1970s' Set recommendations?

Axtell

Greetings all,

I have begun to do a little research on starting to put together a 1970s set, and would like some feedback. The years I am contemplating are either 1971, 74, or 76. My main attraction for doing this is do preserve a piece of history, at some point to pass down to my (future) children, to show them the heroes of the past. I am shooting for a minimum of PSA7+ on these cards.

I've drawn a list of pros and cons of each:

1971 - always had a soft spot in my heart for this set. The beautiful black borders, and this was the year I was born. In addition, one of my all-time favorite cards is in this set, the Thurman Munson card, also, has the largest number of HoF'ers in this set. Downside is the cost of attaining this set will be the most of the 3, and another downside is I am sure this is a much more popular set to collect, therefore making availabilty of cards a bit scarcer.

1974/1976 are pretty similar in price, and downside is that it has considerably fewer HoF'ers than the 71. There isn't a PSA7 in either of these sets approaching $100 in the SMR.

The other sets in the 70s just don't appeal to me...no offense to anyone who collects them, they just aren't for me.

Should I dive into the 71, or get my feet wet with one of the lesser expensive sets? I am leaning more towards the 71 set.

Thoughts?

NHLfightguy

I like the 74 set. The Killebrew at the plate card is one of my all time favorites. Might be the least expensive to put together as well. 71 and 76 do have some big hitters....

jaybyrd

I have a 71 set with the stars PSA 7. The rest of the set is raw, but a lot of those cards are nicer than the graded sevens. I would recommend the 71's over the other two sets because the set is challenging and more visually appealing.

Finding sevens wasn't that difficult and aren't too expensive. Luckily there aren't any big money rookie cards. 71 Rose, Bench, Brock and Reggie are just a couple of my favorites. I think the Munson is supposed to be kinda tuff when you can find a nice one and will go for over SMR more times than not.

Being that 71's are tougher to find in nice shape because of the black borders I think they are better from an investment standpoint, if you care about that at all.

ZodiacMindwarp

This is far from scientific but:

1971: 54,962 cards graded, 752 card set, average 73 per card
1974: 37,102 cards graded, 660 card set, average 56 per card
1976: 33.358 cards graded, 660 card set, average 51 per card

Set registries (your competition):
1971: 25 sets between 10% and 80% graded
1974: 24 sets between 10% and 80% graded
1976: 17 sets between 10% and 80% graded

Availability less desire:
1971: 73 - 25 = 48
1974: 56 - 24 = 32
1976: 51 - 17 = 34

Although the distribution of cards in a set is obviously not equal, it would appear that even though 1971 is the most popular of the three sets you chose, it also should have the least competition per card.

mariner

Try 1976....1974 as well as 1973 are just plain.....well, er....plain.

Axtell

Doing a bit more research, looks like I can pick up PSA8 of 1976 for the price of PSA 7 of 1971....still so torn. I think I've eliminated the 74, however.

Decisions, decisions.

calleocho

even though it might cost a little more i would recomend that you avoid psa 7's from the 70's

Given that PSA 8's are getting a little cheaper everyday, and eventually you might want to upgrade anyways.

to start try to check out big starter lots like this one

WinPitcher

have u considered 75? nice colorful set chock full of stars and rookies and is attainable ............in psa 8 and 9

Axtell

Call...I have that one on my 'watching' list hehe

And win, yeah, the problem with the 75's is they are just....so....darn.....bright hehe

I know a lot of people collect the 75s, they just weren't on my list (again, no offense to those who do, they just aren't for me).

iamthegreatcornholio

I haven't had much experience with 70's cards, but 1971 Topps would be my recommendation.

I agree with ZodiacMindwarp - although the demand is higher, the supply marginally exceeds it such that there is less competition in the grades you are looking for.

The SMR of 1971 commons is about the same as 1965 commons, which I am much more familar with. I mention this because the SMR of a PSA 7 common is only a couple more dollars then the grading cost; hence, many dealers want 8's or higher (8's are the most common grade). Therefore, GENERALLY, PSA 7 commons are high-end (dubbed "mistakes" by some collectors). From my limited 65 Topps experience, I'd say about 15% of my commons are low-end, 50% are dead on and 35% are high-end. Therefore, I believe they are a good value. Since 1971 commons are the same price this may be the case for them too.

Brian

augustaman

As far as thinking about it as an investment, the
1971 set has got to be the choice out of the sets
you originally mentioned.
On a more personal note, if you decide to end up
going with the '71s, I know of a very nice starter
lot that is available at a discounted price.

Available 1971 PSA Set

bobsbbcards

Total SMR value for early 1970s Topps set in PSA 7 and PSA 8 (NOTE: Values from 1973 to 1976 are for just the cards that PSA shows in the SMR. Price will be higher because the unlisted cards are not all commons).

