The 1970 Sporting News baseball card set was issued during a transitional time in baseball card production. While the larger tobacco companies still dominated the baseball card market in the late 1960s, the 1970s would see the rise of independent producers such as Sporting News and Topps.
The 1970 Sporting News set is notable for being one of the early releases from the publishing company known primarily for its famous baseball newspaper. At 120 cards, it was one of the largest baseball card sets of the early 1970s as companies jockeyed for position and market share away from the big tobacco producers.
Some key things to know about the 1970 Sporting News baseball card set:
Design and Production:
The cards featured a consistent color photo on the front with the player’s name, team, and position below the image. On the back was stats from the 1969 season as well as a brief career recap. The cards had a thin stock and featured Sporting News branding on the bottom front. They were packaged in wax paper packs of 5 cards each.
Players Featured:
Most of the game’s biggest stars of the late 1960s are included such as Hank Aaron, Willie Mays, Roberto Clemente, and Mickey Mantle. Some were left out possibly due to licensing issues. Notable omissions include Reggie Jackson and Tom Seaver. The set heavily features roster players to hit the high card count of 120.
Rookies of Note:
Several future Hall of Famers made their card debuts in this set such as Johnny Bench, Tom Seaver, Carlton Fisk, and Reggie Jackson. Other top rookies included Sparky Lyle, Matty Alou, and Ken Holtzman. It’s one of the earliest card appearances for many of baseball’s biggest 1970s stars.
Key Variations:
There are no true short prints or parallels in the basic 120 card set. Error cards do pop up from time to time such as missing fronts, inverted images, and miscut designs. The scarcest variation is card #75 which featured an inverted image of pitcher John Morris that is quite valuable to collectors today.
Design Differences from Topps:
The 1970 Sporting News cards had a much simpler design compared to the elaborate artwork on 1970 Topps issues. While not as creatively striking, the Sporting News photography provided cleaner straightforward images on many cards. The back also featured more basic career stats versus Topps’ usage of cartoons and illustrations on the reverses.
1970s Card Market:
The early 1970s witnessed many new baseball card producers enter the market as regulation curtailed the cigarette companies. Sporting News, Kellogg’s, Donruss and others competed heavily with flagship brand Topps for collectors. While Sporting News and other alternatives did not surpass Topps in popularity, they succeeded in attracting many collectors. By the end of the decade, production volume had exploded for baseball cards of all varieties.
Condition and Grading:
As with all early 1970s issues, finding high grade 1970 Sporting News cards in today’s market can be tricky due to the thin stock used. Even light play leaves corners dinged and edges worn. Near Mint examples fetch strong prices while Anything less than Very Good is typically only valuable for particular star players. PSA/BGS slabbed specimens in the 8-9 range can value into the hundreds of dollars or more per card depending on scarcity and condition multipliers.
Overview and Collector Value:
Despite not having the same allure as tough vintage tobacco issues or iconic Topps designs, the 1970 Sporting News set holds its own place in the hobby. It represents the ambitious independent expansion of the baseball card field at the dawn of its boom period. Commons can be acquired for under $10 while stars are steadily climbing as vintage collectors seek out all player issues from the sport’s golden eras. In high grades, the rarest cards break into the four-figure range showing this set’s lasting collector demand. For both vintage fans and Sporting News aficionados, the 1970 offering provides a historic glimpse into the evolution of the modern baseball card industry.
The 1970 Sporting News baseball card set marked an important early effort from the long-running sports publication to branch out into the burgeoning collectibles marketplace. While overshadowed aesthetically compared to flagship brands, the large player selection and inclusion of many future legends in their rookie years make it an iconic release representing baseball card manufacturing’s shift into the sport’s golden age of the 1970s and beyond. After 50 years, strong nostalgia and investing interest keeps the 1970 Sporting News set relevant as a unique part of the vintage collecting landscape.
