75 Topps Minis - observations and a question
 

Hi, I just picked up a Topps mini starter set (~450 cards). Really psyched to finally build a modest version of this set. Anyway, a few observations and questions:

1. This must be one of the hardest sets out there to find centered. Between the narrowness of the side borders, combined with the penchant for diamond cuts, not to mention, the front and back seem to be rarely aligned. PSA 8+ really must earn it in this set. Can't even imagine how hard it must be to find a legit 10.

2. I have noticed that there seems to be a random card every 100 or so that is very much a different size from top to bottom. Some of them are noticeably shorter than standard while others are significantly longer. These are commons and there's next to no chance they have been tampered with IMO. Seems like a factory issue. I haven't built that many sets so I don't know if this issue is unique to the 75 minis, but it was surprising to see.

3. For people who own this set, I'm sure this question comes up a lot. How do you store them? Is there a box that works well? What about any customized binders that accommodate the smaller size? Any advice here is appreciated. Looking for a fun way to do this.

I’ve sort of paused my pursuit of this set but I’m about ready to go after the last 100 or so I lack.

I haven’t noticed the variance in ‘size’ being any more pronounced that other Topps sets of that era. But I’m not the most observant collector when it comes to things like that. Given that they quite possibly (probably) used a different facility for printing or at least cutting its not surprising.

Ultra Pro makes 9 pockets for these. I got mine on Amazon. Don’t remember if they have a number but I’ll check in a bit. They are Ultra Pro # 84307

I couldn't find them on Amazon and a search of Ultra Pro's site shows them to be 'Out of Print".

I found them on this site (which I can't vouch for as I've never used it). I didn't go any further than that on Google but at least they are out there.

Thanks for the tips Bob!

I sold my complete set years ago, but recently stumbled across a handful of about 100 cards that had been tucked away. Out of that group, one card stands taller than those around it. I don't recall that being an issue with the set, but it supports your theory that a percentage of cards are cut larger than the rest of the set. Just my 2cents.

You don't live out here in California, do you? At card shows, these guy are everywhere. We never had them or even SAW them in New York, and our first realization that they existed came from pictures in one of those photocopied catalogues from a mail-away card collecting company, but they are ridiculously plentiful on this coast.

Every thread needs a card (and you're right about the centering issues)...

Attachment 503518

That's really interesting. I'd always heard that NY was one of the places they were released.
I was in western MA, near the NY border, and got one pack. I ha dno idea what they were until 77 when I asked the local card shop in my new town about them.

Hey Steve,
It's possible that other people had them in their neighborhoods, but with me and my family and friends amassing thousands of 1975 cards in Queens and Long Island, we never came across a single 'mini.'

I first came upon the 75 Minis at card shows when I started collecting in the late 70s.

I started actively working on the 75 Minis set in late 2020. I've tended to buy them in bulk lots where I take what I need and sell on the rest. I've bought a few lots on the BST forum too. I've at 414/660 but I've probably been through about 1,000 cards to get there.

I've not found the centering on the mini's to be worse than other sets. In my opinion, 1973 Topps is the worst for centering.

I've been able to pick up PSA 8 commons at pretty reasonable prices (between $5 - 12) with a bit of searching.

I've come across one or two cards that are a little taller. The numbers weren't excessive. I've just assumed it's par for the course.

Here's photos of a small sample of my 75T Minis.

As for storing them, I keep them in penny sleeves/top loaders in a BCW Graded Shoe Box.

In my lot of about 160 '75 minis I have one that is extremely large like you said. It noticeably sticks out when stacked up with the others.

15-20 years ago I had no problems putting together a raw decently centered NM-MT 75 mini set. I went through 5k+ cards to put this set together. At the time it seemed to me there were no shortage of these cards available in higher grade and centered. In recent years, I do not see to many of these 75 minis in higher grade or centered condition while the regular 75s are far more plentiful now.

I have always heard rumors that both Larry Frisch cards and Charlie Conlon both had significant accumulations of unopened 75 mini cases. My guess is many of these cards were released into the market 15 to 20 years ago creating a surplus at that time.

We had Minis in NJ. I didn't even realize until I found my old stash in my parents basement in late 1980's, and had about 1000 cards and about half were Minis.

The SF Bay Area was one of the distribution points, I’m unclear if all of California was. My 13 year old father bought a dozen boxes or so boxes to hide away when it became known these were a test issue and not available everywhere. The cards are a dime a dozen for the commons at shows out here, seemingly more of them than the regular cards.

The cutting is atrocious, and I too have found the size varies more than it normally does on Topps issues.

Conlon bought out his local Michigan jobber in 1975 and had almost 30 cases left when he died. I might have the SCD (Krause) article that got into the details of that and I'll post it if I find it. Here is some more info for the time being, with the case counts for wax and cello. Not sure about Raks, maybe they were Frtisch's originally?

https://sportscollectorsdigest.com/cards/pssst-wanna-buy-an-unopened-case-of-1975-topps-minis

I'll chime in for Washington state...as a kid we had no idea the regular larger sized existed. All mini's here. Seeing my first "large" card was a shock.

Ironically I now only have the regular large card complete set (bought it complete a decade or so ago). I still have a chunk of my childhood mini's but they are pretty loved. One day I would like to put the mini set together or buy one outright.

We had lots of collectors in my Chicago neighborhood and none of us knew anything about minis until mid-summer when a kid brought some back from Michigan. Never saw any after that either.

The only variant I have with my 75 Mini set, Sands With The Heavenly Grace

https://hosting.photobucket.com/imag...-21_111616.jpg

I'd always just thought that my local convenience store in Dalton, Ma. (A thriving metropolis of about 7500 at the time) was serviced by a supplier that also handled NY.

That makes me wonder if the wholesaler was more upstate somewhere like Albany. Pittsfield makes about as little sense as Dalton for a test or limited release.

Perhaps complicating it slightly is that the shop owner had some "connections" since he got busted by the FBI for selling football cards....So maybe the minis didn't come through a traditional wholesaler at all.

Minis
 

Great set to start up Jason!

You've already noticed that the centering on this set can be problematic - it's got to be one of the worst sets from the '70s in that regard. As far as card height goes, the red/yellow and green/yellow color combinations are the ones that are notorious for being short - must be where the cards were positioned on the sheet when they were cut at the factory.

Much better description than the "Golden Shower variant" IMO :o

I lived in Nebraska in 1975 and summered in Michigan so I got my fill of both sizes throughout in real time. I really didn't think too much about why they were different sizes. They just were. Since the cards came out all in one series I figured they were changing the size of the cards starting the following year and just went ahead and got a start on it. I was thrilled when the 1976 cards were the regular size.

My set currently resides just fine in standard 9 pocket pages in a binder. I've never panicked much over centering unless it was a real visual distraction. As for size cuts, can't say I remember that being an issue but there were always abnormalities in cutting around that time so it comes as no shock.

For a long time, it seemed (to me) nobody wanted the minis. So, I took advantage of this a grabbed a few back in 2020.

My total cost, four transactions, including tax & shipping?


$61.


:D