The 1978 baseball season was a memorable one in Major League Baseball. The New York Yankees won the World Series over the Los Angeles Dodgers, Reggie Jackson hit three home runs in a single World Series game for the first time ever, and Nolan Ryan pitched his fifth career no-hitter. For collectors and investors, one of the most notable things about 1978 was the baseball cards released that year.
The 1978 Topps set is considered one of the classic and iconic issues in the modern era of baseball cards. Featuring striking photography and minimal but nice design elements, the 1978 Topps cards captured the athletes and moments from that season nicely. Some of the biggest stars of the late 1970s are prominently featured, such as Jackson, Ryan, Mike Schmidt, and many others. The photography and production quality of the 1978 Topps set helped cement it as a premium and desirable release that would gain value for decades to come.
As the popularity of collecting vintage baseball cards grew tremendously starting in the 1980s and continuing strong today, the 1978 Topps issue has remained a highly sought after set. Demand for high quality, well-centred examples graded and slabbed by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) is extremely high. PSA is considered the leading third-party grading service for trading cards and comics, authenticating and assigning quality grades to prints. Their black label holders and consistent standards help define value like no other company in the collecting industry.
For the 1978 Topps set specifically, PSA has graded thousands upon thousands of examples over the past 25+ years. Naturally, as one of the most iconic releases, submission volume and collector demand remains very strong. On the secondary market, PSA-graded 1978s regularly sell for premium prices compared to raw or lesser-graded versions. Collectors appreciate the transparency and assurances that come with PSA slabs, which gives resellers and investors confidence.
When looking at PSA population reports for the 1978 Topps set, a few key details stand out. First is the sheer volume – as of April 2021, over 102,000 cards from the set had been graded by PSA over the decades. This speaks volumes to both the huge amount submitted but also the robust collecting community around this release. It’s not uncommon for new batches of a few hundred or more 1978s to cross the PSA grading floors each month even today.
Unsurprisingly, the highest population counts belong to fairly common players like Jerry Remy, Larry Hisle, and Tom Hutton – players who often have multiple copies in circulation. These players tend to grade well overall due to plentiful supplies, but also possess relatively modest card values. On the opposite end of the spectrum are legendary stars whose gem mint PSA 10 pop reports number in the low double or sometimes single digits.
Icons of the era like Jackson, Schmidt, Ryan, and others unsurprisingly have some of the tightest PSA 10 populations amongst 1978 issues due to their global recognition and popularity even decades ago. High-grade examples of these players command astronomical prices – occasional four-figure values for PSA 9s and routine five-figure prices or more for PSA 10s. Lesser stars and role players can still hold PSA 10 value in the low-to-mid four figures as well due to the set’s reputation.
Another key data point seen in the 1978 Topps PSA population report is the overall quality of the set. While over 102,000 have been graded thus far, only about 3,900 have achieved the coveted PSA 10 Gem Mint grade. That’s a breathtakingly low 3.8% PSA 10 population percentage. By comparison, a generous modern release may have a PSA 10 rate exceeding 20% of all cards graded. This speaks to tough centering, surface, and freshness standards even 4+ decades later that 1978s must attain to hit Gem Mint.
Part of what makes high-grade 1978 Topps cards so immensely valuable, especially within the strictest PSA 10 holders, comes down to both rarity and historic significance. Having been issued and saved by collectors for over 40 years now, it’s a true testament to quality control in printing and handling over the decades to achieve that perfect visual status. Collectors appreciate pristine specimens of such a definitive release from the late 1970s being maintained in timeless fashion.
While the 1978 Topps set is synonymous with the high-flying hobby of baseball card collecting and investing today, its roots come from capturing a memorable season on the diamond. Time has further cemented its status as one of the true great vintage issues ever due to sustained interest, grades, and prices even into modern times. For collectors and enthusiasts, PSA-slabbed 1978 Topps cards represent the pinnacle examples of this prized release and era in our hobby’s history. Condition-census specimens will always be tremendously popular.
