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Top 5 Cards of the 1970's
JimMeant
Posts: 341 ✭✭✭
Lots of interesting debate on the topic about the top 5 cards of the 1980's. Some are wanting to set some parameters for the discussion, but I think keeping it wide open allows for all kinds of perspectives.
How would you guys rank the top 5 cards of the hobby during the decade of the 1970's? You can consider value, iconic status, scarcity, condition sensitivity, etc. It's your opinion. Here's my list:
1979 Topps/OPC Wayne Gretzky rookie
1976 Topps Walter Payton rookie
1975 Topps George Brett rookie
1973 Topps Mike Schmidt rookie
1971 Topps Thurman Munson
-Collecting anything vintage
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! would think that the 1972 Julius Erving would be in there somewhere.
James
1970 Topps O.J. Simpson RC
1970 Topps Pete Maravich RC
1972 Topps Roger Staubach RC
1972 Topps Dr. J RC
1979 Topps Gretzky
1979 Wayne Gretzky
1973 Mike Schmidt
1972 Julius Erving
1976 Walter Payton
1970 Pete Maravich
Just missing the cut...
1971 Terry Bradshaw
1972 Roger Staubach
1975 George Brett
1970 OJ Simpson
1970 O.J. Simpson RC over 1976 Walter Payton RC?? I don't understand that at all.
O.J. was the first guy to crack 2,000 yards. His achievements then as a player were unrivaled. Payton's popularity didn't explode until the 80s as the Bears ascended to a higher level. The perspective I have is that there are players who were immensely popular during the period being discussed. I'd question my own choice of Gretzky, really, but how could I leave him out? A Terry Bradshaw rookie would probably be more appropriate to rival Staubach and the Steelers/Cowboys dominance of that decade.
1971 Bradshaw
1971 Blyleven
1971 Pete Rose
1975 Brett
1979 (o-pee-chee)Gretzky
IT CAN'T BE A TRUE PLAYOFF UNLESS THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONS ARE INCLUDED
Gotta have 1972 Staubach in the list IMHO. I'd add Peyton, Gretsky, Dr. J and toss up between Brett and Schmidt.
The Doomsday Collection
Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor | All-Time Dallas Cowboys | Bob Lilly Master | Pro Football HOF Dallas Cowboys
79 OPC/Topps Gretzky
76 Payton
72 Dr J
75 Brett/Yount Sorry I am cheating
73 Schmidt
Honorable mention 79 Ozzie tough, tough card
Any gorgeous looking black beauty centered 71
OJ yeah, um no
> I'd question my own choice of Gretzky, really, but how could I leave him out?.
Maybe I am out of touch a bit, but is there honestly some situation I am missing where 1979 OPC Gretzky is not the undisputed #1 on this list?
Any of the big names in the 1971 Topps baseball set; however, the Thurman Munson is at the top, and it matters not one whit he's not nor will ever be a HOFer.
1975 Topps Nolan Ryan
1971 Kellogg's 3-D baseball and football of again, the HOFers
1971 Topps Greatest Moments---the HOFers, plus Mr. Munson.
I would name a non-sport set, but I'm assuming your question is strictly sports cards.
Since I detest multi-player rookie cards, preferring to enjoy a player's first card with just him, I know I'm in the minority, but that's fine. I know I'm right based on pure aesthetics, but I also realize most collectors are besotted with rookie cards only, no matter what the guy did later on in his career. The rookie card niche has a firm hold on the hearts of collectors; besides, now that high-grade cards of the 70s make collecting the entire set a matter of fiscal irresponsibility for them---they must be selective and pick and choose their favorites, and forget the commons, et al.
My nickel pack's worth; oh, that's right, we're talking of the 70s, when Topps doubled their wax pack price to 10 cents in 1970, and increased it to 15 cents in 1975. There was a lot of inflation in the 70s.
---Indiana Jones (Brian Powell)
Though the rookie card of Wayne Gretzky is a 1979-80 issue, would not the card have been technically available in early 1980? Great card, and it's nice it's only Wayne on the card. Whatever decade (70s or 80s) you want to place it, the Gretzky rookie is the top card of all.
My list (baseball only, in no particular order):
1975 Brett
1973 Schmidt RC
1978 Murray
1976 Bench
1971 Munson
Collecting 1970s Topps baseball wax, rack and cello packs, as well as PCGS graded Half Cents, Large Cents, Two Cent pieces and Three Cent Silver pieces.
I must be communicating in a different language then. I offer up evidence of cards featuring players with iconic status for the chosen period. The 70s. A period of time when, in my opinion, there were certain athletes who ascended into a realm beyond just scoring touchdowns and slam dunks. If we were just discussing high value cards, go ahead and make your list. I wouldn't argue. But, I'm not looking at it from that perspective. When I was young, O.J. was THE MAN. I don't doubt that y'all hate his guts now because of what he supposedly did. But again, that's not the issue. Just for the record, Payton is a God to me, so don't think for a moment that I wouldn't place him on the highest pedestal. His record speaks for itself.
As for Gretzky, again in the late 70s I knew him as no more than a teenage phenom playing hockey in Canada. I didn't even notice much about the Edmonton Oilers until the Kings knocked 'em out of the playoffs in '82. Miracle on Manchester. You want a hockey guy from the 70s? I'll give you Billy Smith. ;-)
I'm going to go with a different interpretation and list my top five cards from the 70s.
In no particular order:
1972 Topps Frank Robinson traded - I clearly remember my "dafu...?" reaction when I learned he was needed for my Dodgers team set. "Frank Robinson was a Dodger????" I had no idea.