1970 -- PSA 7 = $5,201
1970 -- PSA 8 = $11,189
1971 -- PSA 7 = $8,158
1971 -- PSA 8 = $19,352
1972 -- PSA 7 = $5,354
1972 -- PSA 8 = $9,801
1973 -- PSA 7 = $1,087 + $2,955 for 591 commons at $5.00 @ = $4,042
1973 -- PSA 8 = $2,281 + $5,355 for 591 commons at $9.00 @ = $7,636
1974 -- PSA 8 = $1,534 + $4,840 for 605 commons at $8.00 @ = $6,374
1975 -- PSA 8 = $1,818 + $6,080 for 608 commons at $10.00 @ = $7,898
1976 -- PSA 8 = $958 + $4,375 for 625 commons at $7.00 @ = $5,333

Vargha

1971 -- It looks cool, has great stars and actually has some value in PSA 7 when you need to sell it.

COSTANZA

Axtell

Thank you everyone for your posts.

I suppose I could go with the 1971 set, and just get the HoF'ers at PSA8....and then work on the rest at 7 (if I get them slabbed at all)....as far as reselling, I don't see at any point in the forseeable future wanting/needing to sell this set, it would be more for posterity's sake, more of a heirloom (if you will) to get passed down.

I suppose I am simply torn on the finances. For the price of a 1971 PSA7 set, can do the 76 in 8 and have money left over...and has been noted, 76 cards in 8+ condition are pretty easy to come by. Getting the 1971's in 7+ (I'd assume) is a greater challenge.

Just as I thought I turned a corner to the 76 set, the 71 pulls me back....

Vargha

Who ever said that he should build a PSA 7 1971 Topps set one card at a time? I'm certain that they can be bought in large chunks for alot of the cards.

perkdog

Personally I find the 71 set very unattractive but thats just my opinion. I love the 74 set, I cant understand it being called plain there is great action photo's and it mixes it up a bit with the horozontal cards as well, I am sure some cant understand my view on the 71 set but it sounds like you will be happy so good luck with this.

Axtell

I don't think they are calling the photos themselves plain, I assume they are referring to the card border itself as plain.

mariner

1974's....beauty is in the 'eye of the beholder'.....

augustaman

perkdog -
The '71s have the same horizontal photos and
action shots as the '74 set. The Munson card is
a perfect example. Also, I think people refer to the
'74 set more as a plain set is because there aren't
any "got to have" cards from that set on collector's
lists.

bobsbbcards

<< <i>Who ever said that he should build a PSA 7 1971 Topps set one card at a time? I'm certain that they can be bought in large chunks for alot of the cards. >>


Or, if money is no object, why not buy a large chunk of '71 PSA 8s.

1971 Topps Complete Set (752) with Every Card Graded NM-MT 8 by PSA!

Don't think that buying this set will save you money on postage. I think that Mastro (and other auction houses) calculate postage on what it would cost to mail all of the cards to you individually (Let's see, 752 x $0.37 = $278.24...yeah, that sounds about right).

helionaut

Aesthetics aside, I think the clear choice here is the 1971. After 1973, when everything is in one series, all cards are equally available, and it seems Topps produced more every year, so that by 1976 nothing is really scarce. I think any grade deficiencies in the 1974 or 1976 set in PSA 8 or higher are as a result of simply not enough being graded yet as opposed to any true rarities. But in 1971, you have the series issues, the black borders, and some really desirable cards being chased by set and team collectors as well as set collectors. The same applies to all sets, but 1971s seem to draw a lot of heat.

The checklist is also better, I think, in 1971. You have Clemente, Mays, and Banks, who are all out of the 1974 set, and Gibson, Kaline, Killebrew, and Frank Robinson, who are gone by 1976. True, in 1971 you don't get early cards of HOFers Schmidt, Yount, Brett, Winfield, Eckersley, and a few other notables, but I think the tradeoff is pretty clear.

As for resale, again 1971 would move the quickest, and have the greatest value-add for cards you have slabbed yourself. But let's think happy thoughts and believe that you'll be building something to last forever.

As far as designs go, I still think 1971 is the best, though 1974 has some great photos and the "flag" design has grown on me. The 1976 set is OK, but is too cluttered and is missing the horizontal action photos.

I would suggest 1970 as an alternative. I like the design even more than 1970, but you have a similar checklist, plus many of the same challenges, and slightly less competition.

Axtell

First I want to thank everyone for their opinions...I know the subject about which is better is truly a personal opinion, and I honestly thank everyone who shared theirs with me.

That being said, I am going to go with the 1971 set. There are just too many things that pull me into it (year of my birth, love the black border, and my favorite card (the Munson) is in this set). In addition, I'd feel as time goes on, this one will continue to get harder and harder to find in 7+ condition, whereas the 76's should be readily available in 8+.

So with that I am off to search ebay for some deals....and will be looking at the SF show Labor Day weekend as well. Hopefully can score some deals

Thanks again everyone!