The 1972 Topps baseball card set was the 21st series produced by Topps and featured 660 total cards issued. Some key things to know about the 1972 Topps baseball cards include:
The design of the 1972 cards featured a simple yet classic look that Topps would reuse many times over the following decades. Each card showed a color action photo of the player at the top with their name, team, and position directly below. Statistical information from the 1971 season was listed on the reverse along with the standard “Story on the back” text. The cards had a yellow border around the perimeter.
Some of the standout rookie cards from the ’72 set included Jon Matlack of the New York Mets, Larry Dierker of the Houston Astros, Mike Marshall of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Rick Reichardt of the California Angels, and Jay Johnstone of the California Angels. Matlack in particular is a popular and valuable card for Mets collectors today given his success pitching for their 1973 World Series championship team.
The ’72 Topps set also featured the final cards for several all-time great players in their Hall of Fame careers. Legendary slugger Harmon Killebrew’s card was his last in a Twins uniform before retiring after 22 seasons. Other future Hall of Famers with their final cards in the 1972 set included Willie Mays with the New York Mets and Juan Marichal with the Boston Red Sox.
In total, 12 future Hall of Famers were included in the ’72 Topps checklist such as Reggie Jackson, Tom Seaver, Gaylord Perry, and Bob Gibson. The vast majority of future Hall of Famers in the set had already established themselves as perennial All-Stars at that point in their respective careers.
1972 was the first season that the designated hitter rule was implemented in the American League. As a result, the ’72 Topps set featured separate card numbers and photos for pitchers whether they were in the AL or NL since their roles at the plate were now different. This marked a subtle but important change from how cards had always grouped pitchers together before.
One of the more unique aspects of the 1972 Topps design was the large pennant graphic behind the action photos on many of the cards. Interspersed randomly throughout the set were cards showing team pennants waving proudly from stadium light towers. Players on these “pennant cards” were not specially identified but the visual branding helped to further associate each player with their ballclub.
In terms of production and rarity factors, the 1972 Topps set had an original print run estimated around 63 million total cards. High number rookie cards toward the back of the checklist like Larry Dierker (#494) tend to be scarcer finds in top-graded condition today. The 1967 Topps design featuring player signatures also made a return in the 1972 set through the high number “Golden Signature” parallel issue.
Monumental events of the 1972 Major League Baseball season were also well-documented in the contemporary card set. The Oakland Athletics’ World Series victory over the Cincinnati Reds is highlighted through team cards with group action shots from that Fall Classic. Johnny Bench’s single-season record of 40 home runs for a catcher in 1972 is enshrined on his card from that year as well.
In the half-century since they were first released in 1972, Topps baseball cards have grown exponentially in their collector appeal and market value. Sets like the simple yet iconic 1972 Topps issue remain among the most collected and appreciated of the pre-modern age of cards before the boom years of the 1990s. The complete 660-card run offers a baseball time capsule and an affordable way for fans to commemorate the great players and moments from that golden era in the national pastime.
The 1972 Topps baseball card set established many enduring design elements that would define Topps issues for decades to follow. While not one of the scarcest pre-1980 sets to obtain in high grade, it remains a very collectible run due to the star power of included players and its historical significance in cataloging the early days of the designated hitter rule. The classic 1970s visual style also gives the cards universal nostalgic appeal for generations of baseball fans and collectors.
