Best set of the 1970s

[brewing]

I like the 1970 set for its simplicity. Photos are decent too. Backs are easy to read, which is very rare for a 70's release.

Next is the 1971 set, pictures are one of the best in the decade and the design template is cool.

I put the 1975 set in third. Has to be the mini, in Michigan that was the dominant version. Like the all star moniker on the cards, although Topps screwed the pooch in getting those correct.

By far the worst has to be the 1979 set. Bad photography, with a blah template.

[MattyC]

This thread needs a POLL!

I go 75 mini and 71 as my favorites.

Then I like 72 for the design. 73 has some great photos.

[CW]

I think 1977 has the best photography, and while it's not the best design, it's pretty cool with the pennants.

[JollyElm]

Wow, I can't for the life of me figure out why people like the 1970 set. Such a boring, poorly designed offering. Ick!!

1972 is my ultimate favorite, but don't forget about the 1974 set. That one has a ton of great action photos. A little too much white around the borders, but very well put together.

[Wymers Auction]

I also like the 75 mini.

[39special]

I always liked the '71 set.The '71 Ryan is one of my favorite cards.I like the '70 set for doing TTM's.I think they look great signed.

[Orioles1954]

1972, 1975, 1971, 1973, 1970, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1977, 1974

[mintacular]

From best to worst:

71: Black borders and a bunch of other reasons
75: Psychedelic borders and good star/rc selection
70: Dunno why but I like the gray borders, maybe cause no other Topps set like it?
73: Good action shots, lots of old stars and new ones
72: Not a huge fan of design but some cool stuff
74, 76-79: No high numbers (lacks "toughness" of completing a set, bland designs/borders, not many key rookies)

[ZenPop]

Originally Posted by JollyElm

Wow, I can't for the life of me figure out why people like the 1970 set. Such a boring, poorly designed offering. Ick!!

SO MUCH THIS. The fonts used on the '70 set are a design tragedy of epic proportion.

The 1972 is by far my favorite. The '71 is excellent, too.
The rest: meh. I know a lot of people like the '75, but it's too garish for my taste. The '72 is completely of it's time, but in a very tasteful way.

A couple of cool ones from the set:

[skelly]

I think the 1970 set has the best backs. I really like the 76 set, but the dark green backs make the stats and cartoons hard to read. I always liked the 77 and 78 sets as well.

[glenv]

1973 seems to have better photography and a lot more game action shots than any other year. If you type: "197x baseball cards" into a google image search, it seems like most years feature tons of head or upper body shots. I'd much rather have good pictures than some fancy border...