1970 TOPPS FOOTBALL SET (Revisited) SCAN HEAVEY

bigreddog · June 12, 2010 10:39AM

As a life long collector, I thought it would be fun to revisted my collection and how it has evolved over the years.

Im a advid seventies football collector and for the better part of the last 35 years have strived to assemble the finest run of 1970 - 1979 Topps Football Sets. It seems Ive complete these sets multiple times over, only to go through and nit pick for upgrading again.

Let's Start at the beginning of the decade with my 1970 Topps Football set.

Len Dawson is Card #1 in the Set. I can't remember how many I had to go through over the years before landing this beauty.
It came from a PSA 9 holder.

Being a hugh Roger Staubach and Cowboys fan as a kid. I usually sought them out first. Neely protected Roger for many Years.

Damn it! I only got 6 cards in before hitting one on my WANT List. While the Gino card is sharp as a tack I need better centering on it. Contact me if you have a centered NM-M / MINT one.

NO!! Not another one on my WANT LIST! While I could probably live with the centering, OK maybe not, but the bottom corners have just a hint on them. Contact me if you have a centered NM-M-MINT fresh from the pack one!

The "In action" photo is always a nice touch on checklists

Despite being one of the oldest cards in my set, this 3rd year Bob Griese remains on my WANT LIST. My card is super Sharp and held onto its spot in my set for many years. I simply have not come across one with better centering. couple years ago I thought I had one that was going to dethrone the old champ here. Once I got the new one in hand my old champ knocked it out. The contender just didnt have the surface quality and a weak corner also lead to its downfall. ANYBODY have a NM-M/MINT contender to put up against the old champ here?

Super Sharp Card. Not on my Want List for now. If I see one as sharp with better centering I would take it.

Like The George Seals, Not currently on my Want List. It will probably be one day. I wouldn't pass on a chance at a centered one.
For now This Clean Sharp one will do.

We're on a roll now!

One of the most underrated Runners of All-Time. Leroy Kelly had the misfortune of being the guy that came in after Jim Brown.

Back in the day, for a few years the colorful 1971 and 1972 Topps football dominated my collecting. There was a little card shop in Moline, Illinois that I use to frequent quite regularly and I got a lot of killer cards from Larry at that shop. The origin of my set came from that shop. Thats where I bought this set one day when I couldn't find any 71, 72's. AHHH! those were the days, a Brick and Morter card shop where you just walked in and look through cards. Nothing beats having them in hand. Never have to worry about condition based on a scan and description.

So the set has evolved from that humble begining.

I always thought the "Band-Aids" on the elbows on many of the guys from the 70's were cool. tough SOB's, No fancy pads or protection. Stick a few band aids on it.

No NOT Larry Brown! Being a Cowboy Fan, Larry Brown was my worst nightmare! Him an that "Over the Hill Gang" Damn Them! Although Redskins were the hated Rivials of my Cowboys in the seventies. I did hate them, but I always had respect for them. Without them, there wouldn't be any Seventies Cowboy/Redskin History and therfore no reason for me to collect these cards to relive those great historical football times. Larry Brown was one TOUGH runner! Its also his Rookie Card.
I think its the Super Bowl loss to the Dolphins where they show the highlight of Larry Brown getting hammered and his helmet flying off.

The Stenerud has been on my "Want List" for quite some time. I have had plenty of chances over the years at a nice one.
Nothing against Jan Stenerud, A HOF kicker who won many games for those Great Chiefs Teams, But he's a kicker and I never seem to want to give the premiumn price most usually want for a higher grade card. HOF or not. I will eventually find one for the right price.

This card is so sharp I decided I can live with the centering on a common card like this.

A sharp card like the Hoak above, but the Washington and Viking cards are more higher profile cards and I would like a better
centered NM-M / MINT card. Please send to......

Bart Starr, The Great field General of the Packer Dynasy.
OHHH... if Jetho Pugh could have only made the final goaline stop in the Ice Bowl. This Starr is one of the original cards from the set I bought years ago. Its a gorgeous card, Maybe a mircoscopic hint on that top left corner. I've had a few nice ones in hand. This one remains.

Nobis was such a great player it's a shame he was trapped on those crappy Falcon teams.

OK whats up with the Bethea Rookie? This is the third one Ive had and its a very nice card. So why did I not cross it off my want list? I think its because its his Rookie. I could live with the centering on a common or lesser card. I call him a HOF common and much like the Jan Stenerud I seem to not want to pay the "HOF Hype Price" for the card. I'll wait it out until all the HOF and set Registry crazies fizzle out and then pick up a Nicer 8,9 quality card for a more reasonable price.

JACK SNOW! Whats in a name? When we were kids my cousin and I played a lot of backyard Football and for some reason if we caught a pass or TD, We would call out "Jack Snow Scores!!" "I Snowed on You!" We were both Cowboy Fans and the only place we ever see Jack Snow was in the cards we collected. I guess we just thought it was a cool name.

Cowboy Card ! Cowboy Card! The Great Mel Renfro. I had a nice o/c card in my set for years. I finally landed this Beauty last year in a trade deal.

From the Original set and Still a beauty.

