I only really collect two 1950's sets, so my love/hate is very limited.
1957, although very murky looking, is my favorite. A huge number of star cards, the Bums are still in Brooklyn, and the tough semi-highs and rookies make it quite an (arguably fun) burden to complete. And ending it with Yogi and the Mick? Nice.
1959, with a knothole thing??? Come on, Topps. They basically blocked out half of the picture for no reason whatsoever.
The 1960's has all sorts of great things.
1969, with it's clean and beautiful look, shoulda/woulda/coulda been my favorite, but so many of the pictures are just reused shots from other years due to the labor climate, so it doesn't count. If you collect autographed cards, this set is perfect for you.
1961 has too many headshots, but the wicked tough high numbers save the day.
1962, with the green tints and other variations, makes it a fun and challenging set to collect, but the woodgrain itself? Yick.
1965 is my favorite. I love the pennant design, and in the years before action shots were introduced, it provides so many beautiful portraits. The lack of tough high numbers is the biggest problem with it.
1968 burlap is the worst. Not a fan.
The 1970's was a roller coaster ride with many cool sets.
1974 was an incredibly great looking set. I have no idea why people throw so much disdain at it. Yowza. Here's a celebratory thread from a hundred years ago...
https://www.net54baseball.com/showthread.php?t=172335
1972 is my favorite set of all time, and I could yammer on about it forever. Because the cards were way overproduced, they are pretty easy to find...but you need to secure 787 different ones. Ouch. And trying to complete a CENTERED set????!!!!!! That is a frustrating journey. Although they feature such a B-list of players, the 'In Action' cards are quite delicious, and then throw in the wide variety of other things (some weird) like awards, boyhood photos, playoffs and WS, it becomes a hugely extensive thing to assemble. The high numbers with the awesome 'Traded' subset is a great way to cap it off. One hundred thumbs up!!!
1971 is a thumbs down only due to the black borders. You just look at them and the corners start turning white with wear. The set itself in theory is beautiful, and I've come to adore it greatly, but that black just negates it all. I mean, just thinking about removing cards from your binder to send them off for grading makes you sweat like a bomb tech trying to cut the right wire and defuse the explosive.