The 1979 Topps baseball card set holds a special place in the hobby for several reasons. For collectors, finding an unopened box of these cards from nearly 50 years ago is like discovering buried treasure. Let’s take a deeper look at what makes the 1979 Topps issue so desirable and valuable today.
The 1979 Topps set was the 18th series of modern baseball cards issued by Topps after they lost their monopoly following the courts ruling that their exclusive agreement with MLB was illegal. With competition now in the marketplace from rivals like Fleer, Topps had to work harder to win back collectors. They delivered arguably one of the sharpest and most visually appealing designs of the 1970s with the 1979 iteration.
The card fronts featured action photos of the players with bold team wordmarks arched across the top. Statistics were presented clearly in an easy to read font on the bottom third of the card alongside the player’s name. Turn the card over and you were treated to an illustration in team colors that spilled over the borders. Player bios struck the perfect balance of stats and fun little facts that captured the era.
Topps also took advantage of the larger 3.5×2.5 inch card size used from 1975-1981 to really make the photos and illustrations pop. The thicker stock Cardboard was also a step up from what they had been using prior. All of these small upgrades in design and production quality added up to a very collector-friendly final product.
Another thing that made the 1979 Topps set stand out was the incredible talent featured on the cards. You had superstars in their prime like Nolan Ryan, Dave Winfield, Reggie Jackson, and George Brett. Up and coming future Hall of Famers like Robin Yount and Eddie Murray also had their rookie cards in this set.
The 1979 season itself was also quite memorable. The “Team of the 70s” Pittsburgh Pirates won their 4th division title in 6 years. The “Killer B’s” Houston Astros quickly became a powerhouse led by baseball’s new slugging star in Jose Cruz. And a young pitching sensation named Orel Hershiser made his debut for the Dodgers.
These real-life storylines unfolding during the year added excitement and nostalgia for the cardboard representations of the players and teams in the 1979 Topps set today. The vintage appeal has only increased over the ensuing decades as well.
Perhaps most desirably to collectors though is finding a complete unopened wax box of 1979 Topps cards. These boxes originally contained 24 wax packs with 11 cards per pack, totaling 264 cards. Simply put, they are almost impossible to locate today in unmolested condition straight from the Topps warehouse in the 1970s.
Opening day wax boxes were shipped directly to local retail outlets and sold quickly as the new baseball card season kicked off. Over 40 years later, the survivability rate of any remaining unopened boxes is exceedingly low. The wax and glue used in the manufacturing can break down with age if not properly stored. Add in the natural curiosity of people over the decades to rip open packs, and few boxes escape intact.
Those lucky few unopened 1979 Topps wax boxes that have survived since 1979 and can be verified are considered true prizes among vintage sports memorabilia collectors today. In the collectibles marketplace, they can fetch appraisal values well into the five figures depending on overall condition. The historical significance and intangible “cool factor” of a time capsule box like this is incredibly difficult to replicate.
While the individual 1979 Topps cards themselves can still be acquired comparatively inexpensively, finding that elusive unopened wax box brings together all the nostalgia, appeal of the designs and players, and condition factors that long-time collectors dream of discovering. For those wishing to add one of the most legendary vintage sealed products to their collection, a 1979 Topps wax box in pristine shape is about as good as it gets…and will likely continue increasing in value over time as well.
