1972 Topps Football

runningman

I'm thinking about starting this project, I really like the card design and player selection from 1972. Fritsch cards has a series one set available for 350. seems like a good price but I have heard the condition of his exc to nrmt cards can be sporatic. Also BBCE has a series two box that I'm looking at. Any idea how many packs in a box and cards per pack, any idea how many Staubachs in a box. Does anyone have a lot of nrmt to mint cards available. I have heard two theories about the rarity of the last series. One theory says the series was so late in the year and only in certain states. Another theory says rain from a hurricane flooded the plant in PA. Any ideas ?

jmoran19

Series 2 had 131 unique cards (CL was printed with series one and series two)



Boxes contain 24 packs with 10 cards per pack so you should get one to two Staubachs



John

FavreFan1971

Opening a 1972 box is begging to lose money. Unless you are in it for the fun factor. I have bought a set from Fritsch and the corners are great but the centering was brutal. It is so tough buying a set sight unseen.

I have done this set a handful of times and opening packs is fun but rarely have I made money on the pack let alone the box. I have opened probably two dozen series 1 and 2 packs total. If the top card is centered you have a good shot at a nice pack but if it is not you are gluten for punishment. There are 10 cards per pack and 24 packs per box so you have 240 cards. 132 in the series so you should get 1.5 Staubachs in your box if perfect collation. Jump onto youtube and search for 1972 football pack and see the centering. It is a gamblers paradise. $5500 for an unopened box comes to $230 per pack. Or $23 a card. PSA 9 commons go for $10-$25. Stars of course for more but you have to get over half 9's in each pack to break even if you are grading.

Personally I say go and buy lots off the 'Bay or from guys here. Cherry pick the lots and put together a beautiful set.

Best of luck with the set.

cards651

I agree with Favre. I never recommend complete sets or unopened boxes to build a graded set. On the surface seems reasonable but not efficient dollar-wise. You can pick up so many graded cards cheaply on eBay. For the tougher ones, you can buy singles and send in for grading. This may not be a 'pure' way to build a graded set but fairly efficient.



As to the 3rd Series -- it's 88 cards, which means half are short-printed (cue the Topps-can-do-no-wrong posts), similar to 1980 Basketball and 1972 Hockey. I think you have to be a masochist to attempt unopened anything on this series. You'll have piles of doubles, just like when you were a kid. I did collect this back in the day and by late fall, no one was allowed to buy cards. I think they just didn't print much. The hurricane and 'certain states' seems like a fun but false myth.



A great set overall. Enjoy.

cards651

Forgot to mention -- 1972 was the height of Orr-mania. Bruins had just won the cup. 1972-73 Hockey was enormously printed. I have to believe it was no hurricane that halted the FB presses but rather the gleeful thoughts of the Topps folks looking to separate every boy in the Northeast from their paper route money...

jmoran19

There are no short prints, 44 different cards were printed 3 times on each half sheet

Originally posted by: cards651
As to the 3rd Series -- it's 88 cards, which means half are short-printed (cue the Topps-can-do-no-wrong posts), similar to 1980 Basketball and 1972 Hockey.