Best set of the 1970s

[CamaroDMD]

The recent thread about the 1972 topps set got me thinking. What is the best set of the 1970s. I always really liked the 1972 design but that is because the nolan Ryan is one of my favorites. I like the template but what I learned in that thread is the pictures are pretty poor on a lot of cards. So here is my question. What is the best set of the decade when you factor in design, players, rcs, photo quality, ect? I haven't given the 70s much thought as I prefer the 50s and 60s for the most part.

[67_Palmer]

If I had to put them in order, favorite to least favorite it would look like this.

70, 75, 71, 72, 73, 74, 77, 76, 79, 78

[CamaroDMD]

You know. I have always loved the 75 design but I always thought the silver border of the 70 was ugly. But the image quality seemed good. I was never able to get past the template though.

[obcbeatle]

1971 ... love the black borders and most of those action photo's ... like Nolan Ryan and Thurman Munson ... plus the lower-case font for the player names!

[Cardboard Junkie]

The psychedelic design of the 72's make them my favorite and as everyone knows "size matters". Dave

[toppcat]

70 was the first set I collected as a kid, then 71 and 72 were biggies as well. While I feel the 70's are probably not that attractive to many, I like them for nostalgic purposes plus I think they have the best backs of any Topps set.

I think the 71 design is superb, as the jet black card makes the colors pop and I also love the psychedelic 72's. So I would rank my top three as 71, 70, 72 but could easily change my mind.

[brewing]

I like the 1970 set for its simplicity. Photos are decent too. Backs are easy to read, which is very rare for a 70's release.

Next is the 1971 set, pictures are one of the best in the decade and the design template is cool.

I put the 1975 set in third. Has to be the mini, in Michigan that was the dominant version. Like the all star moniker on the cards, although Topps screwed the pooch in getting those correct.

By far the worst has to be the 1979 set. Bad photography, with a blah template.

[MattyC]

This thread needs a POLL!

I go 75 mini and 71 as my favorites.

Then I like 72 for the design. 73 has some great photos.

[CW]

I think 1977 has the best photography, and while it's not the best design, it's pretty cool with the pennants.

[JollyElm]

Wow, I can't for the life of me figure out why people like the 1970 set. Such a boring, poorly designed offering. Ick!!

1972 is my ultimate favorite, but don't forget about the 1974 set. That one has a ton of great action photos. A little too much white around the borders, but very well put together.

[Wymers Auction]

I also like the 75 mini.

[39special]

I always liked the '71 set.The '71 Ryan is one of my favorite cards.I like the '70 set for doing TTM's.I think they look great signed.

[Orioles1954]

1972, 1975, 1971, 1973, 1970, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1977, 1974

[mintacular]

From best to worst:

71: Black borders and a bunch of other reasons
75: Psychedelic borders and good star/rc selection
70: Dunno why but I like the gray borders, maybe cause no other Topps set like it?
73: Good action shots, lots of old stars and new ones
72: Not a huge fan of design but some cool stuff
74, 76-79: No high numbers (lacks "toughness" of completing a set, bland designs/borders, not many key rookies)

[chris6net]

1972 will be my first pick. Maybe 1974 Next

[jerrys]

In desirable order: 71, 70, 75, 76, 73, 72, 74, 77, 78, 79

I had all these sets except the 72 & 73. Only have the 75 left.

[Iwantmorecards77]

Love the 70's. I collect the rookies, so based on the rookie selection combined with design, here is my personal ranking:

10. 1970 (Munson rookie - but not a fan of the design)
9. 1976 (Eckersley rookie)
8. 1979 (Smith rookie)
7. 1977 (Rookies of Sutter, Dawson, and Murphy)
6. 1974 (Rookies of Parker, Griffey, and Winfield)
5. 1978 (Rookies of Molitor/Trammell and Murray)
4. 1972 (Fisk rookie - but really like the design)
3. 1973 (Rookies of Gossage, Boone, Evans, and Schmidt)
2. 1975 (Rookies of Rice, Hernandez, Carter, Brett and Yount - really like the design)
1. 1971 (Rookies of Concepcion, Matlack, Blyleven, Garvey, and Baker/Baylor - love the black borders)

[David W]

71 Topps is my favorite set - it is the first set I collected, as my mom gave me a pack of cards from the grocery store to open.

76 Topps is second, it is the first set I ever put together.

[Harliduck]

In order for me -


1970 - I LOVE the gray borders and the pictures. Plus it's the year I was born. My first 1970 card was Jake Gibbs, a Yankee...I bought it for 50 cents when I was 11...was my favorite card for years. When I re-bought that card for my current set, it was a great moment (got it at a local shop, very cool)

1973 - My first Willie Mays as a kid was a 73...fun set to put together, last year of the high cards.

