The 1975 Topps baseball card set was issued by Topps during the 1975 baseball season. The set totals 792 cards and was the 24th year of production for Topps baseball cards. Significant events during the 1975 season included Carlton Fisk waving the Red Sox on to victory in Game 6 of the World Series against the Cincinnati Reds.
Design and Printing
The set includes photos of 730 past and present major league players and managers on the front. Career statistics and biographical information are on the backs of each card. The cards featured color photos that were cropped with a white border. At the top of each card is the Topps logo printed in purple and red. Below that is a large vintage style player nameplate. The photos are embedded within a gray border that covers about 2/3 of the card. Career stats are listed below along with other notable info. The backs utilize a uniform format showing batter stats on the top half and pitcher stats below if applicable.
Highlights and Key Rookies
Some top rookie cards included Don Baylor, Bert Blyleven, Bobby Grich, Ken Griffey Sr., Joe Nolan, Ted Simmons and Robin Yount. The 1975 set is also known for having the rookie card of Hall of Famer Jim Rice, who had a tremendous rookie season batting .309 with 22 home runs and 102 RBIs for the Red Sox. Another noteworthy rookie was Fred Lynn of the Red Sox, who won the AL MVP and Rookie of the Year awards in 1975. Popular veterans included Lou Brock, Johnny Bench, Pete Rose, Tom Seaver and Hank Aaron chasing the all-time home run record.
Variation Cards
There are a few variations of significance within the set. Card #1 is the horizontally offset error card of Nolan Ryan which is significantly more valuable. Other variations include miscut cards which cut into the portrait or stats on the back. The Hank Aaron card #402 is also known for an error where the “9” in his career home run total is cutoff. The Ozzie Smith rookie card #585 is also one of the more notable variations due to miscuts.
1975 Standouts and All-Stars
The 1975 season featured an exciting World Series between the Red Sox and Reds that went the full 7 games. Carlton Fisk’s dramatic game-winning home run in the bottom of the 12th won Game 6 for Boston and forced a Game 7. Cincinnati ultimately won the Series 4 games to 3. In the AL, Jim Rice of Boston led the league with a .309 batting average. Carlton Fisk of the Red Sox was tops with 24 home runs while Ben Oglivie of Milwaukee drove in 114 runs to pace the AL.
NL stars included Joe Morgan of the Reds hitting .327 and Joe Morgan also stole 60 bases to pace the league. Mike Schmidt of the Phillies swatted 36 homers while Dave Parker of the Pirates knocked in 125 runs. On the mound, Jim Palmer of the Orioles was 23-11 with a 2.42 ERA to win the AL Cy Young. Tom Seaver of the Reds took home the NL Cy Young going 22-9 with a 2.38 ERA. Other notables starters included Bert Blyleven, Vida Blue, Nolan Ryan and Tom Seaver.
The 1975 Topps set remains one of the most popular vintage issues and is a great way to collect the stars of that mid-1970’s era. Key rookie cards, variations and stars of that classic World Series make it a fun and historic set for collectors nearly 50 years later. The photographs and uniform design hold up well even decades later.