I hate this Card! its been on my Want List for so Long. Soft corners is the culprit. I have two other sharper ones in my box. I just can't stand the centering on them. If I put one in my set, in the 9-pocket Ultra Pro Pages, everytime I flip to that page it throws off the whole balace of the page and sticks out like a sore thumb. ANYBODY!!! 4-Sharp Centered, I'll sell a kidney, walk on hot coles!

OK, OK Im calmed down now. This is more like it.
Ahhhh! The Mad Bomber! Lamonica is such an Iconic Raider and could anybody have ever had a cooler or more fitting nickname.
And it fit so well with that Raider Black and Silver and bad boy Image the Raiders have always had.

THAT FREAKIN Steve DeLong Card!!!! #^"!!!#<><@!%^* Oh, Oh wait a minute What do we have here. Yes Yes Much Better, Much Sharper.
Jim Lynch, A star on any other team, but got lost in the mix of all those Great Kansas City Chiefs Linebackers.

Nice!

Nicer!!

OH Yeah!

HELLO!!!!! An Absolute Mint Beauty! Butkus got the Press, Nitscke got the Rings. This Man was Scary on the Field and anchored the Packer Dynasty Defense. Quite Possibly the Greatest Middle Linebacker of all-time. Man That's a Drop dead gorgeous card!

WHEWWW HEW! Another ABSOLUTE KILLER MINT BEAUTY! And another Great HOF Linebacker to boot!

Can you guys keep a secret? Shhhhhhhhh....... I cracked this one from a PSA 10 slab. TAKE that Steve DeLong!

What can one say about Alan Page? Without Question one of the greatest Defensive Tackles of all-time.
Page had it all, Speed, Strength and was an absolute disaster to oppossing Offenses.
The "Purple People Eaters" Viking's Defense of the seventies is Legendary!
It just amazes me how they lost all those Super Bowls.

We will end our visit back to 1970 tonight with the ever formidable Jim Nance. Hmmm? He's not on my want List. I never notice that centering before. Gonna have to take a closer look a that card.

John

Barfvader · June 12, 2010 11:08AM

Love the 70 Topps football set and look forward to more additions to this thread.

jmoran19 · June 13, 2010 2:08AM

My favorite FB set, especially the glossy cards! So far have complete 3 sets (NMMT, NM and EXMT). Probably a few stars away from a 4th.

First cards I remember buying by myself. Mom won a couple hundred bucks in quarters playing slots and hid them in her make up counter. As a naughty 8 year old I use to "borrow" some and ride my bike up to the drug store and buy as many of these as I could get my grubby little hands on:

One day I got grilled as to where I got all my cards from, of course I replyed from a neighbor's older brother

Never could figure out why everyone had the posters (first series) and the glossy cards (2nd series) but me? Thanks to the beckett price guides I finally figured it out in the 80's, they were only included in wax packs. I only bought cello packs, DOH! Here is an example of each series wax pack. The main way you can differentiate between the 2 series without knowing which player is showing on the back is by the color of the seam on the green football. First series is a dark green while the 2nd series is gray:

My current white whale is a 1970 FB rak pack. Only seen 3 in the last decade and one was from a known resealer

John, thanks for stirring up great memories, John

jmoran19 · June 13, 2010 2:19AM

Glossy proofs I won from the topps vault on ebay. The issued cards have rounded corners like the 1969 super cards. And yes, I'm a long suffering Vikings fan:

Publius · June 13, 2010 2:20AM

Fantastic thread, great scans of the cards.

John, thanks for posting the wax packs, I had no idea how to tell the difference between series, great to know!

joe

glossycrazy · June 13, 2010 3:01AM

This is the beginning of a great thread... I have three complete psa graded glossy sets and am going to start building a psa 8 or better regular set this Fall after I finish a '71 set that is almost done.... 10 cards to go!! The glossy inserts were way BEFORE their time with all that gloss! The 70's are WAY TOUGH for centering! I have a near mint or better set I won from a Mr. Mint auction about 10-15 years ago but the vast majority are a tish off-center this way or that!! I did send the 20 best off to psa a while back and ended up with 2 oc 9's, 2 9's, one 7, and the rest psa 8's. My favorite card in the set is the Alan Page rookie... as you can guess... I live in MN!
Paul

2dueces · June 13, 2010 4:47AM

One of my favorite sets. This board needs more posts like this one. Its great to see someone post about cards and not e-bay, shipping and blah, blah, my grades, blah!!

I will add that I am 13 raw cards from finishing this set and would appreciate anyone that has these PM me and we'll work something out. 9, 20, 80, 87, 150, 189, 190, 197, 228, 237, 249, 254 and 261.

bigreddog · June 13, 2010 4:33PM

Great info on the packs John!

I never did the Supers, But the Glossy's, Posters and the 3-D Kellogg's will all be visited in the post in due time.

For years the 71 and 72 Topps Football sets dominated my collecting, rightfully so. While I had a moderately nice
1970 set, it was only after not being able to find any higher upgrades for the 71 and 72 sets that I really noticed what
a great design the 70 set really had. The tan background worked really nice with the oval picture and the colored flags
with bold block letters really stood out. The football with position added another nice graphic touch to the design.
The orange backs were nice with lots of interesting player info as well as cool triva cartoons. The set numbering was nice
and clear and to top it all off a nice Script player name. So I saw the 70 set in a new light and now it had become my misson.

