point for the baseball card industry as it marked the beginning of Topps' monopoly over the baseball card industry which lasted all the way until 1981, and was then re-established in 2010.

The 1956 Topps Baseball set boasts a checklist of 340 base cards and two non-numbered checklists. The dimension of the horizontal cards is 3-3/4" by 2-5/8". Building on their success with dual-image cards in previous years, Topps upped the ante by positioning the player profile picture in the foreground against a color action scene in the background. The design really worked and remains one of the most attractive and highly sought after baseball card sets to this day.