1973 Topps Steve Garvey - such a cool action shot of Wes Parker greeting him at the plate after a home run.
1973 Topps Ron Cey (and some dude named Mike Schmidt) RC - clearly it was the Penguin's presence on the card that caused me to have to spend so much money obtaining it. I think Kit Young fleeced me for $150 back in '92 or so. What the heck did I know? No card shows around, no interwebs. Thought I was getting a bargain!
I'mma cheat a little here, 'cause this is actually multiple cards: any card featuring Willie Crawford - he was clearly not a man to be trifled with.
last, but certainly not least: 1978 Johnny Oates - to those who remember, no further explanation is needed.
Dodgers collection scans | Brett Butler registry | 1978 Dodgers - straight 9s, homie
Oh, interesting point. I will definitely agree that if the idea behind the OP was icons of the 70's as opposed to cards issued in the 70's of icons, that distinction means that Gretzky should be on the 80's list rather this 70's one.
Little doubt exists about who's who in the pantheon of sports. The OP encourages us to keep it wide open and allow for different kinds of perspectives. Perfect. I love these discussions. If everyone was posting the same group of nuggets, this thread would die rather quickly.
I'm going for an approach of what was a hot card when it came out combined with standing the test of time -
1) 79-80 Gretzky rookie
2) 1979 Tops Earl Campbell rookie
3) 1970-71 Topps Pete Maravich rookie
4) 1977 Topps Mark Fidrych rookie
5) 1977 Topps Darth Vader
Erik
Hockey guy from the '70s? Hmmmm..... let me see if I can come up with one. I would offer up my man Gilbert Perreault for consideration.
Obviously I can't make the argument based off of level of fame or overall popularity to the general American sports fan in the 70's. I would concede that every other player mentioned so far would be way more well known so here is why I would submit his name for consideration.
Icon Status- HOFer. Retired number. In Buffalo he is royalty. In 1970 he was the first player drafted in the franchise's history and won the Calder. He remained a Sabre until he retired in 1986. From 1970 to 1979 he ranks 5th in Goals, 6th in Assists, and 5th in points. Not bad considering he was an 18 year old rookie coming onto a cobbled together expansion team. Franchise leader in Goals, Assists, Points, & games played. To be the only player to ever hold those titles in the near 50 years of the franchise is pretty neat.
Scarcity- Based off of PSA pop reports here are my list of tough HOFer hockey RC gets from 70s and their Mint or better per 100 graded examples.
**OPC
Player............. Pop.. 10s....9s... /100 **
Perreault........ 198.... 1.......3...... 2.02
Sittler...............355.....2......18......5.63
Lafleur.............665.....5......42......7.06
Dryden............583.....5......39......7.54
Dionne............544.....4......39......7.90
Robinson........349.....3......33......10.31
Clarke..............446.....3......43.....10.31
Bossy.................58.....0.......6.......10.34
I haven't been at this very long but in the past 8 months I have seen 1 8oc, 2 6s, and a couple of 5s. Not one 8 or even a 7.
Condition Sensitivity: Centering, center, centering. His card was located on the top row of the sheet and is almost always OC top bottom at least slightly and then it suffers from LR centering which compounds it. Soooooo hard to find with even decent centering. Looking at all the raw cards that have come up on eBay has really driven this home.
Value:
Not a lot of cards so not a lot of sales to pull from. According to VCP the 10 sold for $2800 back in 6/08. A 9 sold for $2700 in 8/13. I have heard that the 10 was sold privately a few years back for around $5k. So if I had to wager if the 10 ever came to auction it would pull down closer to $10k then to $5k. For perspective this year a Dionne, Dryden, and Lafleur each in PSA 10 sold for $8.5k, $11.3k, and $16.5k respectively.
But hey that's just me. I'm a homer fan boy.
Kevin
it's interesting to see the various approaches on these lists.
Well, the original OP gave us all kinds of criteria options.
Another card I think should be mentioned is the 1978 Topps Reggie Jackson, which celebrated his monumental last game of the 1977 World Series. Going into '78, JAX was now Mr. October, and every kid wanted him. The card was perfect in every way. ---Indiana Jones (Brian Powell)
I was going to take two approaches again, at the time and now (looking back)... but then I realized it was the same 5 cards, just a different order. I was born in 77, so I didn't collect during the 70s. But I was handed down a collection from my future brother-in-law in the early/mid 80s, which was full of baseball cards from 75-80. I spent a good part of my childhood trying to put together 78 and 79 sets. So as a kid, I dreamt of:
73 Schmidt
75 Brett
72 Dr J
76 Payton
79 Gretzky
And, looking back know it's probably the same five cards. Although I've grown fond of some of the hard to find high grade cards from 78 and 79.... specifically Murray RC, Ozzie RC, Campbell RC.
In 1976 Topps issued a baseball set which included a card featuring Kurt Bevacqua blowing a giant bubble with chewing gum and winning his only Major League "title". Today such an act would elicit merely a giggle or smirk, but 40 years ago it was widely accepted as part of the folklore of the sport in a Joe Garagiola world - the ancestry of a Tim McCarver world - and most certainly it strikes a nerve when you consider what chewing tobacco and cigarettes have done to capture our attention throughout the history of the game until they were banned from the playing field.
The 71 Bradshaw & Greene RC'S are tough to get in a high grade with chipping and centering issues.
I've got 2 lists...
First, my top 5 of the decade in just baseball. These are just my favorite. I didn't collect FB, BK, or HK; however, I will say that I agree with all the posts on Dr. J., The Great One, Payton, and Bradshaw.
Second, my top 5 Yaz cards, because, well, he's the man.
1975 topps Brett
1975 topps Yount
1975 topps Carter
1975 topps Aaron #660
1975 topps Gibson
All other years seem irrelevant compared to the almost mystical year of topps masterpiece set.
Everyone's definition of "top" might be different, but fun topic on my favorite era..
TheClockworkAngelCollection