Condition perils of early 70's cards

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by pokerplyr80

It wasn't any better in the 50s or 60s. Almost any specific card I've tried to track down is hard to find dead centered. Some were harder than others, but none were easy. Unless I just bought them from another collector who focuses on centering.

50's cards don't seem to have the tilt / diamond cut issues en masse that Topps began to experience in the 1970's. Also the card stock was thicker and of higher quality in the 50's.

[Fuddjcal]

Originally Posted by jchcollins

50's cards don't seem to have the tilt / diamond cut issues en masse that Topps began to experience in the 1970's. Also the card stock was thicker and of higher quality in the 50's.

everything was good in the 50's followed by everything being dog S**t in the 70's and 80's.

[Exhibitman]

Well I wouldn't go that far...

[jchcollins]

50's and early 60's cards were definitely thicker. I think this is why some of them hold up better at least as far as eye-appeal goes even in lower grades. And if you use those Ultra-Pro mag cases, the older cards won't slip and slide around in them the way say - a '72 Topps card will.

I think it's hard to say the '70s were total crap overall due to the cool designs - but imagine how nice they would be if they had the card stock of say - '57 Topps?

[JollyElm]

It's funny if you think about it. The 'only' reason the overproduced cards from the 60's and 70's are coveted by most of us is because Topps' quality control sucked. There are 8 billion 1972 Nolan Ryan cards out there, but trying to find one centered and/or without the ubiquitous tilt is hard as hell. Can you even imagine if every single '72 Ryan Express was printed correctly...and centered perfectly? They would have all the appeal of a 1988 Topps common.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

It's funny if you think about it. The 'only' reason the overproduced cards from the 60's and 70's are coveted by most of us is because Topps' quality control sucked. There are 8 billion 1972 Nolan Ryan cards out there, but trying to find one centered and/or without the ubiquitous tilt is hard as hell. Can you even imagine if every single '72 Ryan Express was printed correctly...and centered perfectly? They would have all the appeal of a 1988 Topps common.

That card particularly has always been intriguing to me. At the height of the "Ryan Express" mania in the early 90's, my LCS had a '72 Ryan that they wanted like $150 for and I couldn't afford it. (I settled for - and cherished for a long time - a very o/c '73 Ryan that I could afford). Looking back that '72 was an ok card, but I don't think it was NM or anything. I first became aware of the card and the airbrushed hat job as a kid probably a few years earlier when Johnny Bench's "Great American Baseball Quiz" on ESPN featured it talking about the trade of Ryan for Fregosi. Was not able to score a copy until I was an adult collector, but it's weird now because I always think of it as a high-dollar card because of that - and of course it's not, really...

[onlyvintage62]

Originally Posted by Fuddjcal

everything was good in the 50's followed by everything being dog S**t in the 70's and 80's.

From what I have heard (from people who worked there at the time) was that Topps was in severe financial distress. This led to poor (cheaper) paper and cutting corners in every conceivable way.

The flood in 72 did not help either with all of the damage.

Also lets not forget they had no competition..and a captive audience.

[steve B]

Originally Posted by onlyvintage62

From what I have heard (from people who worked there at the time) was that Topps was in severe financial distress. This led to poor (cheaper) paper and cutting corners in every conceivable way.

The flood in 72 did not help either with all of the damage.

Also lets not forget they had no competition..and a captive audience.

That could be part of it.

I know they cut corners in some pretty cool ways, like using cardstock with the card backs printed to make boxes for Bazooka gum.

[KCRfan1]

The 1977 Topps cards are on thinner stock and prone to chipping on the front. VERY tough set to collect in high grade. I am currently working on a '73 set, and it's taking time to find centered cards even more so in the high numbers.

[jchcollins]

Originally Posted by KCRfan1

The 1977 Topps cards are on thinner stock and prone to chipping on the front. VERY tough set to collect in high grade. I am currently working on a '73 set, and it's taking time to find centered cards even more so in the high numbers.

'77 is my birth year, and a decade or more ago I had a NM set. Wish I had kept it.