Best of 1971 Topps

[brewing]

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.

[brewing]

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.


This may be the first unanimous choice.


Cool action shot, with the pitch still in flight. 5 to 1, you can't identify the baserunner behind him.


For the longest time, this was my oldest Reggie card and it will always seem cool to me.


The World Series that made Robinson a legend. This card could only be cooler if the shot was zoomed in.


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).

[Samsdaddy]

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

[nolemmings]

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:


Cookie Rojas-- one of the few action shots from the set that I enjoy:


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):


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



Rusty Staub--Le Grand Orange wearing those still relatively new Expos duds:

[Paul S]

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

[bnorth]

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