Project70: Celebrating 70 Years of Iconic Designs. Topps celebrates 70 Years of baseball cards with a new program that pushes boundaries while paying homage to our heritage. Founded in 1938 as a chewing gum company, Topps released their first baseball card set in 1951. Now seven decades later, artists and creatives around the globe are revisiting and re-imagining 70 years of iconic baseball card designs, each selecting their own MLB players and Topps designs to craft a unique story.