Vintage Fridays: Dick Williams, 1957 Topps #59

I've had a lot of fun with mutilated old cards on this blog, whether they be coated in Con-Tac paper or missing half a back or scribbled on or just plain worn out. It is in this tradition that I present to you a custom-made 1957 Topps mini card. At some point in this card's 54-year odyssey from a 5-cent pack to my hands, a (presumably) young mad scientist trimmed off the white borders surrounding Dick Williams, leaving behind the sort of full-bleed photo that would become all the rage in the 1990s with Topps' Stadium Club and similar sets. What tickles me is that the 1957 set was the first to feature the now-standard card size of 2.5 inches by 3.5 inches, a reduction from the 2.625" by 3.75" cards that Topps had manufactured since 1952. I guess they still weren't small enough for somebody.