Now.. Turn off your mind relax and float down stream.........Farther.......... Farther.........Right there.... 1970
We now we continue on our way through the 1970 Topps Set.

One of the greatest tight ends in pro football history had been on my want list for a long time. I picked this one up
just this year. While it is super sharp and a clear upgrade over my original one. I did cross it off my want list,
The top/bottom centering may land him back on the list at some point. For now he will stay.

Finally picked this one off just this year as well. you know? Its the common cards that are sometimes the most difficult cards to find.

You gotta love those 70's poses CLASSIC! Look at the forearms on that white boy.

Anybody remember what team Jack later went on to coach?

Hummmm. Another one of those pesky Redskins. Look out ROGER!

The Kansas Comet! Gale Sayers, was the greatest back I ever seen and I know many would argue in favor of Jim Brown
and maybe rightfully so, but Sayers had such a special blend of speed and power. A scoring machine, who could score from anywhere
on the field. I truely feel that had he not suffered the knee injury he would have shattered every record in the book.
I think one day god said...... "today Im going to make me a halfback" and the Comet was born. I also met Gale Sayers years ago
at an autograph signing and he looked as if he could still play! I was humbled by his legendary status and got an 8x10 photo
and a 1971 Topps Card signed. (We will see those when we revist 1971)

A true Cowboy Legend was Lee Roy Jordan. As kids we could never even imgine anybody other the Leroy manning the middle of
that Doomsday Defense. Its one of my favorite cards in the set. This is the card that sparked my 70 set upgrade quest many years
ago.

A great career and player and yet you hardly never hear his name mentioned when people talk about the great Recievers.

If it was a more common card this sharp example would be ok, But Hadl was a great QB so a better centered one is need.
It is a tough card to find centered. I have see a lot of them with much worse centering and it always seems to be side/side.

This card is from the original set I bought oh so many years ago! Its been on my upgrade list ever since I started this quest.
Lem Barney was a great player and a HOFer, but like the Jan Stenerud Rookie I never seem to want to give the asking
price for a top grade Barney Rookie. Ive had many chances at some very nices one, but never pulled the trigger on one.

Another nice clean card from the original set. That soft corner has kept it on my want list for some time. ANYBODY????

OK Im sure I will upset somebody here........ TO Bad. While I know Tarkenton holds a place in NFL history, I think he was one of the
most over rated QB's of all-time. He ran his lineman to death with all that running around back there and benefited greatly from
that Great Vikings Defense. His inability to execute is what cost those great vikings teams 3 lost SB. Just my opinon of coarse.

Rookie Card of the Great 49er Reciever. This one is on my want list.

A great card and one of my favorites in the set. I know it's common. I consider Bill Brown a Semi-Star in reguards to the
card set. He was a great back for the Vikings. There is something about all the Vikings cards in the 70 set that just
seems to make that Purple pop against the tan back drop. But the Brown card also has that Classic seventies pose and
just look at that crew cut Bill is Sporting!

Wait what is that white light? Everything is getting Blurry........ Can't seem to focus..... Oh wait what's that up ahead?
Aw Shucks! it's a calendar and its dated 2010. Looks as though are time is up for now.
Here is a poll to ponder until we next meet back in the seventies.....

STARSKY or HUTCH or do we just want to power slide around the corner in the Torino?

John

MULLINS5 · June 13, 2010 4:40PM

bigreddog,

you say the first card "came from a PSA 9 holder, do you crack them out of their cases and collect raw?

bigreddog · June 14, 2010 3:24AM

MULLINS5

While I was blessed with a great set that I originally bought 25 years ago.
When I first started upgrading the set for only the finest cards, 15-20 years ago, Finding the high
grade examples at card shows and through other collector's I knew was fairly plentiful.

As time went on and with the growing popularity of TPG (PSA, SGC) More of the higher graded cards were being
slabbed by these companies, Mainly for greed, as dealers and "Collectors" found they could hype the cards and
get crazy money for many of them. So it got harder to obtain nice high grade copies. I think now some of the hype
has wore off Especially on Sets like this and other 70's sets. As more and more cards were graded I think smart
collector's no longer fell prey to the 1 of hype. Especially on common cards.

There are pros and cons to the TPG craze. The two biggest: (and their both related: Greed)

PRO: With the rise of the internet, you no longer had to take the word of countless people selling cards that
had no Ideal how to grade them accurately and as a result most were almost always overgraded and overstated.
At least with a PSA/SGC graded card you knew where a card half way stood when buying.

CON: Which was kind of already discussed above about the hype and crazy prices. But I think this also brang more people
into the hobby who really had no interest or love for the cards other than to try and make some money off them.
Although they did exsist before TPGing, the "Speculator/Investor" people drug even more Scumbag,cheats and rip off artist
into the hobby with the ever growing craze and alure of "crazy money". Hopefully someday these people will eventually
thin out and move on to parasite onto the next "big craze"

So YES in the past few years I have cracked many cards for my set. I collect cards. not labels or Price guide values and while I
do enjoy the few graded sets I do and the nice way they present in the slabs, The majority of my collection will always remain raw.