1974 - As a kid I got a big stack of hammered 74s...I thought I hit a baseball card treasure chest. More for sentamtal reasons but for some reason in 1982 when I was 12, these seemed ancient.

1971 - Love the black borders, really love the Thurman Munson card. There are a lot of 71s out there with black felt pen from me and my 13 year old buddies...sorry about that! haha. I have a few in my set that are touched up, I left them...

1972 - I think they are totally ugly...but the fact they are so different makes them special.

1976 - The Lou Brock card posted earlier was my favorite card in that set. I hated the Traded cards from 76 and 74, and threw them away as a kid. Still don't want them for my sets! haha.

1975 - We had Mini's out here in Washington...it was only as an adult in a shop did I see my first regular size card. I hated the mini's because they fit poorly in my boxes, and the regular size looks ODD to me. Ironically, my set now is regular...I should probably do the mini's.

1977 - Rather plain cards, but they reminded me of the 67s so I liked them. A big card as a kid was the Murphy rookie, and I never owned one, always wanted one. Now that it is relatively worthless, I chuckled when I see it when I look through my set.

1978 - The oldest cards I ever opened as packs. I started as a 9 year old buying 79 topps, but my mom came home with 3 boxes of wax packs the local convienent store found in the back room from the year prior and sold them all to her for half price. I was STOKED. When I pulled the Reggie Jackson in his iconic pose, I jumped up and down. I ended up putting this set together when I was 11, and it seemed ancient to me and I was the hero on the block. About a year later a neighbor kid stole my Eddie Murray and Paul Molitor...I didn't get them back until I recently a couple of years ago bought a new set, lol.

1979 - The year I started collecting as a kid. I completed the set that year thanks to my mom buying packs and packs for me and my brother. First card I ever opened, Reggie Jackson (my brother was local player and Mariner Rick Honeycutt). Last card I got for completion was Gary Templeton...I had to trade it from a neighbor kid...cost me a couple of my coveted 78s!! I list them last because I stared and memorized each card so much they are somewhat boring to me now. But thinking of opening those packs brings me back. I actually have my childhood set...it's hammered (we used to play games with them with aluminum foil and mini bats and set up stadiums). I still am upgrading here and there...but I could care less.

[Beatles Guy]

1973 for me. Love the action shots.

[jmoran19]

Uh, I think I'll go with this year

[bcbgcbrcb]

1975 minis

[mr2686]

71's and 74's for me. Some of it having to do with the cards themselves, but a lot to do with remembering growing up in those years and trying real hard to complete those sets with my friends.

[Jayworld]

I started working on the 1976 set in 1978, and it took me five years or so to finish. I still have the first card (top card) from the first 1976 pack I ever opened. I've always loved the design of the 1976 set, especially with the line illustrations denoting the positions of each player. I liked how the position illustrations would accurately show a lefty for a left-handed pitcher and a righty for a right-handed pitcher. I also thought the Kurt Bevacqua Bazooka Bubble gum card contest was fun!

The 1977 set was the first set I completed with packs; it was a fun set, and I remember the "airbrushed" Mariners and Blue Jays caps on the players from that year, as well as a few cards of the White Sox players wearing the rare white cap with navy bill (Brohammer and Gossage).

I'd have to go with 1976 for overall clean design.

[Rich Klein]

1977 was underrated as a set

I like 71-2 for the high number challenge 74 for the master set challenge and 79 for the design

I've had all these sets but 68-73 were my kid years ---- so I know thiose sets even more than the rest of the decade.

Lots oc commons I have 74-79 which I would sell cheap so iif interested let me know

Rich

[MBMiller25]

I'm a 75 Topps guy. Love the colors on the cards!

[Bigdaddy]

IN order, best to worst:

1971 - love the black borders and action shots
1976 - nice design, love the J. Bench card
1977 - first set I really collected, like the AS banners and P. Rose
1978 - nice, clean design, great for autos
1973 - good photography
1972 - makes my head spin if I look at too many, good color on the high #s
1970 - good clean design, photography only OK
1975 - lose the colored borders
1974 - booooring
1979 - blockheaded

[ZenPop]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Wow, I can't for the life of me figure out why people like the 1970 set. Such a boring, poorly designed offering. Ick!!

SO MUCH THIS. The fonts used on the '70 set are a design tragedy of epic proportion.

The 1972 is by far my favorite. The '71 is excellent, too.
The rest: meh. I know a lot of people like the '75, but it's too garish for my taste. The '72 is completely of it's time, but in a very tasteful way.

A couple of cool ones from the set:

[skelly]

I think the 1970 set has the best backs. I really like the 76 set, but the dark green backs make the stats and cartoons hard to read. I always liked the 77 and 78 sets as well.

[glenv]

1973 seems to have better photography and a lot more game action shots than any other year. If you type: "197x baseball cards" into a google image search, it seems like most years feature tons of head or upper body shots. I'd much rather have good pictures than some fancy border...