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1973 Topps Baseball
MooseDog
Posts: 1,959 ✭✭✭
Is it just me or does 1973 Topps Baseball have some of the worst photography of any major baseball set (the airbrush work wasn't very stellar either, LOL).

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I will die on the hill that the 70s had some of the most interesting,, unique and strange photography of any decade of cards. As a result I think it also makes it the best. The 73 set is one of my favorites BECAUSE of all the weird photos. I never get tired of looking at them and always seem to find new things I haven't noticed before.
Compared to the sanitized but technically accurate photos of the modern stuff the 70s blows them away.
But it's all subjective opinions so to each their own.
It looks like a multi-player card. I like the ‘73 Steve Garvey….I mean the Wes Parker card.
Love the 1973 set but not the ISO 100 they were forced to use for Action shots.
The Terry Crowley with Thurman Munson card is iconic.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
That card is Rusty Staub’s only appearance in the set… it is really a Mets photo that has been airbrushed.
The Alvarado card with the parking lot behind the chain link fence is one of my all time favorites. I like the horizontal action shots in general.
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’m a fan of quirky baseball pics and horizontal cards in general. 71-73 have some great pics.
Nice cellos BTW!👍
Worst set of all time. Glad to see there are rational people in the hobby that agree with me.
Kiss me twice.....let's party.
My favorite was the "Dick Green Committing an Error" card.
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
"Tenace The Menace" Classic! Guest Starring Johnny Bench and George Hendrick
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
Wes Parker's 2nd card in the set. Holding on guest star Greg Luzinski:
I collect Sports cards of anyone who appeared on the Brady Bunch
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
and a non landscape card with a very sad airbrushing effort:
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
Love these 2 cards
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
Chris holding on a pitcher... Edit: It's Jim Kaat
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
Never noticed that before but isn't that Jim Kaat he's holding on the bag? Sure looks like him.
Never noticed it either...
Poking around that does appear to be the case:
https://whentoppshadballs.blogspot.com/2018/06/card-spotlight-1973-chris-chambliss.html
It's the singer not the song - Peter Townshend (1972)
Not even a minute do I buy the whole buh buh buh I'm a man-child japery - Me (2025)
The photography is not great but that is oddly part of the reason it's my favorite 70's set
1973 is a great set. Love it. the action shots are great.
The horizontal cards look framed like the new digital TV screens.
great post. i am going to have to go and look at my 73 set again and look at all of the horizontal cards and action shots. i will say one thing i do not like the reggie jackson card that grimace on his face is terrible.
The 1973 set is an iconic one. Don't listen to Nathaniel1960. He has no appreciation for the finer things in life
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.
It was never really on my best sets of the 70's list but I got a complete set in a collection I purchased and it has really grown on me quite a bit. I like the action shots, and I like the horizontal cards, and you can get the majority of HOF'ers pretty cheaply for a vintage set. It also has a large amount of HOF'ers in it. You get some crossover from the 50's guys like Aaron, Mays, Clemente and a number of early cards of the next generation of guys like Ryan, Bench, Jackson, Schmidt, etc.
I picked up this Match Print photo proof from the Topps Vault many years ago.
I thought Reggie looks like he's blowing a head gasket on this throw. When I was in school in NYC, I saw him play right field many times - I once saw him throw a dart on the fly to 3rd base!
Just read in a Beckett Vintage mag that Mike Epstein knocked Reggie out in a locker room brawl?Net result Finley traded Mike. Was all this true? Who knows?
Crowley running toward Thurman Munson. That must have been some collision!
I'm so obsessed with this set. Not only do I have 2 completed hand-collated sets but I have a 5,000-count box full of duplicates. Also, I always purchase additional cards just to hoard them. I know there is medication available for me, but I refuse to take it.