John

bigreddog · June 15, 2010 3:18PM

Now let us venture back on our journey, to a simpler time.
When a mouthful of that oh so Special gum, a few shoeboxes, some rubberbands
and a floorful of scattered cards.
Once again we now return to 1970.

When they talk about that "Sea of Hands" game against the Dolphins and Clarence Davis's Catch. It always amazes me how that
Play seems to over shadow the key catches Biletnikoff made in that game. Mr. Stick-em was money when the chips were down.

Mr. Cowboy himself! The first Franchise Player in Cowboy history.
There have been many Great Tackles in the Game of Pro Football.
None Shinned brighter than Lilly and the Legendary "Doomsday Defense" .
Lilly suffered through a few bad years with those early Cowboys teams. Soon though,
Landry had them in contention and even more fustrating was being the team that almost won.
The Ice Bowl Championship lost to the Packers, The sloppy loss to the Colts in SB V.
Bob Lilly finally had his day when he and the "Doomsday Defense" Crushed that very same Undefeated
72 Dolphin Team in 1971. I tuely believe if the Cowboys hadn,t been upset by those pesky "Over the Hill" Redskins,
That they would have beat that Dolphin team again in the 72 Super Bowl. They just matched up so much
better than that Redskin Team the Dolphins crushed.

The man responsible for the Dolphins 72 Undefeated season and yet hardly anybody seems to know.
This card is on my Want list. can anybody help a fella out?

The Key Rookie to the 1970 Topps Football set.
Has there ever been anybody fall so far from grace. Star football HOFer, Hollywood Movie Star, His Commercial endorsments
were the biggest and unheard of at the time. OJ was a household name! Wealth, Power, Social Status, Women.. etc..
Does it all just end up blinding a person to the point you kill without no remorse or concern for anything or anyone around you.
Reguardless weather the man turned into and became a piece of trash of a human being, We are talking purely Football here,
and reguardless of your thoughts about the events later in this man's life, On the football field he was one of the greatest
runners of all-time, if not the Greatest! Speed, Power, Size. The "Juice" dominated Football through out the Seventies.

Another one of those Pesky Redskins. Hanburger was a great player and coverman for the Redskins for many years.

A card thats been on my "WANT LIST" for some time.

"Tombstone" Rich Jackson. Heres a player that really never got his just due and credit.

Its now time we return you to your present day 2010 lives. Please join us next time as we venture back to...................1970

captainthreeputt · June 15, 2010 3:22PM

Those were absolutely beautiful.

Thanks for sharing

julen23 · June 16, 2010 3:46PM

amazing!

mojorob · June 16, 2010 4:43PM

John,
You have quite the Awesome raw 1970 set there my friend !!

Thanks for taking the time to share with your scans and player blurbs.

I collected this set in the day as a 12 year old and always really enjoyed it.
As a matter of fact I can remember buying a large scap book and taping the entire set
in it along with the posters.
I would just scotch tape one of the verticle front sides of the card, that way I could flip it over
and still read the back of the card.
What I wouldn't have done for plastic sheets back then!

Your passion for your collection really shows.
Thanks again, for the great post.

bigreddog · August 1, 2010 8:50AM

With todays hobby dominated by "what's it worth" and "Speculator" collectors in it only for card values and possible profit,
Its nice to see that this thread has produced the kind of response I was hoping for. Life long collectors who's childhood collecting memories
are based on the cards and the sentimental value they have(had) in the days when card collecting was purely a kid thing and nothing more.
Thanks for all who have shared the stories of their collecting youth.

SET UPDATES:

Since my last installment I have made a few additions to the set.

This Seiple came from a PSA 8 holder and while it is better than the one I previously had Ive been disappointed recently with the lower quality of cards coming from PSA 8 holders. A bit soft on a few of the back side corners, but has everything I require in a card for my set as far as centering and surface color and gloss.

As disappointed as Ive been about some of the cards coming from PSA 8 holders, Sometimes you get lucky the other way as well!
I picked up this PSA 8 Bob Griese and it is dead on and I believe was undergraded by PSA, So Im extremely Happy with this Card.
The Griese I replaced would probably pull an 8 as well, but It just seemed to be a tad off as compared to this one.

John

ymarea · August 1, 2010 9:32AM

John,

I've really enjoyed this thread. Your cards look beautiful and your commentary makes viewing much more enjoyable. Congratulations on the new Griese. It's a far better card than its predecessor.

Just one point of contention: Although I basically agree with your assessment of Tarkenton, you erroneously placed the blame for 4 SB losses at his feet. The first loss (against KC) was with Joe Kapp at the helm. Tarkenton was a member of the NY Giants at that time.

Keep the cards coming. I'll be watching.

bigreddog · August 1, 2010 10:16AM

And now.. Do not attempt to adjust your Monitor, We are now in control of it and all you see.
For you are now about to re-enter the "1970 Topps Football Zone!"

We last left our Set closing in on the first 100 cards of the set.
One reason we left off there was because Card #97 has been on my wantlist for sometime, as has card #100

As his card suggest Dick Post was a great little back who lead the AFL in Rushing in 69 and that 4.6 avg. is not to shabby.
As you can see I obviously need better centering on this card. I might pull the trigger on a nice one here soon.

No upgrading needed here!

Or here as well!

