The Topps 700 series of baseball cards were released by Topps in 1980 and featured players and teams from throughout baseball history. What made the 700 set unique was its focus on highlighting players, teams, and events before the present day. By looking back at the pioneer days of baseball and reprinting vintage cards from the past, Topps created a collectible set that captured the nostalgia of the national pastime.
The 700 set contained a total of 660 cards focusing on historical players and teams. An additional 40 “checklist” cards were included that simply listed players or events by year. Each card contained a black and white reprinted image from the early days of baseball on the front. On the back, historical information and career stats for each player or recaps of significant World Series or All-Star games were featured in descriptive paragraphs.
Some notable aspects of the 700 set included:
The earliest card was #700 which featured a reprint of an 1868 “N172 Old Judge” cigar tobacco card of baseball pioneer Hank Aaron. This kickstarted the nostalgic trip back through baseball history.
Icons of the early baseball era like Cap Anson, Billy Hamilton, Candy Cummings, and more who played in the 1880s dominated the early cards in the set. Their careers in the pioneer National League were chronicled.
The turn of the century teams of the 1890s-1910s like the Boston Beaneaters, Pittsburgh Pirates, Honus Wagner’s Pirates teams, and Connie Mack’s early Philadelphia A’s dynasty were highlighted.
The Deadball Era teams made famous by Babe Ruth like the 1910s Red Sox teams and Murderers Row-era Yankees took center stage in cards focused on that infamous time period.
Negro Leagues legends like Josh Gibson, Martin Dihigo, Oscar Charleston and more got recognition in the set through reprints of vintage black and white photos.
The growth of the modern LCS and World Series era post-1920 came alive through cards on Hall of Famers like Ty Cobb, Tris Speaker, Walter Johnson, and cards dedicated to 1920s Yankees vs. Giants Fall Classic matchups.
The set even payed tribute to more modern icons like the 1930s-era Gashouse Gang St. Louis Cardinals, Dizzy Dean, Joe DiMaggio’s Yankees, and Willie Mays/Hank Aaron Braves teams of the 1950s showing how baseball evolved constantly.
What set the 700 collection apart from typical issues was its heavy focus on extensive historical facts and stats on the back of each card. Where a regular set may include just a brief career recap, these cards went into great depth describing key events, milestones, and memorable accomplishments of each featured player or team in vivid detail.
For example, card #700 on Hank Aaron provided not just stats but a paragraph on his role in integrating the Negro Leagues and the historical context of overcoming racism at that time. Card #720 on Babe Ruth gave multiple paragraphs detailing his iconic 1914-1919 career with the Red Sox and infamous “Curse of the Bambino.”
Fans could spend hours reading through the collection and feeling transported back through the decades. It served as a comprehensive baseball history book in card form. While reprints from old tobacco cards comprised the images, the lengthy write-ups on the back captured what the players and teams really meant to the evolution of America’s pastime.
The attention to historical accuracy made the 700 set appealing not just to collectors but historians and baseball scholars. Researchers could gain tremendous insights into the early formative years and eras bridging the transition from the amateur era into the modern game. Young fans were exposed to important figures long before their time in a fun, readable medium.
When it was released in 1980, the Topps 700 series represented a huge undertaking of research, formatting, and publishing never attempted before for a card set. The company pioneered how vintage reprints could be combined with deep historical analysis to both entertain and educate card collectors. Over forty years later, it remains one of the most ambitious and illuminating projects in the history of the hobby. For collectors with an appreciation of baseball’s roots, the 700 set endures as a true treasure trove of nostalgia and knowledge.
