Best of 1971 Topps
 

List (highly encouraged to post pics) your top 5. The criteria of your selection is up to you (photo, great season, error, first card, favorite player, etc.).

We'll do each year starting from 1980 to 1952. I'll start a new year about once a week. I'll close voting a month or 2 after the first post of the thread and tally up the results.

With these basic rules...
1. You can only vote for a player's card twice during his entire run (Let's not make this a Mantle and Ryan love fest). Consider that when making your selections.

2. Provide a reason for each choice if you're the first person making that selection. You are encouraged, but it's not necessary to restate the point if someone already said it.

3. Pick only 5. We are going through 29 years, limiting to only Topps regular releases, tough decisions will be made. List honorable mentions if you desire, but they will not be counted in the final tally.

The infamous black border set. I completed this about a year ago and I looked back through it, before this post. I'm kind of disappointed about the photography in this set.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ps202ac73a.jpg
This may be the first unanimous choice.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ps7f5c623a.jpg
Cool action shot, with the pitch still in flight. 5 to 1, you can't identify the baserunner behind him.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...psbcaef965.jpg
For the longest time, this was my oldest Reggie card and it will always seem cool to me.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ps8d0c48e5.jpg
The World Series that made Robinson a legend. This card could only be cooler if the shot was zoomed in.

http://i85.photobucket.com/albums/k4...ps5db22a6f.jpg
I'm always on the lookout for a cool Tiger card. It helps that he was my neighbor a few years ago. ToppsVault sold the photo for this card last year and I am still disappointed I lost out in the auction.

Honorable Mention:
Bert Blyleven
Joe Morgan
Roberto Clemente and Nolan Ryan (this happens when you are limited to 2 cards for each player).

Is the baserunner Pete Rose behind Chris Short on the card?

I was always a fan of the '71s, although it started the trend toward action shots with some aerial photos of a couple of players, most notably the Yankees and A's. That Munson card is iconic and should be on everyone's list IMO. The Reggie card is also a beauty. My five for this set would be:

Dave Concepcion--nice shot of this rookie Red who was part of the machine:
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTEzMVg3MT...SjGzi/$_57.JPG

Cookie Rojas-- one of the few action shots from the set that I enjoy:
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/Nzk2WDQ3Mg...NSsdJV/$_3.JPG

Larry Bowa--nice shot of another young SS with the added touch of the trophy (note him wearing a batting glove inside the fielder's mitt):
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/NzM4WDUzNw...BStcJo/$_3.JPG

Dave McNally-- owned my beloved Twins. I liked this one for having virtually no apparent background--looked cool to me.

http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTE3MFg4NT...PPw~~60_57.JPG

Rusty Staub--Le Grand Orange wearing those still relatively new Expos duds:
http://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MTAwMVg3Mz...S0dqM/$_57.JPG

Identical Twins...
 

...Well, almost. Pulled from packs in year of issue.

I like the psychedelic look of this 1971 Topps Tom Seaver.

1971 Oddities
 

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1389903634
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1389903686

1971 Also
 

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1389903766
http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1389817453

1971 Rare Air
 

Not mine

http://i1267.photobucket.com/albums/...g?t=1389904297

Al, what is the oddity with the Billy Grabarkewitz and Boots Day cards?

Billy & Boots
 

White or red dot to right of Billy's cap. Light stand or not to left of Boots ear. I think Boots is an airbrush variation. I think Billy may be a recurring print error, but maybe a changed card

Attachment 128978

Vida Blue just exudes such joy in his shot!
Art Shamsky getting brushed back by a heater (although when I looked at this picture, I always saw him getting fooled by a breaking ball, but the catcher's mitt belies that).
'Rich' all confident that today he will destroy yet another pitcher.
Lou Brock looks almost angelic, as if he found God. But try to find this card centered, and you'd be looking for a miracle.
Tommie Agee's card features 4 separate people, all prominently. You almost have to play a 'Where's Waldo?' game to figure out which player is Agee. But it's nice having Joe Morgan nearby.

And the worst card in the set is the Mr. Cub offering. Come on, Topps!!! For Ernie Banks' last card you get him all crooked faced, seemingly in mid-yawn at Shea Stadium???? You really couldn't do better than this shot?????!!!!!

Ah, now I see both.

Thanks!

[QUOTE=JollyElm;1228746]Attachment 128978

'Rich' all confident that today he will destroy yet another pitcher.
QUOTE]

The photographers knee is at the bottom left of the card. He apparently was laying down to get the upward shot of Richie. I always thought Richie Allen looked cool in the Dodgers uniform.

I am surprised that one of the most popular Topps sets of the past 50 years has less than 5 total votes for the best cards of the set.

Her are my 1971 Topps favorites:

1) World Series Game 5 - I think it was in a Beckett that it was said (Why is Brooks Robinson crawling through the desert). But this a great shot of memorable World Series play. One of my all-time favorite cards.

2) Joe Morgan - a fun shot from behind the batter.

3) Tommy Agee - Great action shot.

4) Steve Blass - Not a great shot necessarily, but I really like Steve Blass and this is the season that he was a World Series hero.

5) Pete Rose - I don't know why, but I like This Rose card perhaps more than all others.