CARD #100! A very nice card, But I considered Roman Gabriel a one of the Star QB's of the 60's and early 70's.
I surely have to have a centered example of this card. At 6' 4" / 220 Gabriel was a monster!

Oh what a difference 40 years makes! Last years high flying Saints win the Super Bowl! But in 1970 the fledgling Saints
didn't have much to celebrate. With the exception of the Billy Kilmer card, Saints cards in the 1970 set are fairly forgetable.

Unlike the Saints cards in the set. Packer cards are always popular and sought after cards by kids of the seventies.
While Ray Nitschke got most of the press and headlines in his HOF career(Deservably so) I always felt that Robinson was
overlooked as a key eliment of those Dynasty Packer Defense's.

At 6"3' / 215 Taylor was one of the first "BIG" wideouts. His 46 yard TD catch and run in Super Bowl IV all but sealed
the Heavily favored Vikings fate. If there was any doubt left about the talented AFL after Namath and the Jets upset the
heavily favored Colts in the Prevous Super Bowl, The Power Chiefs Team laid them to rest as well.

A difficult card for centering. The Turner Card is a Low Pop card in the Grading reports. Im real happy to have this sharp example
even though centering could be a bit better.

Even though we were Big Roger Staubach and Cowboy Fans. Illinois was our Home town, so All Bears cards were popular
amongst us kids.

A pretty nice card with nice centering, yet the Mansfield card remains on my wantlist due to the slightly soft bottom corners.
CALL ME !

Again how that Viking Purple really pops on these 1970 cards.

Bengal cards are some of my most UNFAVORITE cards in the set. Maybe even more so than the lowly Saints. The Trumpy Rookie
has been on my wantlist for so long its not funny. While this one I have is pretty darn nice and I keep telling myself that it is
ok. I can't seem to get past the soft bottom left corner. I also figured if Im going to go for an upgrade I might as well go for
dead on centering as well. Have yet to find that card. But the search will continue.

Ah The Bubba Smith Rookie. Just the Name Bubba Smith says DEFENSE! At 6'7" / 295 this man was scarey!
There was some controversy later when Bubba was traded to the Raiders. The Colts front office claimed Bubba was not
realizing his full potencial on the field.

Well Thats all the time we have for this installment of the 1970 Topps Football set. Rest assured we will return to continue our trek.

John

bigreddog · August 1, 2010 11:18AM

Yes Brett you are correct about the 4 Viking SB Loses.

Joe Kapp was at the helm of that first lose to the Chiefs. (Tarkenton was probably at the game in the stands or something though)

Chiefs beat ole Joe up pretty good that day.

Thanks for the catch on that

John

Dboneesq · August 1, 2010 12:00PM

John,

Those cards are Awesome! Probably some of the nicer raw cards I've seen in some time!

Mickey71 · August 1, 2010 12:28PM

I graded this about a year ago and it was the 1 and only SGC 96 with none higher. I just sold a 9 for $130 and this is sharper.

bigreddog · August 1, 2010 12:54PM

Killer Bethea Mickey!

But No way I give $130 for a Bethea Rookie. Thats for them insane Registry folks.
I will eventually find a nice sharp one in my range of $25-30 or less.
Nothing personal against Mr. Bethea, a very solid player. But none the less
a very borderline HOFer. I still see the card as basically a common card in the set.

Any SGC 88 or better 1971 Football?

John

lbcoach20 · August 1, 2010 1:07PM

John,
Thanks for the enjoyable stroll down 1970! I really enjoy the dialogue with the scans.....really nice presentation!

Scott

bigreddog · August 1, 2010 1:26PM

Hi Scott,

Thanks for tuning in. Im glad you enjoyed the show.

But not being halfway through the set, The show is just Begining!

I have yet to get to the Glossy Set and the Poster Inserts.

Not to Mention the absoulte killer 1970 Kelloggs set I have and How I aquired it years ago.

Please stay tuned!

John

TheCARDKid · August 1, 2010 3:04PM

Great presentation and scans!

I've never been big into vintage football. I have the bill peterson, that card rings a bell, but I dont think anything else from 1970. My favorite 70's era football card is probably the Terry Bradshaw rookie from 1971. I had that as a kid, in the late 80's, early 90's.

bigreddog · August 1, 2010 3:46PM

Thats the great thing about the hobby.

Your free to collect what you really like with no need to justify it to anyone.

I had pretty much all of the seventies baseball sets, as well as a few nice 60's baseball sets.
And though 70's baseball cards do hold a special place in my heart as a kid, It was always Football
we watch and loved the most. All of our biggest heroes were Football players Like Roger Staubach,
Joe Namath, Butkus, Sayers..... Grid Iron Warriors whose toughness was never questioned.

5-6 years ago I decide Baseball Sets were way to large to go all out and upgrade to a high standard.
Besides that other than a handful of stars and semi-stars Baseball sets were just mostly a bunch of no name commons.

I began to sell off all my beloved 70's baseball sets and focus one Purely Football.

As for the 71 Bradshaw?

Well That's for another thread yet to come

John

Barfvader · August 4, 2010 6:15AM

Great thread that deserves a bump.

stown · August 4, 2010 7:42AM

Holy crud, I know that took you forver to scan.

Well done

bigreddog · August 4, 2010 2:03PM

Stown,

I actually scan and store all my sets on CD's
Oh and yes Holly Crap it does take Forever.
Still haven't scanned and store sets 73 thru 79 (let alone 80-89)
Thouse are all 500 plus card sets! I have my word cut out for me!

John

TheCARDKid · August 4, 2010 4:02PM

Great looking Bradshaw rookie.

For some reason as a kid, I gravitated to that card. More so than the 72 Staubach, or Franco Harris rookie. Do you have a 65 Namath rookie? I could probably look at that card all day long if I had it. I havent seen it mentioned much on these boards.

melvin289 · August 4, 2010 7:32PM

Great thread and thanks for taking the time and effort to share your set with us.

Ron

MeteoriteGuy · August 4, 2010 7:40PM

The 1970 Topps cards are very nice when centered and sharp. I also like the checklist cards a lot. Much better then the other 70s checklists.

Good luck with your upgrades. I have PSA 7-8's of several and found it kinda fun to compare them.

Looking forward to you 1971 postcard?

Clear Skies,
Mark

Goodsport40 · August 5, 2010 3:58AM

Wow, great cards, John! Best thread of the past 6 months IMHO!

I love the early 70's Topps issues best of all, just ahead of 60's FB and baseball. I don't do much FB, but your thread is inspiring me to look at some 1970 stars and HOFers on ebay!

My wife will be thrilled! LOL!

Thanks for sharing!

Robert

bigreddog · September 2, 2010 12:02PM

Hi Guys!

New House, Work, Kids back to school and just the fast pace of life in general has kept me away from the boards a bit lately.

Thanks to all who replied! Weather it a special childhood collecting story or Great insight and info on the set, Its YOU people

who keep the hobby pure and for the love of the cards first and foremost that warms my heart just to know there are still others

out there that enoy the hobby the way it was always meant to be. Thank You all.

I will be back to continue our look through the 1970 Topps Football set, but for now a few updates to the set.

As many of you probably know its tough to get a card on the internet claiming to be NM/MT or MINT that isn't overgraded.

Lately though Ive been having a bit of good luck! Like my two latest upgrades!

Both have been on my "want list" for years. Im a centering freak and it always rekindles the flame to find a couple sharp cards

like these from my want list.

I also picked up a 1970 Wrapper to add to the set.

See ya all later!
John

ymarea · September 2, 2010 12:52PM

Nice upgrades, John. Good for you. I look forward to your next post.

Stone193 · September 2, 2010 1:38PM

Superb cards John!

I'm partial to the Lamonica card - 1970 was the first year that I started following the Raiders - Blanda was backup to Lamonica back then.

Very nice.

bigreddog · September 18, 2010 2:25PM

We now return to the 1970 Topps Football Set

Although Norm Snead doesn't garner Super Star status in the 1970 set, he was quality QB through out the sixties and
as his card states held many Eagle's passing records. At 6' 4" 215lbs he was quite a formidable opponent.
I had a PSA 9 version of this card, but did not see it as being any nicer than the copy here I kept.

Quite Possibly the greatest center of all-time. Those late sixties and seventies Raider Teams were absoulte juggernaughts
and it always seemed to start with their great offensive line that was always anchored by Jim Otto.

Yes that's an ugly looking card. I have sinced obtained a nice NM/MT copy. I just never got it scanned yet.

This card somehow escaped my "want List" up until just now. Look at those soft corners! That's just unacceptable!

By now you all know that the Redskins are the hated ENEMY! The Great Redskin Center has proved to be
one of the more difficult cards for me to find. Obviously the example I have here will just not cut it. Even many of
the PSA/SGC cards I have looke at seem to always lack the centering I need to upgrade this card. So for now the
original from the set still remains.

The self proclaimed All-Time sack leader! And most football historians will agree. This is what modern day football lacks.
Zaney, crazey characters like Deacon Jones. From his goofy poems to his trademark "Head Slap" Jones was all football player
on the field. Yes the Seventies must have been a Special time in Pro Football, because they just don't breed football players like this anymore.

I always liked the Boozer card in the 70 Set. As it states his blocking and game was "Key" in the famous Super Bowl upset over
the Colts.

The Great 49er quarterback John Brodie

Again the action photos on the checklist just seem to capture the Era so well. The 71 and 72 Topps Football checklists
also feature this same action photo style.

That soft corner bothers me. Need to find a better one of these

While Morton was a fine QB. One can only wonder what Super Bowl V against the Colts would have been like
had Coach Landry gone with Roger Staubach in that game.

Ah! The Dempsey Story. With only a half a kicking foot and wearing a special shoe he went on to kick the longest FG in NFL history
63 Yards

Another Great HOF Raider. By now I think it is safe to say the the Raiders of the Seventies were my Favorite AFL Team.
So many great players over those years, many being some of the greatest characters the NFL has ever seen.

Damn this HOFer for killing my Cowboys in the 1972 NFC Championship Game with 7 Rec for 146 yards and 2 TD's DAMN HIM!!!!!

Well that's all the time we have this week kids. Join me again, Same Bat time, Same Bat Channel

John

cardbender · September 18, 2010 5:18PM

Great stuff John.

1970 Topps Football were the first cards I ever collected.
Your post brings back some great memories of opening 25 cent
cello packs with 29 cards in them.

The Darraugh card always struck me as a funny card as a kid.
The way his hair comes to a point. Plus there's not too many
QB's that came out of William and Mary that made the NFL.

Keep up the good work on this thread.......

shouldabeena10 · September 18, 2010 11:25PM

John,

It's a comfort to know that whenever I start missing some of my old raw 70's sets ... I can always come over to this thread and revisit the passion and effort that goes into building and continuously upgrading a high grade raw set ... with the goal of someday having that "perfect set."

Every time I see one of your cards with a slight corner touch or just a hair off center, I can envision you making notes on your checklist, and swapping your "needs upgrading list" with other collectors, in hopes of finding a raw gem or two, to upgrade a card.
I remember back several years ago when you and I first started swapping cards and I realized we were kindred souls in the approach we took to upgrading our sets. Old Uncle Artie used to cringe when he'd watch me crack out a PSA 9 or 10 to add into one of my raw sets, or spend hours flipping through raw binders at a show ... hoping to find just a few of those elusive minty upgrades.

I remember laughing out loud after digging through thousands of my 1979 dupes (which mostly came from busting wax) trying to find the last upgrades you needed for your set, only to finally realize that our upgrade lists were almost identical ... and we were both down to just needing the scarcer low pop cards that normally have issues. I remember thinking, "Wow, This guys good!"

I can honestly say my 1972 raw set would have never made the NM/MT+ jump I was looking for, if I'd never started trading cards with you. And it's good to know some of my old cards will live on ... residing in your beautiful raw sets.

For those of you that haven't had the privilege of swapping cards with John, or getting to know him .... you're really missing out on something special. The guys a true collector through and through, and a pure joy to trade football cards with.

This is a great thread John .... and just know that I'll be keeping an eye on it, reliving the joy of collecting through your progress, and always cheering you on from the sidelines!

Mike

bigreddog · September 21, 2010 1:46PM

Cardbender(Richard Caan)

Rich,

Im glad your your enjoying the Thread and that it is evoking and keeping alive our Childhood memories of collecting cards.

Sorry I haven't been in contact with you more lately as the daily grind has been keeping me pretty busy.

Barely have time to keep up my Thread here. Like "Shoulabeenaten" (Mike) You have been one of the few People I could

always rely upon for Top notch cards sight unseen. It hit me the other day that one of the First Graded cards I ever

bought for my 71 Topps Set was a PSA 8 Willie Brown from you. That card was Killer perfect, but as usual TPGers undergrade

The 71 Topps more than any other cards in the hobby. The card was crossed to my SGC set and really light a fire under me

on that 71 set. I also got a absolutely cherry Bob Lilliy as well from you a few years back.

Thanks again for all your help. Your a true collector and trusted trader.

John

bigreddog · September 21, 2010 2:32PM

Shouldabeenaten(Mike )

Mike

Im humbled by your kind remarks.

Like Cardbender(Richard) you became another of the few people in this hobby I never had to worry about trusting

to get the high quality of card I was looking for. Yes it became apearent that we both had the same quest for high quality

Raw sets and would stop at nothing to obtain those cards.

It can be frustrating, wading through all the overgraded cards from ebay, dealers and other collectors, as Im sure you know.

But it is always exciting when you come in contact with another collector that you know is the real deal and you add them to that

very small Special list of hobby contacts.

After merging my 1976 set with the one I got from you I was Like YES!!! I tuely know I have a 76 set that is second

to none and that includes any graded Registry sets as well. I still have like 30 cards on the want list. It never ends.

It sure is a Small world here. I had an SGC 84 Payton Rookie and added it to the second set which was killer in its own right and

that set now resides in the hands of Cardbender(Richard) (See post above for more on him)

Thanks again for all your help over the past few years and for making the hobby and collecting the special pastime it always should be.

Take care
John

bigreddog · September 24, 2010 12:13PM

Set Update:

A long time coming on this one.

My original set had an OK Earl Morrall.
Last year I picked up one that looked nice, But when I got it in hand
it was obviously not as nice as I expected.

I now landed this beauty and can safely now cross Earl Morral off my want list.

Had it been a basic common I might have been able to live with that second card for awhile, But I don't
consider Earl Morrall a common or for that matter even a semi-star. Morrall never got the credit due him
for that 72 undefeated Dolphin season. It was he who led the team to 9 consecutive victories and first round playoff win over the browns
and then into the Championship game against the Steelers before Griese returned.

As his card back here also notes, He led the 68 Colts to a NFL Chamionship with an MVP season
and Passing Title.

He was also the one who replaced Johnny Unitas in 1970 Super Bowl when Unitas became ineffective.

Not bad for a guy who played behind some of the games Great QB's

Earl Morrall was no slotch and holds a special place in NFL history.

There for I needed a Top notch card of this legendary QB. And now Ive got it.

John

3SportHOFCOLLECTOR · September 24, 2010 1:31PM

It is a nice set. Not condition sensitive at all unlike 1971 Topps. Everything there looked at least near mint or better. Nice stuff.

bigreddog · September 24, 2010 3:08PM

We now travel back to 1970.

* LAYLA by Derek & The Dominos's was the #1 Song

* Love Story with Ryan O'Neal was tops at the Box Office (I could live without that)

* TV's Marcus Welby MD and Gunsmoke were the top hits ( I loved Gunsmoke! )

* Richard Nixon was in office

* Unemployment was at 3.5% (Really?)

* Dow High was 842 (REALLY!!!?)

* New Home Cost? .......... You guessed it! $26,600

* 1st Class Stamp was .06

* Gas was .36 cents a gallon

* Gallon of Milk........... $1.15

But what was more important to a 6 yr old boy, was that Topps Football card packs were .10 cents.
That meant hunting up a lot of Pop Bottles if you wanted to get some cards.
While favorite Cowboys cards were always a treat to find, A star like Joe Namath pulled gave you top bragging rights.

While there are some who question Joe Namath being in the HOF( Insane but true) Stats do not measure the historical impact
Joe Namath had on Pro Football. His Storied Career at Alabama to snubbing the NFL and St. Louis Cardinals in Favor of the AFL
New york Jets for a then record high Salary of $427,000, To his Legendary Brash "Guarantee" to beat the HEAVILY favored Mighty Colts
in Super Bowl III are forever etched in NFL lore.

Namath acquired legendary status for American Football League fans as the symbol of their league's legitimacy. Not ONLY had he aquired
ONE of the most famous knick names in all of sports but TWO!!!! "Joe Wiile" and "Broadway Joe" Not only through out Football
fandom were these universially known knick names, but they were household names that everybody including your grandmother knew!

So Popular had he become, The head of ABC's televised sports, Roone Arledge, made sure that Monday Night Football's inaugural game
in 1970, would feature Namath and the New York Jets in a game against the Cleveland Browns.

ANYBODY who questions Joe Namath's HOF creditals is a pure Knucklehead. While his career statistics are not exceptional, Namath was the game's first true media superstar and Namath was the first quarterback to throw for 4,000 yards during the 14 game 1967 season. This feat was not to be achieved again until Dan Fouts topped 4,000 yards during the 1979 season in a 16 game season. Namath threw for 4,000 yards under old rules that gave much less protection to both the quarterback and receivers. Namath's play on the field in the years before his knees seriously limited his mobility helped evolve the quarterback position and the NFL style of play from a run oriented ball control game to today's more open passing style. Perhaps the accolades of experts say it best. Hall of Fame coach Bill Walsh stated that Namath was "the most beautiful, accurate, stylish passer with the quickest release I've ever seen." Hall of Fame coach Don Shula stated that Namath was "one of the 3 smartest quarterbacks of all time"

I still remember that "Brady Bunch" episode where "Broadway Joe" shows up to help Bobby with his Self Confidence.

Joe Namath not a HOFer, What the hell is the world coming to!!? Namath was KICK ASS

This LA Ram Great still remains on my wantlist. not a bad card. Id like to find a bit better centering.

I know, I know. But its a common I can live with

I do have a nice centered sharp upgrade of this card. Just haven't upgraded my photos yet. This beater shown has long
since made a trip to the landfill in pieces.

God how I despately want to rip this card to pieces like the previously mentioned one. Along with the #147 Dave Osborn and
#189 Bob Hayes it is one of the highest profile cards I need. A great pose of the Great Chiefs Linebacker Bobby Bell!
Like Namath and the Jets, The powerhouse Kansas City Chiefs put a serious end to ANY doubt about the quality of AFL talent,
by Crushing the Vikings 23-7 in SB IV. Along with with Jim Lynch and Willie Lanier, I consider this one of the Greatest Linebacker trios
in NFL history. The Bobby Bell seems to be one elusive card. I rarely seem to see it with any kind of acceptable centering.
It remains one of the TOP cards Im looking for.

Claude has the distinction of being featured on one of my All-Time Favorite cards. His 1973 Topps Card, which features him trying
to tackle Roger Staubach on one of the few in action cards in the set.

Another classic seventies pose of the Great Viking center. How tough do you think this guy had to be too face Butkus Twice a year
in the black and blue divison. I remember Tinglehoff being interview about Butkus, and the humiliating and vile things Butkus
would say trying to tuant and confuse him. Even going as far as Spitting on his hands before hiking the ball.

The Great Cardinal Saftey Larry Wilson. Before the rule changes that pampered the QB's and WR's in 1979. You didn't want to
be caught crossing the middle and hit by Larry Wilson. Ive since upgraded this card as well with no photo upgrade yet.
So at this point I need to do some photo upgrades before we continue as Im starting to run into a lot of old scans that need to be upgraded.

John

bigreddog · October 17, 2010 2:24AM

Still upgrading some scans and cards.
More to come soon!

bigreddog · December 18, 2010 4:55PM

ttt

hobart4281 · December 19, 2010 8:00AM

John,

Fantastistic set...card collecting the way it is supposed to be......

I have tinkered with starting a 1970 set by picking up a few nice examples as they presented themselves...you've inspired me to redouble my effort! Thank you for sharing your passion.

Brian

Goodsport40 · December 2, 2011 8:15AM

With the revival of the vintage football thread, which was long overdue

, I would love to see this thread updated as well!

Please?

Robert

1970 TOPPS FOOTBALL SET (Revisited) SCAN HEAVEY

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